Tea ceremony glossary

A portable box holding a complete miniature set of utensils, for making tea away from a tea room.

Two distinct senses: a practitioner's name granted by a school, and the brand name given to a matcha.

The bowl in which tea is whisked and drunk — usually the most closely examined object in a gathering.

Turning the bowl before drinking so as not to put one's lips to its front; a gesture of respect toward the host's choice.

The small gate dividing the outer and inner garden, marking a shift in the guest's frame of mind.

A Sekishu-ryu branch founded by Matsura Shigenobu, lord of Hirado, still transmitted in Nagasaki.

A low stone water basin in the garden where guests crouch to rinse hands and mouth before entering.

A deep cylindrical bowl used in winter, which holds heat and carries warmth to the hands.

The March period when the kettle hangs from the ceiling on a chain, its slight movement suggesting spring wind.

The choreographed sequences for handling utensils and preparing tea; the substance of what students practise.

The shade-grown, unrolled leaf that is ground into matcha; never drunk in leaf form.

Black-glazed Chinese bowls from Zen temples, handled on a dedicated stand and treated as the most formal imported ware.

The record of which households and people a utensil passed through; part of what constitutes its value.

A medieval game of tasting several teas and guessing their origin, hugely popular in Muromachi warrior society.

The rise and displacement of tea-guessing contests, which constitute the prehistory of wabi tea.

Chinese tea culture of 618–907, systematised by Lu Yu's Chajing, in which tea was boiled rather than whisked.

The raised alcove holding the hanging scroll and flowers; the place where a gathering's theme is stated.

The post framing one side of the alcove; its timber and finish declare the formality of the room.

A box made specifically for a utensil by its maker or owner and inscribed by them; irreplaceable once lost.

Bringing scroll, flowers, utensils, sweets, and procedure into accord under one theme; the host's central task.