is a Japanese variant of ''

chadō The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or ) is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . While in the West it is known as "tea ceremony", it is sel ...

'' ("way of tea"). It involves the preparation and drinking of ''

sencha is a type of Japanese ''ryokucha'' (, green tea) which is prepared by infusing the processed whole tea leaves in hot water. This is as opposed to matcha (), powdered Japanese green tea, where the green tea powder is mixed with hot water and th ...

'' green tea, especially the high grade ''

gyokuro is a type of shaded green tea from Japan. It differs from the standard ''sencha'' (a classic unshaded green tea) in being grown under the shade rather than the full sun. The name "gyokuro" translates as "jewel dew" (or "jade dew"). While most s ...

'' type.

History

Towards the end of the 17th century in the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characteriz ...

, Chinese merchants visiting

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

showed how brewed tea should be drunk, as practised in the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

court. This practise of the

Chinese tea culture Chinese tea culture (simplified Chinese: 中国茶文化; traditional Chinese: 中國茶文化) (''zhōngguó chá wénhuà'', 'Chinese tea culture') includes all facets of tea, both physical and spiritual, that significantly influenced Chinese cu ...

spread in the 18th century until the beginning of the

Meiji era The is an era of Japanese history that extended from October 23, 1868 to July 30, 1912. The Meiji era was the first half of the Empire of Japan, when the Japanese people moved from being an isolated feudal society at risk of colonization b ...

, particularly among literati merchants, in the form of friends meeting in a less formal atmosphere than the ''

chanoyu The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or ) is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . While in the West it is known as "tea ceremony", it is se ...

''. Appreciation of painting and literacy objects then took on particular importance. These meetings, often followed by genuine meals, were the opportunity to admire the host's collections, most often composed of objects imported from China or made in Japan in Chinese style called ''karamono''. In difference to the preparation of ''

matcha is finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea leaves, traditionally consumed in East Asia. The green tea plants used for matcha are shade-grown for three to four weeks before harvest; the stems and veins are removed during ...

'' tea, which is powdered, ''sencha'' is prepared using small leaf tea. Similarly to the Chinese

Gongfu tea ceremony The gongfu tea ceremony or kung fu tea ceremony ( or ), is a type of Chinese tea ceremony, involving the ritual preparation and presentation of tea. It is probably based on the tea preparation approaches originated in Fujian and the Chaoshan area ...

, ''senchadō'' has a codified form of preparation, presentation and enjoyment of tea. In spring 2020 the

Aichi Prefectural Ceramic Museum The is a prefectural art museum located in the city of Seto, north of the metropolis of Nagoya in central Japan. This museum was formally named "Aichi-ken Toji Shiryokan (愛知県陶磁資料館)", but the name in English has been the same as b ...

in cooperation with

Meiji-mura is an open-air architectural museum/theme park in Inuyama, near Nagoya in Aichi prefecture, Japan. It was opened on March 18, 1965. The museum preserves historic buildings from Japan's Meiji (1867–1912), Taishō (1912–1926), and early Sh ...

held a large ''sencha'' exhibition about Kimura Teizo, an outstanding art collector born in Nagoya. He was already collecting works by at the age of 25 and became patron of the arts. His collection of 3,307 items was donated to the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, including modern and contemporary art, Edo period paintings, tea pottery, Buddhist art and archaeological relics.

Utensils

''Senchadō'' uses utensils which are necessary to perform tea. Some of them are used in ''macha'' tea as well. Different schools will sometimes use different names for the same item, and also use some of the items listed but not necessarily all of them: * Mat (茶具褥) that is placed in the room and delineates the work area * Stove (凉爐) * Stove equipment: ** Furnace fan (爐扇) ** Feather broom (羽帚) ** Fire chopsticks (火箸 Hibashi) ** Tank holder (bottle) (罐座 Kama-za) ** charcoal (烏府 Karasu-fu) * Fire screen (爐屏 Robyō) * Tea kettle made out of pottery (保宇夫良) * Tea kettle (水注 Mizu chū) * Waste water receptacle (建水 Kensui) * '' Chaire'' (茶心壺 Tea container) * Tea scoop (仙媒) * ''

Chakin ''Chakin'' (Japanese: 茶巾 "tea towel") is a small rectangular cloth used to wipe teabowls called '' chawan''. It is a part of Japanese tea utensils. It is also used in '' Senchadō''. White linen is often used, or hemp cloth. The high-quali ...

'' (茶巾 "tea cloth") is a small cloth used to wipe the ''chawan'' * ''

Kintō ''Kintō'' (Japanese: 巾筒) is a small tube or vessel used to store a ''chakin'' cloth during the serving of tea. It is a part of Japanese tea utensils. The container is most often ceramic, but can also be made out of metal, lacquerware, or ca ...

'' (巾筒 "cloth tube") is a small tube or vessel used to store the ''chakin'' during use * ''

Kyūsu A is a traditional Japanese teapot mainly used for brewing green tea. The common misconception is that a ''kyūsu'' always has a side handle. However, the word "kyūsu" merely means "teapot", even though in common usage ''kyūsu'' usually does ...

'' (急須) is a small

teapot A teapot is a vessel used for steeping tea leaves or a herbal mix in boiling or near-boiling water, and for serving the resulting infusion which is called tea. It is one of the core components of teaware. Dry tea is available either in tea ba ...

* smaller ''kyusu'' with no handle (泡瓶) * small vessel to cool water (湯冷) * Coasters (瓶床) for utensils, made out of wood, metal or lacquer * ''

Chawan A ''chawan'' (; literally "tea bowl") is a bowl used for preparing and drinking tea. Many types of ''chawan'' are used in East Asian tea ceremonies. The choice of their use depends upon many considerations. History The ''chawan'' originated i ...

'' (茶碗 "tea bowl"), normally a small-sized cup made out of porcelain and glazed in white * '' Wantō'' (碗筒 "bowl tube") is a tube or container normally made out of woven bamboo, to store the small ''chawan'' tea cups * Tea cup coasters, made out metal (茶托 Chataku) * Tray (盆) * Censer (香爐 Kōro) * Incense tube (綫香筒) * Tea banner (茶旗) * Curtain to the room (帳) * Tea container (茶櫃 Chaki) * Utensils box (提籃) * Tea board (茶盤) * Tea cabine (茶局) * Stand (棚)

References

External links

一般社団法人　全日本煎茶道連盟

Sencha Brewing (Senchado)
Chadō {{japan-cuisine-stub

History

Utensils

See also

References

External links