The squealing of cicadas.
Drinks tea with me
My shadow is on the wall …
Maeda Fura (1889 - 1954) Translated by A. Dolin
Modern people's ideas about the occupation and leisure of Japanese samurai, in general, are quite stereotyped. And stereotypes already in our time are automatically superimposed on any image of the historical and literary hero of Japanese novels.
The idea of samurai only as good swordsmen, who will definitely not deny themselves the pleasure of contemplating their magnificent armor, is not surprising. Perhaps, in the hours of their rare leisure, they found time to sketch out some poetic lines, at the same time combining their not too frequent inspiration with thoughts about the irreversibility of death and inventing various ways of a happy "departure" from life. In reality, it was quite the opposite. Many samurai did not even hold a sword in their hands. Most likely, the Buddha's teaching was taken literally by them. But even those who became famous for their military exploits were far from always being bloodthirsty murderers and “thugs” obedient to their master, in capes who dragged the heads of their masters in dozens of capes.
Even today, the Japanese, despite the rapid pace of their lives, still find time to think about the meaning of their existence, about the frailty of being. The annual tradition of admiring flowers - hanami - as a centuries-old tradition that arose in the Nara period (710 - 784), acts as a distinctive feature of the Japanese samurai, a refined and sophisticated warrior.
The difference between samurai in a peaceful life and on the battlefield is quite clearly visible. We got up in the morning - went to bed in the evening. Everything here is like the rest. Demonstration of their social status obliged them to pay special attention to their toilet, for example, their hair. They admired the flowers, watched the sunset, could heartily laugh at the performances of the Kobuki theater. Sometimes, of course, they drank sake, flirted with young women, did not deny themselves the use of excess food. However, a particularly developed sense of beauty distinguished these warriors from the warriors of other regions of Eurasia. That is, the upbringing of the samurai was, so to speak, very extraordinary in the eyes of the same Europeans, since the natural conditions surrounding the pupils were also not quite ordinary.
Competent use of weapons, horse riding, hunting and playing chess were the only things that were required of the knights of Western Europe. Everything! The skills of a good knight, the Arabian knights of the Faris, included the ability to "appreciate the nobility of horses and the beauty of women." It is surprising that horses in the "list of interests" among the Arabs occupied a leading position in comparison with women. But in literacy to the rest, they were seriously inferior. Charlemagne was illiterate. His diligent attempts at folding letters never taught him how to read and write. Still, among them there were good poets and storytellers, as, indeed, among the Japanese samurai. Their path to quality education began from early childhood. And additional education was no exception. Many samurai received it when they were in the service of their master. Unfortunately, the opinion of the knights developed in such a way that for a long time they understood literacy as the lot of clerics, but not the lot of their own kind. Home education ended for them with the honorary title of a knight or squire. But the samurai continued their education after 18 years in educational institutions such as gymnasiums. There, Chinese replaced Latin in European universities.
Now it is clear that the samurai had enough time to combine military affairs with leisure. The Spartans knew nothing else but leisure and war. The same European knights - feudal lords almost exactly copy the way of life of the samurai, slightly bypassing them in the educational level. After a grueling, hard day, having completed another feat in the name of the country and his master, calmness and good rest were a must. And here it should be emphasized that freshly brewed tea was an extremely important source of restoring inner peace of mind for the Japanese knights. Hot and fragrant. He is the only one - he warmed, soothed, energized, helped to seriously relax in moments of mental relaxation. The Japanese obsession with such ordinary tea reached the point that they associate the flourishing of their centuries-old culture directly with the activities of the religious Buddhist school of Zen, and only because it was the monks of this Buddhist school who brought tea to Japan from China, and drank it at night to get rid of sleepiness.
This custom was adopted by the samurai. For this, the tradition of holding tea ceremonies was developed - tado ("the way of tea"). From the participant of the tea ceremony, extreme concentration was required, a detachment from all evil, spiritual reunification with nature. Tea houses - chashitsu, were located far from the hustle and bustle of city life; conducting a Japanese ritual required an intimate atmosphere and private communication. Tea drinking is, first of all, a meeting of friends and good acquaintances who have common tastes and inclinations. The organization of the appropriate atmosphere, which disposes for friendly communication, sets its own conditions for achieving this comfort: simplicity, cleanliness and the correspondence of a certain atmosphere to specific guests. The host of the house is the host of the ceremony. Soon there was a need for a professional tea ceremony organizer. Such professionals enjoyed authority among the highest aristocracy and among the samurai.
A set of dishes for the Japanese tea ceremony:
natsume - a ceramic cup for lightly brewed tea;
chasaku - bamboo or wooden teaspoon;
tavan - a teacup;
tyasen - a whisk for whipping tea;
mizukashi - a vessel for water used to brew tea;
hisaku - a ladle used to pour hot water into cups;
fukusa - a cloth with which the owner wipes tea utensils;
kobukusa - a cloth on which a cup of hot strong tea is served to the guest.
A well-trained tea master should be able to quickly navigate and solve taste problems. The arranged "tea well-being" helped to reconcile even the most fierce enemies. Skillfully decorated bouquets of flowers, a scroll with beautifully written hieroglyphs or engravings are the main details of the interior that define the theme of the ceremony.
Along with the dishes, special attention was paid to vases, in which small bouquets of flowers were decorated. The specificity of the detailed arrangement of the tea ceremony is very well revealed by a case from the life of the Japanese samurai Ueda Shigeyasu, who, under the fire of his enemy, at risk, cut off a vending bamboo trunk to make a small vase for a teahouse. The only materials for making these vases are bamboo and ceramics.
Tea tableware was not supposed to be pretentious. High-quality tableware production was not an easy task. A skillfully made cup or caddy was sometimes valued above a good sword. As a rule, the tea ceremony took place against the background of a specific live sound, which was produced by a cast boiling kettle on a brazier or tripod. Sometimes, at the bottom of the kettle, iron bars of various sizes were placed, which could regulate the sound palette emanating from the kettle. A light snack was often served on a smoothly sanded tray, appropriate to the season, mood and taste of the guest. The low lintel forced, bending over to take food on a tray, and thus equalized everyone in "height".
After eating it was necessary to rinse your mouth and hands, and only then drink tea, slowly, enjoying the taste and smell of the "green drink". As a sign of courtesy and gratitude, it was worth asking where the dishes came from and by what craftsman they were made. Naturally, praise her. After all, each cup was distinguished by the uniqueness of its shape and pattern. Not even two of them were alike. Cups with chipped holes were considered the most valuable and were intended for especially noble guests.
Dry tea leaves were measured out with a special bamboo spoon and poured with boiling water from a teapot in porcelain cups. The green liquid was whipped with a bamboo whisk until a light green foam appeared. Another spoonful of cold water and everything was ready to enjoy ordinary Japanese tea. Of course, the recipes of the masters were slightly different.
Then the fashion for tea moved to Europe, tea clippers appeared with the maximum speed of delivery of a new harvest of tea from Asia. But this story already requires a separate conversation, in which there is no longer a place for samurai warriors.
The authors are grateful to the company "Antiques of Japan" for the provided photos and information.
