Making Tea, Making Japan: Cultural Nationalism in Practice

by Kristin Surak

The tea ceremony persists as one of the most evocative symbols of Japan. Originally a pastime of elite warriors in premodern society, it was later recast as an emblem of the modern Japanese state, only to be transformed again into its current incarnation, largely the hobby of middle-class housewives. How does the cultural practice of a few come to represent a nation as a whole? Although few non-Japanese scholars have peered behind the walls of a tea room, sociologist Kristin Surak came to know the inner workings of the tea world over the course of ten years of tea training. Here she offers the first comprehensive analysis of the practice that includes new material on its historical changes, a detailed excavation of its institutional organization, and a careful examination of what she terms "nation-work"―the labor that connects the national meanings of a cultural practice and the actual experience and enactment of it. She concludes by placing tea ceremony in comparative perspective, drawing on other expressions of nation-work, such as gymnastics and music, in Europe and Asia. Taking readers on a rare journey into the elusive world of tea ceremony, Surak offers an insightful account of the fundamental processes of modernity―the work of making nations.

Genres: Japan, Tea, Sociology, Nonfiction, History, Japanese Literature

272 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 2012

Reviews

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was in Japan, I had several brief encounters with the Japanese tea ceremony - sitting with my friends as they practiced before their lesson, attending the new year’s tea ceremony at Tenjin’s chikagai, and a one-off tea ceremony lesson during my finishing course. So when I changed upon Making Tea, Making Japan, I thought it would be a good introduction to this ceremony that I’ve interacted with but never really got to know.

Written by a practitioner of the Japanese tea ceremony, this book explores the links between the Japanese tea ceremony and Japanese Identity through the following five chapters:

1. Preparing tea: explaining how the tea ceremony references and amplified everyday Japanese Identity, thus becoming a symbol of Japanese-ness

2. Creating tea: the history of the tea ceremony, showing how it evolved from a symbol of the court to a symbol of being a good Japanese citizen, and at the same time moved from the male to the female domain.

3. Selling tea: going into the iemoto system of the tea ceremony to see why these tea schools are so influential.

4. Enacting tea: a closer look at how the tea ceremony became the embodiment of good Japanese behaviour, in part because it reference and distills so much of Japanese etiquette and culture. There are case studies of a tea ceremony class and a more introductory class to students in this chapter that are really fascinating.

5. Beyond the tea room: the final chapter in the book, this chapter looks at how the tea ceremony represents itself in the modern day, as well as some of the reactions and criticisms of it (such as it being too rule bound instead of embodying the original spirit of the tea ceremony).

Although this book was highly academic in nature, I found it to be fascinating, and it made me regret never trying the tea ceremony. While I’m not sure if I can fit within the strict rules of the tea ceremony, I think attending the lessons would have been a useful distillation of Japanese manners, far more than immersion or finishing school was.

If you’re interested in the Japanese tea ceremony and it’s meaning, and are able to read such an academic work, I think this would be a good read.

This review was first posted at Eustea

[Ietrio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book that takes away the new age alchemic mysticism that builds up in tea rooms everywhere around the Western World.

[Nicole Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scholarly so it's a bit dry in places but interesting reading for anyone interested in Japanese tea culture.

[Harsheen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not only a phenomenal read but quite interesting as well. This book does a very well and compelling job at arguing that Japan had deliberately built its national identity, and a big part of that was reshaping the Japanese tea ceremony into something that is symbolized as "Japaneseness." She goes into detail how the iemoto system basically standardized the tea ceremony. As to what is the correct tea leaves, the correct utensils, sweets, etc. Then how tea essentially becomes a commodity, a tradition that could be bought to signify high status. With items like certificates, lessons, magazines. And furthermore, how the deliberate targeting of women ensured that the tradition was passed from one generation to the next. Highlighting that chanoyu is a tradition that was purposefully shaped.

I highly recommend reading this book if you are interested in tea, and tea history.

[Adino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book with lots of detail of the Japanese tea ceremony (Chanoyu), and how it contributes to the maintenance of the nation (what Surak terms as "nation work") in modern Japan.

Can be better if more space is given to the discussion of the concepts of nation work itself. Additionally, clarity of language and thought can be improved - it feels difficult at times to read and process, given the use of academic and formulaic language.

Regardless, I don't think I've read such an in-depth explanation of the Japanese tea ceremony in broader context of Japan.

Fascinating.

[Aslan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I could give it a 4.5 as this is a PHENOMENAL piece, but can also be repetitive at times. The sections outlining the tea ceremony and it's history is ridiculously good. The parts about Japanese nationalism fell a little flat for me as I don't have as much interest in it. Really wonderful text and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in Japan's tea ceremony

[Katherine Nowak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed half of the chapters, but found the other half dry. Very cool to read and learn more about the history of cultural practices and differences that I experienced in person during my trip to Japan. I thought the most interesting parts were about cultural norms and the evolution of Japanese tea ceremonies.