Tea Ceremony Class

This class will teach you the basic principles of Japanese tea and its practice of being a perfect guest inside the Japanese Tea Room setting of the Hammond Museum's Tea Room.

It will also give you the Zen experience of being a part of an art form intended to promote the four virtues of Tea: Harmony, Respect, Purity and Tranquility.

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This workshop format will also allow tea students of all levels, from beginners to advance, to share the benefits of this tea experience by a licensed instructor.

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Japanese Tea Ceremony  

The Japanese Tea Ceremony, or Chanoyu, originated in 16th century Japan.  This was a period of intense creative turmoil as trade opened up Japan to new ideas from China, Korea and India.

Chanoyu developed from the highlight of Chinese culture during the Sung Dynasty,  serving a refined powdered green tea called matcha . This was the time when Zen was also introduced to Japan as its distillation of Chan Buddhism. It was Sen Rikyu who perfected Chanoyu in the late 16th century as the special art form of Japan as it is known today.

The basic idea of Chanoyu is to invite guests and enjoy a get-together for tea.  The garden is beautifully trimmed and swept. The tea room is simple, yet artistically decorated.  Burning incense adds fragrance to the flowers which are beautifully arranged.  

Here you can enjoy the quiet atmosphere to share friendships. Forgetting the harshness of life outside, one can enjoy the refreshing aroma  and flavor of powdered green tea.