LOMAS Carrick
 

The day started early with a train journey to Imadegawa for our first time experiencing the Japanese Tea Ceremony, and after a brief walk by the Shokokuji Temple we headed towards the tea house. There were a great number of us, so trying to fit everyone into the entrance hall was a bit of a challenge, however when we moved to the tea room we were able to find more space for one another when sitting in the Seiza position. The room, whilst small, still felt spacious as we all sat in a ring stretching from corner to corner, the pot of water boiling to one side of the centre tatami arrangement.

Whilst many of us were anxious; suffering slightly from having to sit in Seiza, Matsumoto-sensei swiftly put us at ease, allowing us to sit in a more comfortable position with our legs crossed or to one side (depending on gender). After a brief explanation on the history of Sadou, we were gifted with traditional Japanese sweets by Matsumoto-sensei’s students before watching the process of making green tea. Many of us found that whilst the 抹茶 was bitter, the sweetness of the 和菓子 given beforehand dulled this and made it rather enjoyable.

Finally, after being given the opportunity to try our hand at mixing 抹茶 ourselves, we were able to ask questions regarding the art, the history and anything else that came to mind. The bowls held a great deal of interest, particularly (as the sensei explained) because it feels as though, that through sadou, one is interacting with history. Alongside this one of the students pointed out the scroll on the wall, which carried a proverb describing the various teachings in life, and that the Autumnal theme combined with our travels to explore Japan, its language, culture and history inspired Matsumoto-sensei to choose to display it for our session.

Overall, I (alongside many of the other students) found the experience to be very humbling and incredibly interesting. Although we began the session nervous, we all left the tea house with a smile and as a result enlightened. I believe many of us would like to try Sadou again in the future.