"Dave" > wrote in message

> Sorry. My mistake. It's just called "The Tea Ceremony."

Actually, it is not in Asian languages. In Japan, it's litterally "tea's
water" or just "tea" when you do it, "the path of tea" when you study it.

> Found a Japanese lady here in Houston who teaches the Tea Ceremony at a
> local restaraunt (Urasenke school). Also found a handbook (volumes 1 & 2)
> of the Urasenke school, which I will probably get. That's a start.

I suggest you participate as a guest a few times and talk to the teacher
before getting any hand-book or technical description.
Anyway, I don't think a Japanese tea meeting has much sense outside the
Japanese
context.

In a Japanese environment the so-called "tea ceremony" doesn't seem that
special. Even if the country has changed and is changing very quickly. The
room for Japanese tea is a normal Japanese room (the room from where I am
writing now would have been fit for tea...if I had not put my computer and
all my things in it), most instruments were normal household instruments
used at least till 100 yr ago, the kimono was the normal outfit (till the
after-war for most women), the way of sitting down normal (till 20 yr ago,
still common nowadays), the sweets are everyday sweets (and were the only
type available), macha has been there long before Sencha and other brewed
teas. It was really a very normal way to receive guests. And for Japanese of
a certain generation and background, it is still as casual as serving a mug
with a lipton bag to guests sitting on your sofa (for them, it may be more
casual to sit on the floor and whisk macha than bringing a mug from the
kitchen and sitting in a sofa).
The other day, I went to a traditional old man's house. He received me just
as if it was a "tea ceremony". The room was the same, we sat down the same
way. His wife had placed decorations (flowers and calligraphy). We sat with
the feet perfectly folded under our bums...but we drank iced coffee. I was
there for work not for tea and it was not the hour for macha.

So, I think your idea of discipline and following strict rules is false, or
at least very exagerated. But I get where you've seen that. Samurai fictions
are to Japan what Westerns are to the U.S.

The goal of tea is to "receive guests" and you study to perfect the skills
of refined host, for the benefit of your family and friends.
So, the emphasis is on preparing all the material details of guests' visit
(decoration of the house, the room...), and serving smoothly.
Until recently 99% of Japanese people knew how to whisk macha in a bowl
before they attend any tea class. So they mostly study to improve their
style, learn how to choose season sweets, season flowers, season
calligraphy, artistic objects and make an harmonious set. I'd compare it
with studying about wine, cooking, cutelry, glasses, etc, in order to be
able to compose nice menus for various occasions. The menu is limitated to
macha and a sweet, so they focus on all the surrounding.

Art is present in tea meeting. It's about popular arts that were traditional
hobbies for many people in Asia. A tea master is an artist, or at least an
art teacher, that has knowledge in pottery, flowers, painting, calligraphy
and kimonos. A number of tea masters are also specialists in a field like
collecting a certain type of antique pottery, kimono styling, etc. Guests
are supposed to appreciate the efforts to provide nice objects and harmonise
them. Westerners (and young Japanese too) may not know much of all that, so
it's hard to appreciate before taking the time to discover. And well, that
can't interest everybody.

I think Tanizaki in "Praise of the shadow" made a good description of what
it is about. He also explains the practical and esthetic choices made for
the Japanese tea.

Kuri

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