"the first cup moistens my lips and throat, the second cup breaks my loneliness, the third cup searches my inmost being.... the fourth cup raises a slight perspiration—all the wrong of life passes away through my pores. at the fifth cup i am purified; the sixth cup calls me to the realms of immortals. the seventh cup—ah, but i could take no more! i only feel the breath of cool wind that rises in my sleeves. where is horaisan?[2] let me ride on this sweet breeze and waft away thither."
lotung.
tea-drinking in england and japan
in england we regard tea simply as a beverage, a refreshing and mild stimulant over which ladies are wont to gossip with their neighbours. there is nothing romantic about our tea-pots and kettles and spoons; they come from the kitchen and are returned to the kitchen with prescribed regularity. we have a few stock comments on the subject of tea, and can quote the exact price our grandmothers paid for this beverage. we have our opinions as to whether it is best taken with or without sugar, and have sometimes found it efficacious in driving away a headache.
when tea reached our own country in 1650 it was referred to as "that excellent and by all physicians approved china drink, called by the chineans tcha, and by other nations tay, alias tee." in 1711 the spectator remarked: "i would therefore in a particular manner recommend these my speculations to all well-regulated families that set apart an hour every morning for tea, bread and butter; and would earnestly advise them for[pg 291] their good to order this paper to be punctually served up and to be looked upon as a part of the tea-equipage." dr. johnson described himself as "a hardened and shameless tea-drinker, who for twenty years diluted his meals with only the infusion of the fascinating plant; who with tea amused the evening, with tea solaced the midnight, and with tea welcomed the morning." but there is no romance, no old tradition associated with our tea-drinking in this country. perhaps it is as well that the ladies sitting in our fashionable drawing-rooms are unacquainted with the grim and pathetic legend that narrates how a buddhist priest fell asleep during his meditations. when he awoke he cut off his offending eyelids and flung them on the ground, where they were immediately transformed into the first tea-plant.
in japan tea-drinking has become a ritual. it is not so much a social function as a time for peaceful meditation. the elaborate tea ceremonies, cha-no-yu, have their tea-masters, etiquette, and numerous observances. a cup of japanese tea is combined with spiritual and artistic enlightenment. but before discussing these very interesting ceremonies we must learn something about the significance of tea in china, for it was the drinking of this beverage in the celestial kingdom, associated with the rarest porcelain and æsthetic and religious thought, that inspired the tea cult in the land of the gods.
tea in china
the tea-plant, a native of southern china, was originally regarded as a medicine. it was referred to in the classics by such names as tou, tseh, chung, kha, and ming, and was much esteemed on account of its medicinal properties. it was regarded as an excellent lotion[pg 292] for strengthening the eyes, and, moreover, had the power to banish fatigue, strengthen the will, and delight the soul. it was sometimes made in the form of a paste, and was believed to be efficacious in reducing rheumatic pain. the taoists went so far as to claim that tea was one of the ingredients of the elixir of life, while the buddhist priests drank it whenever it was necessary for them to meditate during the long hours of the night.
luwuh and the "chaking"
in the fourth and fifth centuries we find that tea became a highly favoured beverage among the people of the yangtse-kiang valley. at this time, too, poets waxed eloquent in its praise, and described it as the "froth of the liquid jade." but tea at that time was a very horrible concoction indeed, for it was boiled with rice, salt, ginger, orange-peel, and not infrequently with onions! however, luwuh, who lived in the eighth century, discountenanced the strange mixture we have just referred to. he was the first chinese tea-master, and not only did he idealize tea, but he saw, with keen poetic insight, that the ceremony of drinking it made for harmony and order in daily life.
in his chaking ("the holy scripture of tea") he describes the nature of the tea-plant, and how its leaves should be gathered and selected. he was of the opinion that the best leaves should have "creases like the leathern boot of tartar horsemen, curl like the dewlap of a mighty bullock, unfold like a mist rising out of a ravine, gleam like a lake touched by a zephyr, and be wet and soft like fine earth newly swept by rain." luwuh describes the various utensils connected with the tea ceremony, and asserts that the green beverage should be drunk from blue porcelain cups. he discourses on the subject of the choice of water and the[pg 293] manner of boiling it. in poetical language he describes the three stages of boiling. he compares the little bubbles of the first boil with the eyes of fishes, the bubbles of the second boil with a fountain crowned with clustering crystal beads, and the final boil is described as resembling the surge of miniature billows. the concluding chapters of the chaking deal with the vulgar and unorthodox methods of drinking tea, and the ardent master gives a list of celebrated tea-drinkers, and enumerates the famous chinese tea plantations. luwuh's fascinating book was regarded as a masterpiece. he was sought after by the emperor taisung, attracted many disciples, and was regarded as the greatest authority on tea and tea-drinking. his fame did not die with him, for since his death chinese tea-merchants have worshipped him as a tutelary god.
the japanese tea ceremony
it is believed that the great buddhist saint, dengyo daishi, introduced tea into japan from china in a.d. 805. in any case tea-drinking in nippon was associated with buddhism, and most particularly with the zen sect, which had incorporated so many of the taoist doctrines. the priests of this order drank tea from a single bowl before the image of bodhi dharma (daruma). they did so in the spirit of reverence, and regarded the tea-drinking as a holy sacrament. it was this zen observance, strictly of a religious nature, which finally developed into the japanese tea ceremony.
"the tea ceremonies," writes professor b. h. chamberlain, "have undergone three transformations during the six or seven hundred years of their existence. they have passed through a medico-religious stage, a luxurious stage, and, lastly, an æsthetic stage." in the religious stage the buddhist priest eisai wrote a[pg 294] pamphlet entitled the salutary influence of tea-drinking, in which he asserted that this beverage had the power to drive away evil spirits. he introduced a religious ceremonial in regard to the worship of ancestors, accompanied by the beating of drums and the burning of incense. eisai wrote his tract with the intention of converting minamoto-no-sanetomo from his vicious love of the wine-cup, and endeavoured to show the superiority of the tea-plant over the juice of the grape.
we find that the tea ceremonies for the time being lost their religious significance: "the daimyos," writes professor chamberlain, "who daily took part in them reclined on couches spread with tiger-skins and leopard-skins. the walls of the spacious apartments in which the guests assembled were hung, not only with buddhist pictures, but with damask and brocade, with gold and silver vessels, and swords in splendid sheaths. precious perfumes were burnt, rare fishes and strange birds were served up with sweetmeats and wine, and the point of the entertainment consisted in guessing where the material for each cup of tea had been produced; for as many brands as possible were brought in, to serve as a puzzle or jeu de société.... every right guess procured for him who made it the gift of one of the treasures that were hung round the room. but he was not allowed to carry it away himself. the rules of the tea ceremonies, as then practised, ordained that all the things rich and rare that were exhibited must be given by their winners to the singing and dancing-girls, troupes of whom were present to help the company in their carousal."
this variety of tea ceremony, which appears to have been more of an orgy than anything else, reflected the luxurious and dissolute age in which it was practised.[pg 295] the tea ceremony, in its more enduring and characteristic form, was destined to abandon all vulgar display, to embrace a certain amount of religion and philosophy, and above all to afford a means of studying art and the beauty of nature. the tea-room became, not a place of carousal, but a place where the wayfarer might find peace in solemn meditation. even the garden path leading to the tea-room had its symbolic meaning, for it signified the first stage of self-illumination. the following was kobori-enshiu's idea of the path leading to the tea-room:
"a cluster of summer trees,
a bit of the sea,
a pale evening moon."
such a scene was intended to convey to the wayfarer a sense of spiritual light. the trees, sea, and moon awakened old dreams, and their presence made the guest eager to pass into the greater joys of the tea-room. no samurai was allowed to take his sword into the fragrant sanctuary of peace, and in many tea-rooms there was a low door through which the guests entered with bowed head, as a sign of humility. in silence the guests made obeisance before a kakemono, or some simple and beautiful flower on the tokonoma (alcove), and then seated themselves upon the mats. when they had done so the host entered and the water was heard to boil in the kettle with a musical sound, because of some pieces of iron which it contained. even the boiling of the kettle was associated with poetical ideas, for the song of water and metal was intended to suggest "the echoes of a cataract muffled by clouds, of a distant sea breaking among the rocks, a rainstorm sweeping through a bamboo forest, or of the soughing of pines on some far-away hill." there was a sense of harmony in the tea-room. the light was like the mellow light of evening, and the garments of the[pg 296] company were as quiet and unobtrusive as the grey wings of a moth. in this peaceful apartment the guests drank their tea and meditated, and went forth into the world again better and stronger for having contemplated in silence the beautiful and the noble in religion, art, and nature. "seeking always to be in harmony with the great rhythm of the universe, they were ever prepared to enter the unknown."
the passing of rikiu
rikiu was one of the greatest of tea-masters, and for long he remained the friend of taiko-hideyoshi; but the age in which he lived was full of treachery. there were many who were jealous of rikiu, many who sought his death. when a coldness sprang up between hideyoshi and rikiu, the enemies of the great tea-master made use of this breach of friendship by spreading the report that rikiu intended to add poison to a cup of tea and present it to his distinguished patron. hideyoshi soon heard of the rumour, and without troubling to examine the matter he condemned rikiu to die by his own hand.
on the last day of the famous tea-master's life he invited many of his disciples to join with him in his final tea ceremony. as they walked up the garden path it seemed that ghosts whispered in the rustling leaves. when the disciples entered the tea-room they saw a kakemono hanging in the tokonoma, and when they raised their sorrowful eyes they saw that the writing described the passing of all earthly things. there was poetry in the singing of the tea-kettle, but it was a sad song like the plaintive cry of an insect. rikiu came into the tea-room calm and dignified, and, according to custom, he allowed the chief guest to admire the various articles associated with the tea ceremony. when all the guests had gazed upon them, noting their beauty with a heavy heart, rikiu presented[pg 297] each disciple with a souvenir. he took his own cup in his hand, and said: "never again shall this cup, polluted by the lips of misfortune, be used by man." having spoken these words, he broke the cup as a sign that the tea ceremony was over, and the guests bade a sad farewell and departed. only one remained to witness, not the drinking of another cup of tea, but the passing of rikiu. the great master took off his outer garment, and revealed the pure white robe of death. still calm and dignified, he looked upon his dagger, and then recited the following verse with unfaltering voice:
"welcome to thee,
o sword of eternity!
through buddha
and through daruma alike
thou hast cleft thy way."
he who loved to quote the old poem, "to those who long only for flowers fain would i show the full-blown spring which abides in the toiling buds of snow-covered hills," has crowned the japanese tea ceremony with an immortal flower.
the legend of the tea-plant[3]
daruma was an indian sage, whose image, as we have already seen, was associated with the ritualistic drinking of tea by the zen sect in japan. he is said to have been the son of a hindu king, and received instruction from panyatara. when he had completed his studies he retired to lo yang, where he remained seated in meditation for nine years. during this period the sage was tempted after the manner of st. anthony. he wrestled with these temptations by continually reciting sacred scriptures; but the frequent repetition of the[pg 298] word "jewel" lost its spiritual significance, and became associated with the precious stone worn in the ear of a certain lovely woman. even the word "lotus," so sacred to all true buddhists, ceased to be the symbol of the lord buddha and suggested to daruma the opening of a girl's fair mouth. his temptations increased, and he was transported to an indian city, where he found himself among a vast crowd of worshippers. he saw strange deities with horrible symbols upon their foreheads, and rajahs and princes riding upon elephants, surrounded by a great company of dancing-girls. the great crowd of people surged forward, and daruma with them, till they came to a temple with innumerable pinnacles, a temple covered with a multitude of foul forms, and it seemed to daruma that he met and kissed the woman who had changed the meaning of jewel and lotus. then suddenly the vision departed, and daruma awoke to find himself sitting under the chinese sky. the sage, who had fallen asleep during his meditation, was truly penitent for the neglect of his devotions, and, taking a knife from his girdle, he cut off his eyelids and cast them upon the ground, saying: "o thou perfectly awakened!" the eyelids were transformed into the tea-plant, from which was made a beverage that would repel slumber and allow good buddhist priests to their vigils.
daruma
daruma is generally represented without legs, for according to one version of the legend we have just given he lost his limbs as the result of the nine-year meditation. netsuke[4]-carvers depict him in a full, bag-like[pg 299] like garment, with a scowling face and lidless eyes. he is sometimes presented in japanese art as being surrounded with cobwebs, and there is a very subtle variation of the saint portrayed as a female daruma, which is nothing less than a playful jest against japanese women, who could not be expected to remain silent for nine years! an owl is frequently associated with daruma, and in his journey to japan he is pictured as standing on waves, supported by a millet stalk. three years after daruma's death he was seen walking across the western mountains of china, and it was observed that he carried one shoe in his right hand. when daruma's tomb was opened by the order of the emperor it was found only to contain a shoe, which the saint had forgotten to take away with him.[5]
[1] we have derived most of the material for this chapter from the book of tea, by okakura-kakuzo, and we warmly commend this very charming volume to those who are interested in the subject.
[2] the chinese paradise.
[3] a full account of this beautiful legend will be found in lafcadio hearn's some chinese ghosts.
[4] "originally a kind of toggle for the medicine-box or tobacco-pouch, carved out of wood or ivory."—things japanese, by b. h. chamberlain.
[5] reference to yuki-daruma, or snow-daruma, and toy-daruma, called okiagari-koboshi ("the getting-up little priest"), will be found in lafcadio hearn's a japanese miscellany.
