The Tea ceremony of Japan is not merely making & serving of tea but an art of delicacy & perfection.Tea drinking started by Buddhists monks for medical purposes later accepted by all sections of society as pleasure .Harmony ,respect & purity are at the center of any Tea Ceremony.Japanese use Tea-scoop, fan,bamboo,silk- cloth,tea-bowl for any tea-ceremony.SANSENKE is the term used for various schools of tea making & serving.
Host wears a KIMONO .Ceremony can take place any where in the house.First all the utensils are cleaned in a precise manner & motion in the presence of guests.Guest enjoy every moment without much talking.Host will put tea powder & appropriate quantity of hot water in the bowl & whisk tea with set movements.Bowl is served to guest of honor .Guest takes a sip, murmurs few phrases & takes 2-3 more sips before wiping rim & rotating bowl to next guest with a bow.Process is repeated till the last guest has taken tea from the same bowl & than bowl is returned to host.Host afterwards cleans all the utensils.Guests examine the utensils (with the permission of host) with extreme care.As the guests leave, host bows from the door. Ceremony generally takes more than 1 hour.
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