Preparing tea
The ritual preparation of tea is very simple, simplicity is one of the basics
for preparing a bowl of green tea for the guests. However, each step of the
preparation has fixed movements, and utensils have to be placed at pre-decided
locations on the Tatami mat. It is drinking tea and serving tea with a lot
of spiritual depth and a deep silence and serenity.
Preparation styles can vary according to the season or the level of formality
of the meeting. But basically there are two main preparations styles :
Preparation
of tea with the Furo during summer season.
Preparation
of tea with the Ro during winter season.
The main difference between preparing tea in summer and winter is that in summer
the Kama or iron kettle is placed on a brazier and in winter the Kama is placed
in a sunken hearth or Ro which is a square hole in the Tatami flooring. According
to this the utensils used to prepare green tea are placed at slighly different
locations. Also the Sumi-demae charcoal procedure is different in winter and
summer.
Because the placement of utensils is different during tea in summer and tea in
winter, the way to finish the tea ceremony during Furo and Ro also differs.
Steps
to finish Furo in summer
NEW!! Videos of the Japanese tea ceremony > > >