September, 1920 
35 
: 
Eight examples of Japanese tea jars of the 
lith and 18 th Centuries 
m 
Fire pot, teapot and tea box of the early 
19th Century 
Chinese incense bowl to left and Japanese 
bowls to the right 
yu is closely related to the Zen sect. In The 
Arts of Japan, Edward Dillon says ‘‘Unlike 
other Zen sects of Buddhists the Zen teaching 
lays no special value upon any special sutra 
or scripture. Wisdom must come from the 
heart, so without words the most profound 
knowledge may be conveyed from the teacher 
to the mind prepared to receive it by a mere 
glance or a smile. The priests of this con¬ 
templative sect were celebrated for their pov¬ 
erty and for their learning—for in later times 
the study of books was encouraged as a help 
to the life of meditation.” 
In The Book of Tea, Okakura-Kakuzo 
writes “A special contribution of Zen to East¬ 
ern thought was 
its recognition of the mun¬ 
dane as of equal importance with the spiritual. 
. . . The seeker for perfection must discover 
in his own life the reflection of the inner light. 
The organization of the Zen monastery was 
very significant of this point of view. To 
every member, except the 
abbot, was assigned some 
special work in the care¬ 
taking of the monastery, 
and curiously enough, to 
the novices were committed 
the lighter duties, while 
to the most respected and 
advanced monks were giv¬ 
en the more irksome and 
menial tasks. Such ser¬ 
vices formed a part of the 
Zen discipline and every 
least action must be done 
absolutely perfectly. Thus 
many a weighty discussion 
ensued while weeding the 
garden, paring a turnip, 
or serving tea. The whole 
idea of Teaism is a result 
of this Zen conception of 
greatness in the smallest 
incidents of life.” It is 
important to bear this in 
mind when considering 
the ceremony. 
A kalsemono 
raku, shown 
by San- 
by the 
host to his guests 
A bronze fire pot of \9th Cen¬ 
tury Japanese workmanship 
The tea jar or cha-ire was kept in a silk bag or cha-ire fukuro. These 
collectors, comprise only one group of thirty-one objects used in the 
Illustrations by courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of 
Lichihlai, a Chinese poet of the Sung Dy¬ 
nasty, complained of the three most deplorable 
things in the world, Okakura-Kakuzo ob¬ 
serves, “the spoiling of fine youths through 
false education, the degradation of fine paint¬ 
ings through vulgar admiration, and the utter 
waste of fine tea through incompetent manipu¬ 
lation.” Eisai laid down rigid rules for the 
infusion of tea and its drinking which would 
have delighted the heart of Lichihlai. As a 
Japanese writer in Kokka says “In the Kama¬ 
kura Period (1192-1355) tea-drinking had as 
yet developed neither ceremony nor etiquette. 
It is true there was a secret in making it, but 
there was no cult in drinking it. . . . In the 
middle of the 14th Century tea-tasting as a 
pastime sprang up among the knights, and it 
came to be practiced even in camp. ... In 
the Ashikaga Period (1335-1567) tea-drink¬ 
ing as a pure pastime on the other hand was 
remarkably developed. In a meeting for tea- 
drinking art objects were 
arranged and an attempt 
was made to taste tea and 
at the same time enjoy 
esthetic amusements.” 
Shuko, a priest of the 
Zen sect and teacher of 
the Shogun Yoshimasa 
(1422 - 1502) originated 
the Cha-no-yu, although 
there were later develop¬ 
ments of the ceremony. In 
Shuko’s time the elabo¬ 
rate rules of the Cha-no- 
yu had not been evolved. 
As Brinkley notes in his 
History of the Japanese 
People, Shuko seems to 
have conceived that tea 
drinking might be utilized 
to promote the moral con¬ 
ditions which he associ¬ 
ated with its practice. 
. , , The bases of Shuko’s sys- 
Tea ceremony. tem w .ere the four virtues 
Art (Continued on page 72) 
