It was born from 禅【ZEN】monk’s culture and completed by great tea master,千利休【SEN‐NO‐RIKY
CONTENTS:
1.History of 茶【CHA/tea】.Tea was drunk as medicine to awake and shape their spirits in rituals by noble people and monks.
2.What’s 侘び寂び【WABI-SABI】？The most famous tea master千利休【SEN NO RIKYUU】has established and completed the way of tea.
3.Nowadays,茶道【SADOU】is complehensioned AND THERE ARE MORE THAN ABOUT 50 SECTS.
1.History of 茶【CHA/tea】.Tea was drunk as medicine to awake and shape their spirits in rituals by noble people and monks.
The custom of drinking 茶【CHA(tea)】was imported by ancient China called 宋【SOU】about 1300 years ago. Japan was around the beginning of 平安時代【HEIAN period(794-1185）】and tea leaves were brought by monks as exchanged students. At that time, tea was drunk as medicine only in temples to awake and shape their spirits in rituals and taken only among monks and noble aristocrats including emperors in royal coat.
In the age of 鎌倉時代【KAMAKURA-period(1185-1333)】about 700 years ago, tea leaf’s domestic plant has been started by a monk 栄西【EISAI】 in 京都【KYOUTO】.
There is a description that a 将軍【SHOUGUN】in 鎌倉【KAMAKURA（1185-1333)】age drunk tea as a medicine of hangover.🍶🍵
2.What’s 侘び寂び【WABI-SABI】？And The most famous tea master千利休【SEN NO RIKYUU】.
When it comes to 戦国時代【SENGOKU-JIDAI（Battle Ages/1467‐1615）】 about 400-500 years ago,
many 戦国武将【SENGOKU-BUSYOU（Samurai Leaders/domestic loads of worriers)】 often hold large, gorgeous Tea Parties. The early times of tea culture was like a flashy and noisy “gamble” betting very expensive 唐【TOU／KARA】（Ancient name of China ) and 高麗【KOURAI】（ancient country placed in Korean now ) tea utilities and it was called 闘茶【TOUCHA（Tea-Battle)】.
Many Samurais addicted to correcting very expensive foreign tea tools(at that age, sometimes one tea bowl worth one castle!).
Famous ones were 織田信長【ODA-NOBUNAGA】, 豊臣秀吉【TOYOTOMI-HIDEYOSHI】and 伊達政宗【DATE-MASAMUNE】, 細川忠興【HOSOKAWA-TADAOKI】、古田織部【FURUTA-ORIBE】,金森宗和【KANAMORI-SOUWA】and more.
At the age of 8th. 将軍【SHOUGUN（General）】 足利義政【ASHIKAGA-YOSHIMASA】in 室町時代【MUROMACHI-AGE（1336‐1573）】 who let ZEN monks who came back from exchange abroad build 銀閣寺【GINKAKUJI(literally mean “Silver Temple”)】 which has calm and simple atmosphere which is influenced by ZEN style(It was opposite style to 金閣寺 【KINKAKUJI(Golden Temple)】,which was built by the order of 3rd. general 義満【YOSHIMITSHU】, having luxury and gorgeous mood which was also popular among people like nobles and samurais).
A ZEN monk from 大徳寺【DAITOKUJI-TEMPLE】村田珠光【MURATA-JYUKOU】, he was an aide monk of the８th.将軍【SHOUGUN(A leader of all Samurais／literally mean General)】足利義政【ASHIKAGA-YOSHIMASA】. 珠光【JYUKOU】 advised YOSHIMASA to prohibit the gambling Tea battle. And he put forward more simple, calm and emphasized spiritual Tea style, according to the value of 禅【ZEN】 Buddhism.
Following by 武野紹鴎【TAKENO-JYOUOU】The most famous Tea Master 千利休【SEN NO RIKYUU】 became a teacher of Tea for NOBUNAGA and HIDEYOSHI.
They proposed to leave from foreign ways of values and created Japanese original values like 侘び寂び【WABI-SABI】;literally means ” Rusting and Tranquility” things which are not gorgeous, simple and imperfect and rusting things with ages”.
It became very important Japanese aesthetic sensibilities, which prefer beauty come from simplicity and imperfection, or serenity or tranquility that come with age.
It is said that the mind of WABI-SABI is appeared in this old poem made by 藤原定家【FUJIWARA-TEIKA】 （From 万葉集【MANYOU-SYUU】poem anthology of 平安【HEIAN】period）.
Overviewing,
No Flowers nor No red leaves anymore
Only Poor hut on the Beach in Autumn’s Dusk.
They preferred imperfect, missing things instead of perfect, gorgeous thigs and this value become very important in SADOU. He created original Japanese tea bowls called 黒楽【KURO-RAKU】and 赤楽【AKA-RAKU】, used hand-made bamboo scoops,
and made very small, simple tea room like 待庵【TAI-AN】while the ruler of that time 豊臣秀吉【TOYOTOMI-HIDEYOSHI】 made a golden, brilliant tea room.
Finally, 豊臣秀吉【TOYOTOMI-HIDEYOSHI】 compelled 千利休 to cut his stomach 切腹【SEPPUKU/HARAKIRI】 by himself. And the reason is still mystery in Japan, even there are many theories.
▶ESSAY: Why 千利休【SENNNO-RIKYUU】made 切腹【SEPPUKU】by豊臣秀吉【TOYOTOMI-HIDEYOSHI】？<COMING SOON>
That is the not want too much, unperfect simple things are enough, seek beauties and satisfy with what we have already. If we want gorgeous, perfect things, we can not satisfied forever. If we can love only perfect things, it is difficult to love in this world. If we can love unperfect thigs we already have, there are a lot of things to be loved in this world. And we can satisfy with which we already have, needless to conquest other countries.
I think it had been very important theme in this country from the ancient time.
ESSAY: 「The sense of values in Japan in each ages :もののあはれ【MONONO-AHARE】in 平安【HEIAN】 period, 幽玄【YUUGEN】in 室町【Muromachi】,粋【IKI】in EDO…and Now is かわいい【KAWAII】！」
After a country unified by 徳川家康【TOKUGAWA IEYASU】, SADOU become popular among common people too, in the peaceful era called 江戸【EDO】period.
3.Nowadays,茶道【SADOU】is inherited and there are more than 500 sects nowadays.
After modernization, from the end of 江戸【EDO】to 明治【MEIJI-ERA（1868-1912)】,peoples of conglomerates called 財閥【ZAIBATSU】aesthetic eyes collect utilities like 益田鈍翁【MASUDA-DONOU（1848‐1938）】.
And after W.W.2, it become practices of manners and trains for women to be good brides. So nowadays, an image of SADOU is women’s culture and there are many women over certain age are trained and enjoying 茶道【SADOU】 as one of cultural educations in Japan.
SAMURAI leaders,財閥【ZAIBATSU】,and women ー 茶道【SADOU】had been the culture always for executive, cutting-age-people!
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