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Cha-No-Yu: Japanese Tea Ceremony
Book by Sadler, A. L.
296 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1933
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 3, 2008
I was not expecting a historical view of the tea ceremony, but that is what this book is.
The first part reviews the sizes, shapes, and designs of the ancient teahouses in extreme depth. This part was a little slow to get through, but the diagrams of the tearooms and pictures of lanterns helped with understanding the dimensions and details that were in the book.
The second part was what I found far more interesting. It is a compliation of various stories about the tea masters from the 1600's and 1700's. Put together the stories help the reader get to the spirit of the tea ceremony without any specific instruction in how it is performed. I think this is a great way to begin to appreciate the tea ceremony.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes history, or wants to understand the tea ceremony and learn about it's founders.
The first part reviews the sizes, shapes, and designs of the ancient teahouses in extreme depth. This part was a little slow to get through, but the diagrams of the tearooms and pictures of lanterns helped with understanding the dimensions and details that were in the book.
The second part was what I found far more interesting. It is a compliation of various stories about the tea masters from the 1600's and 1700's. Put together the stories help the reader get to the spirit of the tea ceremony without any specific instruction in how it is performed. I think this is a great way to begin to appreciate the tea ceremony.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes history, or wants to understand the tea ceremony and learn about it's founders.
June 18, 2015
An enjoyable, well put together book on the historic importance and aesthetic principles of tea. Unfortunately, if you've never actually witnessed a tea ceremony, this book isn't going to do much to help you understand how it's performed.
The first half of the book delves into the articles used in tea ceremony, the various kinds of gardens, tearooms, lanterns, utensils etc. The color photographs are a nice touch, though not as extensive as perhaps desired. Supplementing these are detailed illustrations throughout the book, which at least break up the huge blocks of text in what is an academic book written in the early portion of the 20th century.
The second half are stories, legends and historic parables in which tea (or more often than not, some famous tea item) features prominently. If you're interested in the relationship between Hideyoshi and Sen no Rikyu among other tea notables, this is an excellent collection of stories. However the stories often lose a casual reader in names and dates and places with few points of reference.
Little to no mention is given to how the tea ceremony is performed, outside of what etiquette hosts and guests must perform to each other, and likewise little mention is given to the differences in the ceremony depending on what sort of tea is served, or from which school of tea it is being performed from.
As a historic text, and a glossary of tea items, this is a fantastic book. If you're looking for a place to learn HOW to perform tea ceremony, you're better off finding yourself a tea master to teach you.
The first half of the book delves into the articles used in tea ceremony, the various kinds of gardens, tearooms, lanterns, utensils etc. The color photographs are a nice touch, though not as extensive as perhaps desired. Supplementing these are detailed illustrations throughout the book, which at least break up the huge blocks of text in what is an academic book written in the early portion of the 20th century.
The second half are stories, legends and historic parables in which tea (or more often than not, some famous tea item) features prominently. If you're interested in the relationship between Hideyoshi and Sen no Rikyu among other tea notables, this is an excellent collection of stories. However the stories often lose a casual reader in names and dates and places with few points of reference.
Little to no mention is given to how the tea ceremony is performed, outside of what etiquette hosts and guests must perform to each other, and likewise little mention is given to the differences in the ceremony depending on what sort of tea is served, or from which school of tea it is being performed from.
As a historic text, and a glossary of tea items, this is a fantastic book. If you're looking for a place to learn HOW to perform tea ceremony, you're better off finding yourself a tea master to teach you.
June 14, 2008
The book does and entertaining job of recounting some of the stories around the Cha-no-yu, but falls short when it comes to going into detail on the ceremony itself.
May 21, 2024
3.5
Very good scholarly work - about the conduct of Teaism/the design of the gardens and the utensils in the first part, followed by a series of anecdotes about historical figures using Chanoyu. It's funny how the schools coexist - one treating it like a collector's item, the other "pure" school as a way of being, and finally the practical people who give it up when they realise it's a diversion of aesthetes with no useful function.
Very good scholarly work - about the conduct of Teaism/the design of the gardens and the utensils in the first part, followed by a series of anecdotes about historical figures using Chanoyu. It's funny how the schools coexist - one treating it like a collector's item, the other "pure" school as a way of being, and finally the practical people who give it up when they realise it's a diversion of aesthetes with no useful function.
June 22, 2025
since reading this, i find myself making my own matcha with more mindfulness. slowing down, noticing the sound of the whisk, the scent of the tea, it’s changed the way i approach small rituals.
it’s not just about tea, it’s about philosophy, mindfulness, and the art of being. i walked away with a new appreciation for silence, space and intention. highly recommend for anyone curious about japanese culture or seeking a deeper connection to the idea of everyday ritual.
it’s not just about tea, it’s about philosophy, mindfulness, and the art of being. i walked away with a new appreciation for silence, space and intention. highly recommend for anyone curious about japanese culture or seeking a deeper connection to the idea of everyday ritual.
February 24, 2019
While not a primer in the tea ceremony, it does give an in depth history of tea. I was hoping for some comparisons of different styles of ceremonies, or at least one style through the different seasons. The language of the book is for people with a foundation in tea culture already, but will leave the foreigner with many questions about ritual.
May 30, 2018
Enjoyed the anecdotes and tea-related stories he translated for this; some great little bits about historical locations and treasured tea utensils too.
Nearly 90 years old, yet still the essential classic in English for chadou..
Nearly 90 years old, yet still the essential classic in English for chadou..
March 20, 2017
I usually don't read these kinds of books… but I'm living in Japan at the moment and found it at the library.
December 31, 2023
This volume is a new edition of quite an old classic: A.L. Sadler's 'The Japanese Tea Ceremony', published in 1933.
The book is a very interesting introduction to the said topic, and is divided into three parts: in the first you get a general introduction to all the main aspects, objects, spaces and elements of the Tea Ceremony; in the second (the biggest by far) you have a rich treasure of anecdotes and stories about famous tea-masters, both well known (Rikyu, Sotan, Oribe, Enshu...) and not so much known. Finally, a very small third part acts as an appendix of sorts, with some brief information about schools, menus, family dynasties, etc...
The book makes good reading (specially the stories in the second part), and the information is always engaging, although it could be a bit more systematic. The first part introduces basic elements of Cha-no-yu, but frequently doesn't explain a lot, and also quite frequently it omits explanations of important issues (for example, the differences between natsume and chaire, both 'tea caddies'). The writing time of the book is very present in annoying details like the way of rendering Japanese traditional names, sometimes very confusing, and an unabashed apologia of a conservative view of politics and aesthetics, as incarnated by Tea (there's a quite explicit eulogy of Mussolini's Italy in the Sadler's introduction. Even clever academics are prone to some foolishness and extreme short-sightedness from time to time...).
As to the edition, it has one good thing and one terrible thing: the good is the inclusion of a set of pages at the start with colour photographs of tea implements, and specially of different types of tea bowls (Bizen, Hagi, Raku, Oribe...). This is a delightful addition. Unfortunately, it (and the whole book) are seriously handicapped by the carelessness of the edition in the corrections: the book is constantly hampered with mistakes and missing words; they are extremely frequent (at least every three pages there's one or more), and although the meaning always gets through, it gives a very poor impression of the editing work.
Overall, the book is interesting to have and read, although there are better volumes available for a more profound introduction to Cha-no-yu.
The book is a very interesting introduction to the said topic, and is divided into three parts: in the first you get a general introduction to all the main aspects, objects, spaces and elements of the Tea Ceremony; in the second (the biggest by far) you have a rich treasure of anecdotes and stories about famous tea-masters, both well known (Rikyu, Sotan, Oribe, Enshu...) and not so much known. Finally, a very small third part acts as an appendix of sorts, with some brief information about schools, menus, family dynasties, etc...
The book makes good reading (specially the stories in the second part), and the information is always engaging, although it could be a bit more systematic. The first part introduces basic elements of Cha-no-yu, but frequently doesn't explain a lot, and also quite frequently it omits explanations of important issues (for example, the differences between natsume and chaire, both 'tea caddies'). The writing time of the book is very present in annoying details like the way of rendering Japanese traditional names, sometimes very confusing, and an unabashed apologia of a conservative view of politics and aesthetics, as incarnated by Tea (there's a quite explicit eulogy of Mussolini's Italy in the Sadler's introduction. Even clever academics are prone to some foolishness and extreme short-sightedness from time to time...).
As to the edition, it has one good thing and one terrible thing: the good is the inclusion of a set of pages at the start with colour photographs of tea implements, and specially of different types of tea bowls (Bizen, Hagi, Raku, Oribe...). This is a delightful addition. Unfortunately, it (and the whole book) are seriously handicapped by the carelessness of the edition in the corrections: the book is constantly hampered with mistakes and missing words; they are extremely frequent (at least every three pages there's one or more), and although the meaning always gets through, it gives a very poor impression of the editing work.
Overall, the book is interesting to have and read, although there are better volumes available for a more profound introduction to Cha-no-yu.
September 7, 2014
An excellent guide to the Japanese tea ceremony by the esteemed scholar, A. L. Sadler. First published in 1933, this 1963 second edition, hardback book covers all aspects of the the Japanese tea ceremony and is the one discipline where nearly all aspects of Japanese culture come together. Such topics include: utensils and pottery; etiquette; architecture; the garden and stone lanterns; forms of the ceremony; its relation to the Catholic Mass; flower arrangements; order of the meals; guests; the appropriate dress; scrolls; its relation to zen; tea masters; various other aspects of the ceremony, including various schools of tea. A must read for the serious student of tea.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews