Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-08-07
CHA NO W IN JAPAN.
AN ANCIENT METHOD OF BREWING
THE CUP THAT CHEERS.

The Ceremonial Tea, an Old japanese Gus
tom. Still Observed with Scrupulous Pre-
cision and Great Enthusiasm-AnA meri-
can Lady's Experience.
A social custom OF the olden time that is
now kept up with something Of the reverence
| that attaches itself to personal relics is the
! cha no yu, or ceremonial tea This formal
! and elaborate method of making tea for
small groups of friends grew up slowly in
| the quiet atmosphere of the Kioto court
! about three centuries ago, but it remained
| for the SEogGn, Hideyoshi, to take it up, add
| more and more ceremony to 1t, and make it
! the great form of social entertainment
among the highest. classes This willy leader
! of men weighted the simple process of tea
making with SO many precise and deliberate
| forms and minute rules that when daimios
assembled together they were SO closely occu-
! pied with the solemn teamaking that they
had no time to hatch conspracies or indulge
III personal quarrels.
Cha no w survives now as a charming
relic Of the past, and every japanese of tho
higher classes has more or less skill in per-
forming the rites, and notes the hosts move
.nents with the closest attention when any
one makes tea after the ceremonial rules in
their presence Every club house has its
master of cha no W., who presides over the
bowl and brazier when such entertainments
are desired, and the master gives courses Of
instruction when pupils apply. Women are
trained in the methods, too, and young ladies
of the highest rank. even at this advanced
! day OF French fashions, go through course
of cha no yu lessons as part of a finished
education. The empress and her court ladies
give much time to the rites of cha no yu, and
its observance has never been allowed to
wane in the palace.
DINING AT CLUB HOUSE.
1t was apparent that rose cubits in thess-
timation OF a japanese gentleman when
asked him for the address Of q master of cha
no you. He assured me that q great artist
in that line could be found at the Hoishiga-
Okla club, of which he was member, and set
the evening on which we should dine at the
club house with him and his wife and meet
the master Of the ceremonies. The HoiShi-
gaoka club Is closed off from the temple
grounds by high hedges and a grand old oak
tree that stands at its entrance, and could ba
easily missed if not known and looked for.
a tiny room, with round window and
screen door opening Oh the garden, received
us for the few minutes that we waited for
our host TO divest himself of his foreign
clothes and assume the rustling silk kimono
and coat of japanese gentleman. He and
his pretty little wife were pictures as they
sat on the mats slipping the tiny cups OF
amber tea brought to us, while we two for
eign women seemed to overflow with drapery
and dress stuff on every side, and the incon-
gritty of our figures in such scene waa
sadly apparent There was rustling out
side, and the paper screen slid back and dis
closed the master Of cha no yu with lantern
in hand. Slipping into wooden clogs we
clattered along garden path after him to
the tea room
In the tea room proper we took our seats
on the mats, and the master who was to act
as host began the rites A closed kettle of
water resting in the small fireplace sunken
in the floor was all that the room contained,
besides kakemono and vase Of flowers in
q recess The master, with the greatest So
Ienlnity, brought in box containing char
coal and implements for making the fire;
retired and brought in a bowl OF sand. With
by lifetime Of practice, he went through
the process of removing the water kettle.
dredging the fresh sand, laying in charcoal,
sprinkling incense, busting the edges Of the
fire place, and setting back the water kettle
Every movement, every position Of the
thumb or finger, every sweep of the arm or
angle of the elbow were carefully regulated
by set rules and an awkward or hurried
bav happ i9l
crime With the same awful silence the
master rose and carried out sand bowl and
charcoal box one by one.
LESSON IN CHA NO YU.
During the interval, while the fresh char
coal caught fire and the water boiled, we
dined. While the last trays were removed,
we stepped to the tiny veranda and looked
out upon the moonlighted garden, and the
room was made ready for the continuance Of
the cha no yu The master sat meditatively
before the simmering kettle like some be-
nevolent Buddha about to perform the rites,
tiny bamboo dipper, bowl, silk bag, and
thing like a shaving brush, but made OF
finely split bamboo, lying before him With
all the seriousness in the world, he produced
a square of purple silk from his Glrdle, folded,
stroked, and snapped it just SO, took up the
little brocade bag and deliberately united its
silk cords and revealed a little tea caddy
about three inches high, of ancient brown
earthenware
The master made some magicians' passes
over the top of the tea caddy to remove the
invisible and inpaIpable dust, carefully
rubbed a straight ivory spoon and laid it
down, wiped the bowl with shred of white
cloth deliberately folded beforehand, and
then the tea making really began. We were
watching closely, and the faces of our Japan
csc friends We're glowing with pleasure at
noting the perfect movements of the master.
1t would require columns to tell TO q critical
japanese lust how the master crooked his
finger, removed the lid of the kettle, rinsed
the bowl and the bamboo whisk, and did
much that we hardly suspected as being
studied or a part of the set programme. In
general outline he put a few tiny spoonfuls
OF powdered tea in the bowl, poured on the
boiling water and beat the mixture to
froth with bamboo whisk. The bowl was
then offered round to Us as loving cup, and
each took q sip of the thick, Cruel like drink
that tasted like the greenest OF green tea and
ouinine mixed The powdered tea is made
of the choicest young leaves of the tea plant,
dried immediately after picking, and ground
to a powder as fine as -four, and IS used only
for ceremonial tea drinkingS In an equally
deliberate and elaborate manner the master
rinsed out his tea bowl and whisk, covered
I'D his tea caddv and set his things away,
and We, bowling our heads to the mats three
times. rose upon our feet, that had been
asleep for the whole hour that the solemn
r1ryo-aSs wac in o-,ara-ion -RUhanah's Toxic