{"id":7007,"date":"2018-03-29T15:21:49","date_gmt":"2018-03-29T19:21:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/groups.etown.edu\/news\/?p=7007"},"modified":"2018-04-11T12:27:29","modified_gmt":"2018-04-11T16:27:29","slug":"elizabethtown-college-japanese-professor-devoted-to-learning-teaching-traditional-tea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/2018\/03\/29\/elizabethtown-college-japanese-professor-devoted-to-learning-teaching-traditional-tea\/","title":{"rendered":"Elizabethtown College Japanese professor devoted to learning, teaching traditional tea"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/now.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/outside.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7014\" src=\"http:\/\/now.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/outside.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/outside.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/outside-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/outside-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>He pauses for a few breaths\u2014head down, eyes closed and grimacing as he steels himself against the pain shooting across his thighs. He\u2019s been crouched in the same position for more than an hour\u2014on his knees, the tops of his stockinged feet flat on the floor, his back stick-straight.<\/p>\n<p>Nobuaki Takahashi is performing a traditional Japanese tea ceremony or chanoyu, a strategically choreographed art form, with movements mapped out over many centuries.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/now.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/greeting.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-7010\" src=\"http:\/\/now.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/greeting.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/greeting.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/greeting-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/greeting-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Matcha, powdered green tea, in small bowls. Delicately decorated Wagashi bean-paste sweets. The honored guest anticipating the next move. A full formal tea ceremony can take several hours.<\/p>\n<p>Takahashi, an associate professor of Japanese at Elizabethtown College, is, in this space and time, a student, learning the intricacies of Japanese tea\u2014not just the beverage but the way of life, the culture in and of itself.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>It takes years to get to the point where you can teach &#8230; I want to be certified; I want to keep going.\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"E-town Japanese professor learns, teaches traditional tea\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VaK_WETa0zw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/now.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/preparing.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7015\" src=\"http:\/\/now.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/preparing.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/preparing.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/preparing-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/preparing-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>He began learning the tradition in the summer of 2017 after applying for and winning a faculty grant aimed at teaching Asian culture in unique ways. \u201cI\u2019d been thinking for a while of taking classes,\u201d he said, confirming that the grant helped move him toward this endeavor.<\/p>\n<p>It pays for his lessons with Todd Frey sensei, of Gessha Japanese Tea House in York, Pennsylvania, where Takahashi goes once a week or so to learn about the ceremony and the tools of the ritual.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/now.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/nobu2.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7013\" src=\"http:\/\/now.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/nobu2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/nobu2.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/nobu2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/nobu2-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>There\u2019s the chawan, a hand-thrown bowl that\u2019s integral to the ceremony, not just because it holds the tea, but because it\u2019s the focal point of conversation; there\u2019s the chakin, a small linen, folded and unfolded, just so, and used to wipe the edges of the tea bowl. Takahashi learns the uses of each\u2014and of the natsume, chashaku and chasen*\u2014and the precise ways they connect to the art form.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A lost generation<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The method of tea\u2014also called chado or <a href=\"http:\/\/now.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/tea.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7016\" src=\"http:\/\/now.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/tea.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/tea.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/tea-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/tea-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>sado\u2014is imbedded in Japanese culture. \u201cYou just know it,\u201d he said. \u201cYou know how to turn the cup in your hands; there are so many details. Even how to open the [teahouse] door is choreographed. My posture, how I sit, follow orders, respect my elders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Though his generation began losing interest in traditional Japanese art forms, it is now seeing a resurgence toward traditional values and the arts of origami, storytelling performance, flower arranging \u2026 and, of course, tea.<a href=\"http:\/\/now.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/wall.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7026\" src=\"http:\/\/now.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/wall.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/wall.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/wall-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/wall-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Utilizing his faculty grant, Takahashi said he wishes to reach the point where he can teach. Presently, the College\u2019s Japanese program takes students to Philadelphia each year to watch a demonstration.<\/p>\n<p>His ultimate goal is to create a tea-specific class at Elizabethtown College to help teach Japanese culture. There is definite interest, he said. Takahashi believes the unique class would help make the College\u2019s Japanese program more visible.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/now.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/todd.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7025\" src=\"http:\/\/now.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/todd.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/todd.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/todd-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/todd-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>His interest in the art of tea, he said, began a few years back, when sensei Frey was invited to campus by another professor for a demonstration to students. He said he was intrigued by seeing \u201cthis American guy who was fully certified\u201d teaching a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Taking interest in tea<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Frey said he discovered Japanese culture in his pre-teens. \u201cIt was in the \u201960s, I saw exotic things in magazines and watched \u201cKung Fu\u201d on TV. I developed a love of all <a href=\"http:\/\/now.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/serving.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-7024\" src=\"http:\/\/now.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/serving.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/serving.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/serving-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/serving-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>things Japanese, especially Zen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Years later, thanks to the internet, he found a teacher in Philadelphia. \u201cI became licensed and had this illusion that I could make a living as a teacher of tea,\u201d Frey said. Instead, he shares his knowledge part time, speaking at colleges and teaching a few interested students, including Takahashi.<\/p>\n<p>Following tradition, Frey\u2019s teahouse is an intimate space, with a door barely larger than the bodies crawling through it\u2014it\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/now.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/master-teacher.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-7011\" src=\"http:\/\/now.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/master-teacher.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/master-teacher.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/master-teacher-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/files\/2018\/03\/master-teacher-50x50.jpg 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>designed that way, he said, to keep samurais from bringing in weaponry. There is room for just a few people, all kneeling on the floor.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce you come through the small opening, it\u2019s ichi-go ichi-e,\u201d said Frey, \u201can experience that is unrepeatable.\u201d Because, when making tea, the server gives 100 percent to the experience; it\u2019s a once-in-a-lifetime interaction.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the modern world where multitasking is the norm, we have lost the ability to do one thing at a time with our full attention,\u201d notes Frey on the Gessha website. \u201cJust this simple act is enough to change our lives and open us in a most profound way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>In service<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In a light-grey, restrictive kimono, Takahashi begins the ceremony by asking if he may serve his guests. Other than this, he is mostly silent. It\u2019s a show of respect, he said. To become a tea master you not only learn how to sit and move, but how to behave and be respectful in society.<\/p>\n<p>All told, there are 88 procedures in serving tea\u2014how to sit, stand, bow, drink, eat sweets, wipe the bowl, fold the linen. Lessons are divided into two parts\u2014as host and as guest. \u201cIt\u2019s equally important to learn both sides of the practice.\u201d Frey said.<\/p>\n<p>As he serves the sweets, Takahashi\u2019s technique is corrected. Frey gives him a second or two to modify his movements before redirecting him. He has \u201cshoshin,\u201d said Frey, \u201cbeginner\u2019s mind.\u201d Slightly different styles are taught by different teachers, but the general practice is always the same, he noted. \u201cLike a dance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sweets and tea are first served to the main guest\u2014who sets the ambiance and pace of the service\u2014and then to the subordinate guests.<\/p>\n<p>The main guest sips his tea three times, no more-no less, and signals that he has finished by making an audible slurp deep inside the tea bowl.<\/p>\n<p>Purposefully, just two bowls of tea are prepared at once. When the first is emptied it is cleaned, filled and given to the third guest. When the second bowl is emptied, it is wiped clean and prepared, again, for the first guest. The pattern repeats until the main guest is satiated.<\/p>\n<p>The idea is to give each visitor the opportunity to note the bowls\u2019 artisanship. \u201cAfter you drink, you observe the tea bowl and talk about it,\u201d said Takahashi. The observation conversation is central to the ceremony. In the corner, on his knees, Takahashi continues cleaning, wiping and serving.<\/p>\n<p>A typical chashitsu, or teahouse, is small\u2014just the width of 4.5 tatami mats, the equivalent of 9 feet\u2014and it\u2019s sparse with only a shallow fire pit, a tiny hidden kitchen, rice-paper-covered windows and rice-straw mats, but along one side is an important focal point. A scroll, plant and small decorative items, each chosen by the tea master for very specific and personal reasons. They tell the story of the season or the holiday, based on the lunar calendar. They are never the same, but always heartfelt.<\/p>\n<p><strong>D\u014d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In the Japanese language, traditions ending in d\u014d, such as kad\u014d\u2014flower arranging; shod\u014d\u2014calligraphy; bud\u014d\u2014martial arts. And, of course, chad\u014d\u2014the art of tea, signify a process in which the art form is studied in a specific order to achieve mastery. D\u014d, loosely translated, means road or long path, Takahashi said. These traditions, he said, become a lifelong path.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt takes years to get to the point where you can teach,\u201d the professor pointed out, noting at least six steps in the process. \u201cI want to be certified; I want to keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Natsume \u2013 a small, usually lacquerware tea caddy, which holds the ground matcha tea powder<\/em><br \/>\n<em> Chashaku \u2013 a long, thin bamboo tea scoop<\/em><br \/>\n<em> Chasen \u2013 split bamboo tea whisk<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>He pauses for a few breaths\u2014head down, eyes closed and grimacing as he steels himself against the pain shooting across his thighs. He\u2019s been crouched in the same position for more than an hour\u2014on his knees, the tops of his stockinged feet flat on the floor, his back stick-straight. Nobuaki Takahashi is performing a traditional [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":7017,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[775,7],"tags":[490,1128,53],"class_list":["post-7007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus","category-campus-community","tag-achievements-2","tag-feature","tag-modern-languages","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7007"}],"version-history":[{"count":47,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7054,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7007\/revisions\/7054"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7017"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.etown.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}