Ryurei uses a table and stools instead of the floor. It exists so that tea can be served where there are no tatami mats and to guests for whom kneeling is not possible. Gengensai of Urasenke devised it in the Meiji period for an international exhibition, and it has been in wide use since.
When it is used
At large gatherings, outdoors, in Western-style rooms, and when receiving older guests or visitors from abroad. It is also the usual form in schools and at cultural-exchange events, which makes it the way many people first encounter tea practice.
What happens
The arrangement consists of a purpose-built table (tenchaban) and seating for guests. The core gestures follow the kneeling procedures, but the sequence combines standing to carry with sitting to make tea, giving it a distinctive rhythm. Purification of the utensils and the making of the tea itself are unchanged.
Why it matters
Ryurei is not a simplified version for people who cannot manage the real thing. It changes the physical format while leaving the substance — one bowl made carefully for a guest — intact, and it is the main reason tea practice has remained available to people with limited mobility.
Sources
- 立礼（デジタル大辞泉 / 精選版 日本国語大辞典 / 日本大百科全書） / コトバンク
Supports: 立礼が明治5年（1872）に裏千家11世・玄々斎宗室が外国人客のために創案したものであること。日本大百科全書はこの創案が同年の京都博覧会で初めて実用化されたと記すこと
About this article
Edited by the operator of Chaen (a one-person operation) / Last updated:
Tea ceremony descriptions can vary by school and source. Where interpretations differ, this glossary avoids definitive claims and focuses on broadly shared understandings. If you notice an error, please let us know viaContact. To learn about our organization, seeAbout Chaen.
Term info
- Category
- Etiquette
Related terms
- Temae (the procedures of preparation)temae
The choreographed sequences for handling utensils and preparing tea; the substance of what students practise.
- Chakai (open tea gathering)chakai
A larger, less formal event with several sittings in a day; the usual way for newcomers to attend tea.
- Hira-demae (standard thin-tea procedure)hira-demae
The standard carrying procedure for thin tea; the baseline from which every more advanced procedure is learned.
- Warigeiko (part practice)warigeiko
Practising individual gestures in isolation, apart from any complete procedure; the foundation of everything else.