Tea ceremony glossary

Formal divided garment worn by men at more formal gatherings; a visible index of how formal an occasion is.

Bowls from Hagi whose crazed glaze absorbs tea and changes over years of use — the seven transformations of Hagi.

Korean-lineage bowls where white slip is brushed on and the brush strokes are left as the decoration.

Writing on a utensil's box giving its name, provenance, and maker; a principal basis of attribution.

A plain cedar tray of one item from the sea and one from the mountains, served as host and guests drink together.

The first gathering of the year in January; the largest annual event for a teacher's group of students.

The changeover in May from the sunken hearth to the portable brazier, opening the warm half of the year.

The vessel for tea flowers, hung or set in the alcove; with the scroll, the centre of the alcove display.

A brush of bird feathers used to sweep ash from the edges of the hearth or brazier.

A Kyoto school founded by Hayami Sotatsu, a senior student of Urasenke's eighth head, reflecting court aesthetics.

Reddish-brown colouring produced on unglazed ware by the flame during firing.

Dry sweets served with thin tea; small, keepable, and arranged in pairs for colour and shape.

A flat tray on which dry sweets are arranged and offered with thin tea.

The culture of Ashikaga Yoshimasa's Higashiyama period, in which shoin tea was established.

The warrior-class schools of Kumamoto, descended from Sekishu-ryu, with a strongly regional character.

A Sen-lineage school of the Hisada family, closely connected to Omotesenke and valued for its study of procedure.

A bamboo ladle for drawing hot water and cold; the utensil handled most often, and the one that shows a host's movement most plainly.

Long metal chopsticks for arranging charcoal in the hearth or brazier.

A shallow, wide-mouthed bowl used for thin tea in summer, letting the tea cool and suggesting coolness.

The standard carrying procedure for thin tea; the baseline from which every more advanced procedure is learned.