Japanese Tea Ceremony: Cha-no-Yu and the Zen Art of Mindfulness

by A.L. Sadler, Laura C. Martin (Foreword)

The Japanese Tea Ceremony is a detailed examination of the five-centuries-old tea ceremony--or Cha-no-Yu in Japanese, literally hot water for tea--a cornerstone of Japanese culture and a core practice of Zen Buddhism.

Framed by intricately choreographed steps, the tea ceremony is as much about the search for enlightenment as it is about serving tea. Within the serenity of the tea room, the ceremony, with its highly formal structure, becomes an object of focus for meditation. As the water is heated and the tea is served, the ultimate goal is losing the sense of self while gaining inner peace. The path to mindfulness runs through the center of the tea ceremony.

Abundantly illustrated with over 160 drawings and 40 color photos showing every aspect of the ceremony, this book takes readers on a complete tour of furniture and utensils, teahouses and gardens, and numerous other features of Cha-no-Yu. It also delves into the many disciplines included within the broader framework of the tea ceremony--Japanese art, calligraphy, flower arrangements, architecture, gardening, and exquisite handicrafts. Learn more about the experiences of masters of the tea ceremony over the centuries and histories of the various schools and traditions of the art of tea. Full-color photos of tea bowls, teahouses, and gardens reveal the exquisite artistry of the cult of tea and this important Japanese tradition.

With a new foreword by award-winning author Laura C. Martin, The Japanese Tea Ceremony is a fascinating exploration of the ritual and Zen philosophy of one of Japan's greatest customs, truly an epitome of Japanese civilization.

Genres: Tea, Japan

322 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 23, 2019

About the author

Full name: Arthur L. Sadler.

Reviews

[Kate (Looking Glass Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this book is extraordinarily detailed, it is also very, very technical and not at all reader friendly. Even as someone familiar with Japanese history, historical figures, and Japanese language, this is an inherently dry, difficult read. Pictures are extremely minimalist and often don't give a good sense of space or depth. This would be quite excellent as a technical reference for those already very, very familiar with tea ceremonies, but for anyone looking for a detailed but readable review, this most likely won't be your cup of tea.

[Sicofonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Japanese Tea Ceremony is a somewhat general overview of the history and current practice of such a ritual, written by British scholar Arthur L. Sadler, originally back in 1934. The book is divided into two main parts (called chapters): the first one dedicated to the ceremony itself, and the second one dedicated to random stories about the many tea masters spawned during several centuries. I say random because there appears to be no connecting tissue among the stories, it's just a compilation of stories and anecdotes about shoguns, masters and tea. Lastly, there's a brief third part that shows some examples of a typical agenda for cha-no-yu (list of guests, menu, teaware used, etc.)
This review is on the Tuttle edition of 2008. This one adds some 40 coloured pictures hi lighting some aspects related to the first part, that is types of tea houses, ware, etc. The edition also includes hand-drawn illustrations from the 1934 original that represent the different artefacts used during the tea ceremony.
Unfortunately, even though this book has all the signs of being the product of a thorough scholarly research, I found it to be very dry. It doesn't help that it uses plenty of Japanese words to describe the elements of cha-no-yu throughout the text, that requires the novel reader to flick back and forth between pages to remind him/herself of the meaning of those words. Lastly, I ended up skimming through the second part because the stories were so random and plain, I couldn't be bothered to finish it (e.g. Akimoto Tajima-no-kami Suzutomo, who was very fond of cha-no-yu, was once offered a tea bowl by a dealer for a hundred pieces of gold[...] and he never so much as looked at it at any time).
This edition also loses one star in the rating because the font type is ridiculously small, making reading it a pain.
All in all, there's decent information in this book and the illustrations are great, but probably one I would not recommend to a friend.

[Angeli · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a potentially useful reference to people who are inclined to look into the technicalities of the Japanese Tea Ceremony and are at least fairly knowledgeable in Japanese terminology and history. It's not that reader-friendly though, especially for budding enthusiasts of the tea ceremony; there are a lot of terms and historical figures that are quite hard to keep track of, and even the illustrations and descriptions aren't always useful (even for someone with a vivid imagination). I do appreciate that much research must have gone into the compilation, but the organization and presentation may need work. Perhaps the best part of the book would be the anecdotes, though maybe just a handful of the selected stories might be considered fairly interesting/entertaining. That said, there are probably other books on Cha-no-Yu that may serve as a better reference.

[Katharine Wibell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though this book was extremely detailed, especially when it pertained to the history of the famous tea masters, it was not ready friendly. If you did not know anything about Cha-no-yu, the tea ceremony, it was very hard to follow and learn. I recommend this as a reference book once someone knows the basics but not as an introductory book.