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diff --git a/769-h/769-h.htm b/769-h/769-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..8683c6f --- /dev/null +++ b/769-h/769-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,2317 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="us-ascii"?> + +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" > + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en"> + <head> + <title> + The Book of Tea, by Kakuzo Okakura + </title> + <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + + body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify} + P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } + hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;} + .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; } + blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;} + .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;} + .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;} + div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; } + div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; } + .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;} + .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;} + .pagenum {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal; + margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%; + text-align: right;} + pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} + +</style> + </head> + <body> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Book of Tea, by Kakuzo Okakura + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: The Book of Tea + +Author: Kakuzo Okakura + +Release Date: August 5, 2008 [EBook #769] +Last Updated: February 4, 2013 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BOOK OF TEA *** + + + + +Produced by Matthew, Gabrielle Harbowy, and David Widger + + + + + +</pre> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h1> + THE BOOK OF TEA + </h1> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <h2> + By Kakuzo Okakura + </h2> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h2> + Contents + </h2> + <table summary="" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto"> + <tr> + <td> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0001"> I. The Cup of Humanity </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0002"> II. The Schools of Tea. </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0003"> III. Taoism and Zennism </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0004"> IV. The Tea-Room </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0005"> V. Art Appreciation </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0006"> VI. Flowers </a> + </p> + <p class="toc"> + <a href="#link2H_4_0007"> VII. Tea-Masters </a> + </p> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <a name="link2H_4_0001" id="link2H_4_0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <h2> + I. The Cup of Humanity + </h2> + <p> + Tea began as a medicine and grew into a beverage. In China, in the eighth + century, it entered the realm of poetry as one of the polite amusements. + The fifteenth century saw Japan ennoble it into a religion of aestheticism—Teaism. + Teaism is a cult founded on the adoration of the beautiful among the + sordid facts of everyday existence. It inculcates purity and harmony, the + mystery of mutual charity, the romanticism of the social order. It is + essentially a worship of the Imperfect, as it is a tender attempt to + accomplish something possible in this impossible thing we know as life. + </p> + <p> + The Philosophy of Tea is not mere aestheticism in the ordinary acceptance + of the term, for it expresses conjointly with ethics and religion our + whole point of view about man and nature. It is hygiene, for it enforces + cleanliness; it is economics, for it shows comfort in simplicity rather + than in the complex and costly; it is moral geometry, inasmuch as it + defines our sense of proportion to the universe. It represents the true + spirit of Eastern democracy by making all its votaries aristocrats in + taste. + </p> + <p> + The long isolation of Japan from the rest of the world, so conducive to + introspection, has been highly favourable to the development of Teaism. + Our home and habits, costume and cuisine, porcelain, lacquer, painting—our + very literature—all have been subject to its influence. No student + of Japanese culture could ever ignore its presence. It has permeated the + elegance of noble boudoirs, and entered the abode of the humble. Our + peasants have learned to arrange flowers, our meanest labourer to offer + his salutation to the rocks and waters. In our common parlance we speak of + the man "with no tea" in him, when he is insusceptible to the serio-comic + interests of the personal drama. Again we stigmatise the untamed aesthete + who, regardless of the mundane tragedy, runs riot in the springtide of + emancipated emotions, as one "with too much tea" in him. + </p> + <p> + The outsider may indeed wonder at this seeming much ado about nothing. + What a tempest in a tea-cup! he will say. But when we consider how small + after all the cup of human enjoyment is, how soon overflowed with tears, + how easily drained to the dregs in our quenchless thirst for infinity, we + shall not blame ourselves for making so much of the tea-cup. Mankind has + done worse. In the worship of Bacchus, we have sacrificed too freely; and + we have even transfigured the gory image of Mars. Why not consecrate + ourselves to the queen of the Camelias, and revel in the warm stream of + sympathy that flows from her altar? In the liquid amber within the + ivory-porcelain, the initiated may touch the sweet reticence of Confucius, + the piquancy of Laotse, and the ethereal aroma of Sakyamuni himself. + </p> + <p> + Those who cannot feel the littleness of great things in themselves are apt + to overlook the greatness of little things in others. The average + Westerner, in his sleek complacency, will see in the tea ceremony but + another instance of the thousand and one oddities which constitute the + quaintness and childishness of the East to him. He was wont to regard + Japan as barbarous while she indulged in the gentle arts of peace: he + calls her civilised since she began to commit wholesale slaughter on + Manchurian battlefields. Much comment has been given lately to the Code of + the Samurai,—the Art of Death which makes our soldiers exult in + self-sacrifice; but scarcely any attention has been drawn to Teaism, which + represents so much of our Art of Life. Fain would we remain barbarians, if + our claim to civilisation were to be based on the gruesome glory of war. + Fain would we await the time when due respect shall be paid to our art and + ideals. + </p> + <p> + When will the West understand, or try to understand, the East? We Asiatics + are often appalled by the curious web of facts and fancies which has been + woven concerning us. We are pictured as living on the perfume of the + lotus, if not on mice and cockroaches. It is either impotent fanaticism or + else abject voluptuousness. Indian spirituality has been derided as + ignorance, Chinese sobriety as stupidity, Japanese patriotism as the + result of fatalism. It has been said that we are less sensible to pain and + wounds on account of the callousness of our nervous organisation! + </p> + <p> + Why not amuse yourselves at our expense? Asia returns the compliment. + There would be further food for merriment if you were to know all that we + have imagined and written about you. All the glamour of the perspective is + there, all the unconscious homage of wonder, all the silent resentment of + the new and undefined. You have been loaded with virtues too refined to be + envied, and accused of crimes too picturesque to be condemned. Our writers + in the past—the wise men who knew—informed us that you had + bushy tails somewhere hidden in your garments, and often dined off a + fricassee of newborn babes! Nay, we had something worse against you: we + used to think you the most impracticable people on the earth, for you were + said to preach what you never practiced. + </p> + <p> + Such misconceptions are fast vanishing amongst us. Commerce has forced the + European tongues on many an Eastern port. Asiatic youths are flocking to + Western colleges for the equipment of modern education. Our insight does + not penetrate your culture deeply, but at least we are willing to learn. + Some of my compatriots have adopted too much of your customs and too much + of your etiquette, in the delusion that the acquisition of stiff collars + and tall silk hats comprised the attainment of your civilisation. Pathetic + and deplorable as such affectations are, they evince our willingness to + approach the West on our knees. Unfortunately the Western attitude is + unfavourable to the understanding of the East. The Christian missionary + goes to impart, but not to receive. Your information is based on the + meagre translations of our immense literature, if not on the unreliable + anecdotes of passing travellers. It is rarely that the chivalrous pen of a + Lafcadio Hearn or that of the author of "The Web of Indian Life" enlivens + the Oriental darkness with the torch of our own sentiments. + </p> + <p> + Perhaps I betray my own ignorance of the Tea Cult by being so outspoken. + Its very spirit of politeness exacts that you say what you are expected to + say, and no more. But I am not to be a polite Teaist. So much harm has + been done already by the mutual misunderstanding of the New World and the + Old, that one need not apologise for contributing his tithe to the + furtherance of a better understanding. The beginning of the twentieth + century would have been spared the spectacle of sanguinary warfare if + Russia had condescended to know Japan better. What dire consequences to + humanity lie in the contemptuous ignoring of Eastern problems! European + imperialism, which does not disdain to raise the absurd cry of the Yellow + Peril, fails to realise that Asia may also awaken to the cruel sense of + the White Disaster. You may laugh at us for having "too much tea," but may + we not suspect that you of the West have "no tea" in your constitution? + </p> + <p> + Let us stop the continents from hurling epigrams at each other, and be + sadder if not wiser by the mutual gain of half a hemisphere. We have + developed along different lines, but there is no reason why one should not + supplement the other. You have gained expansion at the cost of + restlessness; we have created a harmony which is weak against aggression. + Will you believe it?—the East is better off in some respects than + the West! + </p> + <p> + Strangely enough humanity has so far met in the tea-cup. It is the only + Asiatic ceremonial which commands universal esteem. The white man has + scoffed at our religion and our morals, but has accepted the brown + beverage without hesitation. The afternoon tea is now an important + function in Western society. In the delicate clatter of trays and saucers, + in the soft rustle of feminine hospitality, in the common catechism about + cream and sugar, we know that the Worship of Tea is established beyond + question. The philosophic resignation of the guest to the fate awaiting + him in the dubious decoction proclaims that in this single instance the + Oriental spirit reigns supreme. + </p> + <p> + The earliest record of tea in European writing is said to be found in the + statement of an Arabian traveller, that after the year 879 the main + sources of revenue in Canton were the duties on salt and tea. Marco Polo + records the deposition of a Chinese minister of finance in 1285 for his + arbitrary augmentation of the tea-taxes. It was at the period of the great + discoveries that the European people began to know more about the extreme + Orient. At the end of the sixteenth century the Hollanders brought the + news that a pleasant drink was made in the East from the leaves of a bush. + The travellers Giovanni Batista Ramusio (1559), L. Almeida (1576), Maffeno + (1588), Tareira (1610), also mentioned tea. In the last-named year ships + of the Dutch East India Company brought the first tea into Europe. It was + known in France in 1636, and reached Russia in 1638. England welcomed it + in 1650 and spoke of it as "That excellent and by all physicians approved + China drink, called by the Chineans Tcha, and by other nations Tay, alias + Tee." + </p> + <p> + Like all good things of the world, the propaganda of Tea met with + opposition. Heretics like Henry Saville (1678) denounced drinking it as a + filthy custom. Jonas Hanway (Essay on Tea, 1756) said that men seemed to + lose their stature and comeliness, women their beauty through the use of + tea. Its cost at the start (about fifteen or sixteen shillings a pound) + forbade popular consumption, and made it "regalia for high treatments and + entertainments, presents being made thereof to princes and grandees." Yet + in spite of such drawbacks tea-drinking spread with marvelous rapidity. + The coffee-houses of London in the early half of the eighteenth century + became, in fact, tea-houses, the resort of wits like Addison and Steele, + who beguiled themselves over their "dish of tea." The beverage soon became + a necessity of life—a taxable matter. We are reminded in this + connection what an important part it plays in modern history. Colonial + America resigned herself to oppression until human endurance gave way + before the heavy duties laid on Tea. American independence dates from the + throwing of tea-chests into Boston harbour. + </p> + <p> + There is a subtle charm in the taste of tea which makes it irresistible + and capable of idealisation. Western humourists were not slow to mingle + the fragrance of their thought with its aroma. It has not the arrogance of + wine, the self-consciousness of coffee, nor the simpering innocence of + cocoa. Already in 1711, says the Spectator: "I would therefore in a + particular manner recommend these my speculations to all well-regulated + families that set apart an hour every morning for tea, bread and butter; + and would earnestly advise them for their good to order this paper to be + punctually served up and to be looked upon as a part of the tea-equipage." + Samuel Johnson draws his own portrait as "a hardened and shameless tea + drinker, who for twenty years diluted his meals with only the infusion of + the fascinating plant; who with tea amused the evening, with tea solaced + the midnight, and with tea welcomed the morning." + </p> + <p> + Charles Lamb, a professed devotee, sounded the true note of Teaism when he + wrote that the greatest pleasure he knew was to do a good action by + stealth, and to have it found out by accident. For Teaism is the art of + concealing beauty that you may discover it, of suggesting what you dare + not reveal. It is the noble secret of laughing at yourself, calmly yet + thoroughly, and is thus humour itself,—the smile of philosophy. All + genuine humourists may in this sense be called tea-philosophers, + Thackeray, for instance, and of course, Shakespeare. The poets of the + Decadence (when was not the world in decadence?), in their protests + against materialism, have, to a certain extent, also opened the way to + Teaism. Perhaps nowadays it is our demure contemplation of the Imperfect + that the West and the East can meet in mutual consolation. + </p> + <p> + The Taoists relate that at the great beginning of the No-Beginning, Spirit + and Matter met in mortal combat. At last the Yellow Emperor, the Sun of + Heaven, triumphed over Shuhyung, the demon of darkness and earth. The + Titan, in his death agony, struck his head against the solar vault and + shivered the blue dome of jade into fragments. The stars lost their nests, + the moon wandered aimlessly among the wild chasms of the night. In despair + the Yellow Emperor sought far and wide for the repairer of the Heavens. He + had not to search in vain. Out of the Eastern sea rose a queen, the divine + Niuka, horn-crowned and dragon-tailed, resplendent in her armor of fire. + She welded the five-coloured rainbow in her magic cauldron and rebuilt the + Chinese sky. But it is told that Niuka forgot to fill two tiny crevices in + the blue firmament. Thus began the dualism of love—two souls rolling + through space and never at rest until they join together to complete the + universe. Everyone has to build anew his sky of hope and peace. + </p> + <p> + The heaven of modern humanity is indeed shattered in the Cyclopean + struggle for wealth and power. The world is groping in the shadow of + egotism and vulgarity. Knowledge is bought through a bad conscience, + benevolence practiced for the sake of utility. The East and the West, like + two dragons tossed in a sea of ferment, in vain strive to regain the jewel + of life. We need a Niuka again to repair the grand devastation; we await + the great Avatar. Meanwhile, let us have a sip of tea. The afternoon glow + is brightening the bamboos, the fountains are bubbling with delight, the + soughing of the pines is heard in our kettle. Let us dream of evanescence, + and linger in the beautiful foolishness of things. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0002" id="link2H_4_0002"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + II. The Schools of Tea. + </h2> + <p> + Tea is a work of art and needs a master hand to bring out its noblest + qualities. We have good and bad tea, as we have good and bad paintings—generally + the latter. There is no single recipe for making the perfect tea, as there + are no rules for producing a Titian or a Sesson. Each preparation of the + leaves has its individuality, its special affinity with water and heat, + its own method of telling a story. The truly beautiful must always be in + it. How much do we not suffer through the constant failure of society to + recognise this simple and fundamental law of art and life; Lichilai, a + Sung poet, has sadly remarked that there were three most deplorable things + in the world: the spoiling of fine youths through false education, the + degradation of fine art through vulgar admiration, and the utter waste of + fine tea through incompetent manipulation. + </p> + <p> + Like Art, Tea has its periods and its schools. Its evolution may be + roughly divided into three main stages: the Boiled Tea, the Whipped Tea, + and the Steeped Tea. We moderns belong to the last school. These several + methods of appreciating the beverage are indicative of the spirit of the + age in which they prevailed. For life is an expression, our unconscious + actions the constant betrayal of our innermost thought. Confucius said + that "man hideth not." Perhaps we reveal ourselves too much in small + things because we have so little of the great to conceal. The tiny + incidents of daily routine are as much a commentary of racial ideals as + the highest flight of philosophy or poetry. Even as the difference in + favorite vintage marks the separate idiosyncrasies of different periods + and nationalities of Europe, so the Tea-ideals characterise the various + moods of Oriental culture. The Cake-tea which was boiled, the Powdered-tea + which was whipped, the Leaf-tea which was steeped, mark the distinct + emotional impulses of the Tang, the Sung, and the Ming dynasties of China. + If we were inclined to borrow the much-abused terminology of + art-classification, we might designate them respectively, the Classic, the + Romantic, and the Naturalistic schools of Tea. + </p> + <p> + The tea-plant, a native of southern China, was known from very early times + to Chinese botany and medicine. It is alluded to in the classics under the + various names of Tou, Tseh, Chung, Kha, and Ming, and was highly prized + for possessing the virtues of relieving fatigue, delighting the soul, + strengthening the will, and repairing the eyesight. It was not only + administered as an internal dose, but often applied externally in form of + paste to alleviate rheumatic pains. The Taoists claimed it as an important + ingredient of the elixir of immortality. The Buddhists used it extensively + to prevent drowsiness during their long hours of meditation. + </p> + <p> + By the fourth and fifth centuries Tea became a favourite beverage among + the inhabitants of the Yangtse-Kiang valley. It was about this time that + modern ideograph Cha was coined, evidently a corruption of the classic + Tou. The poets of the southern dynasties have left some fragments of their + fervent adoration of the "froth of the liquid jade." Then emperors used to + bestow some rare preparation of the leaves on their high ministers as a + reward for eminent services. Yet the method of drinking tea at this stage + was primitive in the extreme. The leaves were steamed, crushed in a + mortar, made into a cake, and boiled together with rice, ginger, salt, + orange peel, spices, milk, and sometimes with onions! The custom obtains + at the present day among the Thibetans and various Mongolian tribes, who + make a curious syrup of these ingredients. The use of lemon slices by the + Russians, who learned to take tea from the Chinese caravansaries, points + to the survival of the ancient method. + </p> + <p> + It needed the genius of the Tang dynasty to emancipate Tea from its crude + state and lead to its final idealization. With Luwuh in the middle of the + eighth century we have our first apostle of tea. He was born in an age + when Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism were seeking mutual synthesis. The + pantheistic symbolism of the time was urging one to mirror the Universal + in the Particular. Luwuh, a poet, saw in the Tea-service the same harmony + and order which reigned through all things. In his celebrated work, the + "Chaking" (The Holy Scripture of Tea) he formulated the Code of Tea. He + has since been worshipped as the tutelary god of the Chinese tea + merchants. + </p> + <p> + The "Chaking" consists of three volumes and ten chapters. In the first + chapter Luwuh treats of the nature of the tea-plant, in the second of the + implements for gathering the leaves, in the third of the selection of the + leaves. According to him the best quality of the leaves must have "creases + like the leathern boot of Tartar horsemen, curl like the dewlap of a + mighty bullock, unfold like a mist rising out of a ravine, gleam like a + lake touched by a zephyr, and be wet and soft like fine earth newly swept + by rain." + </p> + <p> + The fourth chapter is devoted to the enumeration and description of the + twenty-four members of the tea-equipage, beginning with the tripod brazier + and ending with the bamboo cabinet for containing all these utensils. Here + we notice Luwuh's predilection for Taoist symbolism. Also it is + interesting to observe in this connection the influence of tea on Chinese + ceramics. The Celestial porcelain, as is well known, had its origin in an + attempt to reproduce the exquisite shade of jade, resulting, in the Tang + dynasty, in the blue glaze of the south, and the white glaze of the north. + Luwuh considered the blue as the ideal colour for the tea-cup, as it lent + additional greenness to the beverage, whereas the white made it look + pinkish and distasteful. It was because he used cake-tea. Later on, when + the tea masters of Sung took to the powdered tea, they preferred heavy + bowls of blue-black and dark brown. The Mings, with their steeped tea, + rejoiced in light ware of white porcelain. + </p> + <p> + In the fifth chapter Luwuh describes the method of making tea. He + eliminates all ingredients except salt. He dwells also on the + much-discussed question of the choice of water and the degree of boiling + it. According to him, the mountain spring is the best, the river water and + the spring water come next in the order of excellence. There are three + stages of boiling: the first boil is when the little bubbles like the eye + of fishes swim on the surface; the second boil is when the bubbles are + like crystal beads rolling in a fountain; the third boil is when the + billows surge wildly in the kettle. The Cake-tea is roasted before the + fire until it becomes soft like a baby's arm and is shredded into powder + between pieces of fine paper. Salt is put in the first boil, the tea in + the second. At the third boil, a dipperful of cold water is poured into + the kettle to settle the tea and revive the "youth of the water." Then the + beverage was poured into cups and drunk. O nectar! The filmy leaflet hung + like scaly clouds in a serene sky or floated like waterlilies on emerald + streams. It was of such a beverage that Lotung, a Tang poet, wrote: "The + first cup moistens my lips and throat, the second cup breaks my + loneliness, the third cup searches my barren entrail but to find therein + some five thousand volumes of odd ideographs. The fourth cup raises a + slight perspiration,—all the wrong of life passes away through my + pores. At the fifth cup I am purified; the sixth cup calls me to the + realms of the immortals. The seventh cup—ah, but I could take no + more! I only feel the breath of cool wind that rises in my sleeves. Where + is Horaisan? Let me ride on this sweet breeze and waft away thither." + </p> + <p> + The remaining chapters of the "Chaking" treat of the vulgarity of the + ordinary methods of tea-drinking, a historical summary of illustrious + tea-drinkers, the famous tea plantations of China, the possible variations + of the tea-service and illustrations of the tea-utensils. The last is + unfortunately lost. + </p> + <p> + The appearance of the "Chaking" must have created considerable sensation + at the time. Luwuh was befriended by the Emperor Taisung (763-779), and + his fame attracted many followers. Some exquisites were said to have been + able to detect the tea made by Luwuh from that of his disciples. One + mandarin has his name immortalised by his failure to appreciate the tea of + this great master. + </p> + <p> + In the Sung dynasty the whipped tea came into fashion and created the + second school of Tea. The leaves were ground to fine powder in a small + stone mill, and the preparation was whipped in hot water by a delicate + whisk made of split bamboo. The new process led to some change in the + tea-equipage of Luwuh, as well as in the choice of leaves. Salt was + discarded forever. The enthusiasm of the Sung people for tea knew no + bounds. Epicures vied with each other in discovering new varieties, and + regular tournaments were held to decide their superiority. The Emperor + Kiasung (1101-1124), who was too great an artist to be a well-behaved + monarch, lavished his treasures on the attainment of rare species. He + himself wrote a dissertation on the twenty kinds of tea, among which he + prizes the "white tea" as of the rarest and finest quality. + </p> + <p> + The tea-ideal of the Sungs differed from the Tangs even as their notion of + life differed. They sought to actualize what their predecessors tried to + symbolise. To the Neo-Confucian mind the cosmic law was not reflected in + the phenomenal world, but the phenomenal world was the cosmic law itself. + Aeons were but moments—Nirvana always within grasp. The Taoist + conception that immortality lay in the eternal change permeated all their + modes of thought. It was the process, not the deed, which was interesting. + It was the completing, not the completion, which was really vital. Man + came thus at once face to face with nature. A new meaning grew into the + art of life. The tea began to be not a poetical pastime, but one of the + methods of self-realisation. Wangyucheng eulogised tea as "flooding his + soul like a direct appeal, that its delicate bitterness reminded him of + the aftertaste of a good counsel." Sotumpa wrote of the strength of the + immaculate purity in tea which defied corruption as a truly virtuous man. + Among the Buddhists, the southern Zen sect, which incorporated so much of + Taoist doctrines, formulated an elaborate ritual of tea. The monks + gathered before the image of Bodhi Dharma and drank tea out of a single + bowl with the profound formality of a holy sacrament. It was this Zen + ritual which finally developed into the Tea-ceremony of Japan in the + fifteenth century. + </p> + <p> + Unfortunately the sudden outburst of the Mongol tribes in the thirteenth + century which resulted in the devastation and conquest of China under the + barbaric rule of the Yuen Emperors, destroyed all the fruits of Sung + culture. The native dynasty of the Mings which attempted + re-nationalisation in the middle of the fifteenth century was harassed by + internal troubles, and China again fell under the alien rule of the + Manchus in the seventeenth century. Manners and customs changed to leave + no vestige of the former times. The powdered tea is entirely forgotten. We + find a Ming commentator at loss to recall the shape of the tea whisk + mentioned in one of the Sung classics. Tea is now taken by steeping the + leaves in hot water in a bowl or cup. The reason why the Western world is + innocent of the older method of drinking tea is explained by the fact that + Europe knew it only at the close of the Ming dynasty. + </p> + <p> + To the latter-day Chinese tea is a delicious beverage, but not an ideal. + The long woes of his country have robbed him of the zest for the meaning + of life. He has become modern, that is to say, old and disenchanted. He + has lost that sublime faith in illusions which constitutes the eternal + youth and vigour of the poets and ancients. He is an eclectic and politely + accepts the traditions of the universe. He toys with Nature, but does not + condescend to conquer or worship her. His Leaf-tea is often wonderful with + its flower-like aroma, but the romance of the Tang and Sung ceremonials + are not to be found in his cup. + </p> + <p> + Japan, which followed closely on the footsteps of Chinese civilisation, + has known the tea in all its three stages. As early as the year 729 we + read of the Emperor Shomu giving tea to one hundred monks at his palace in + Nara. The leaves were probably imported by our ambassadors to the Tang + Court and prepared in the way then in fashion. In 801 the monk Saicho + brought back some seeds and planted them in Yeisan. Many tea-gardens are + heard of in succeeding centuries, as well as the delight of the + aristocracy and priesthood in the beverage. The Sung tea reached us in + 1191 with the return of Yeisai-zenji, who went there to study the southern + Zen school. The new seeds which he carried home were successfully planted + in three places, one of which, the Uji district near Kioto, bears still + the name of producing the best tea in the world. The southern Zen spread + with marvelous rapidity, and with it the tea-ritual and the tea-ideal of + the Sung. By the fifteenth century, under the patronage of the Shogun, + Ashikaga-Voshinasa, the tea ceremony is fully constituted and made into an + independent and secular performance. Since then Teaism is fully + established in Japan. The use of the steeped tea of the later China is + comparatively recent among us, being only known since the middle of the + seventeenth century. It has replaced the powdered tea in ordinary + consumption, though the latter still continues to hold its place as the + tea of teas. + </p> + <p> + It is in the Japanese tea ceremony that we see the culmination of + tea-ideals. Our successful resistance of the Mongol invasion in 1281 had + enabled us to carry on the Sung movement so disastrously cut off in China + itself through the nomadic inroad. Tea with us became more than an + idealisation of the form of drinking; it is a religion of the art of life. + The beverage grew to be an excuse for the worship of purity and + refinement, a sacred function at which the host and guest joined to + produce for that occasion the utmost beatitude of the mundane. The + tea-room was an oasis in the dreary waste of existence where weary + travellers could meet to drink from the common spring of art-appreciation. + The ceremony was an improvised drama whose plot was woven about the tea, + the flowers, and the paintings. Not a colour to disturb the tone of the + room, not a sound to mar the rhythm of things, not a gesture to obtrude on + the harmony, not a word to break the unity of the surroundings, all + movements to be performed simply and naturally—such were the aims of + the tea-ceremony. And strangely enough it was often successful. A subtle + philosophy lay behind it all. Teaism was Taoism in disguise. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0003" id="link2H_4_0003"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + III. Taoism and Zennism + </h2> + <p> + The connection of Zennism with tea is proverbial. We have already remarked + that the tea-ceremony was a development of the Zen ritual. The name of + Laotse, the founder of Taoism, is also intimately associated with the + history of tea. It is written in the Chinese school manual concerning the + origin of habits and customs that the ceremony of offering tea to a guest + began with Kwanyin, a well-known disciple of Laotse, who first at the gate + of the Han Pass presented to the "Old Philosopher" a cup of the golden + elixir. We shall not stop to discuss the authenticity of such tales, which + are valuable, however, as confirming the early use of the beverage by the + Taoists. Our interest in Taoism and Zennism here lies mainly in those + ideas regarding life and art which are so embodied in what we call Teaism. + </p> + <p> + It is to be regretted that as yet there appears to be no adequate + presentation of the Taoists and Zen doctrines in any foreign language, + though we have had several laudable attempts. + </p> + <p> + Translation is always a treason, and as a Ming author observes, can at its + best be only the reverse side of a brocade,—all the threads are + there, but not the subtlety of colour or design. But, after all, what + great doctrine is there which is easy to expound? The ancient sages never + put their teachings in systematic form. They spoke in paradoxes, for they + were afraid of uttering half-truths. They began by talking like fools and + ended by making their hearers wise. Laotse himself, with his quaint + humour, says, "If people of inferior intelligence hear of the Tao, they + laugh immensely. It would not be the Tao unless they laughed at it." + </p> + <p> + The Tao literally means a Path. It has been severally translated as the + Way, the Absolute, the Law, Nature, Supreme Reason, the Mode. These + renderings are not incorrect, for the use of the term by the Taoists + differs according to the subject-matter of the inquiry. Laotse himself + spoke of it thus: "There is a thing which is all-containing, which was + born before the existence of Heaven and Earth. How silent! How solitary! + It stands alone and changes not. It revolves without danger to itself and + is the mother of the universe. I do not know its name and so call it the + Path. With reluctance I call it the Infinite. Infinity is the Fleeting, + the Fleeting is the Vanishing, the Vanishing is the Reverting." The Tao is + in the Passage rather than the Path. It is the spirit of Cosmic Change,—the + eternal growth which returns upon itself to produce new forms. It recoils + upon itself like the dragon, the beloved symbol of the Taoists. It folds + and unfolds as do the clouds. The Tao might be spoken of as the Great + Transition. Subjectively it is the Mood of the Universe. Its Absolute is + the Relative. + </p> + <p> + It should be remembered in the first place that Taoism, like its + legitimate successor Zennism, represents the individualistic trend of the + Southern Chinese mind in contra-distinction to the communism of Northern + China which expressed itself in Confucianism. The Middle Kingdom is as + vast as Europe and has a differentiation of idiosyncrasies marked by the + two great river systems which traverse it. The Yangtse-Kiang and Hoang-Ho + are respectively the Mediterranean and the Baltic. Even to-day, in spite + of centuries of unification, the Southern Celestial differs in his + thoughts and beliefs from his Northern brother as a member of the Latin + race differs from the Teuton. In ancient days, when communication was even + more difficult than at present, and especially during the feudal period, + this difference in thought was most pronounced. The art and poetry of the + one breathes an atmosphere entirely distinct from that of the other. In + Laotse and his followers and in Kutsugen, the forerunner of the + Yangtse-Kiang nature-poets, we find an idealism quite inconsistent with + the prosaic ethical notions of their contemporary northern writers. Laotse + lived five centuries before the Christian Era. + </p> + <p> + The germ of Taoist speculation may be found long before the advent of + Laotse, surnamed the Long-Eared. The archaic records of China, especially + the Book of Changes, foreshadow his thought. But the great respect paid to + the laws and customs of that classic period of Chinese civilisation which + culminated with the establishment of the Chow dynasty in the sixteenth + century B.C., kept the development of individualism in check for a long + while, so that it was not until after the disintegration of the Chow + dynasty and the establishment of innumerable independent kingdoms that it + was able to blossom forth in the luxuriance of free-thought. Laotse and + Soshi (Chuangtse) were both Southerners and the greatest exponents of the + New School. On the other hand, Confucius with his numerous disciples aimed + at retaining ancestral conventions. Taoism cannot be understood without + some knowledge of Confucianism and vice versa. + </p> + <p> + We have said that the Taoist Absolute was the Relative. In ethics the + Taoist railed at the laws and the moral codes of society, for to them + right and wrong were but relative terms. Definition is always limitation—the + "fixed" and "unchangeless" are but terms expressive of a stoppage of + growth. Said Kuzugen,—"The Sages move the world." Our standards of + morality are begotten of the past needs of society, but is society to + remain always the same? The observance of communal traditions involves a + constant sacrifice of the individual to the state. Education, in order to + keep up the mighty delusion, encourages a species of ignorance. People are + not taught to be really virtuous, but to behave properly. We are wicked + because we are frightfully self-conscious. We nurse a conscience because + we are afraid to tell the truth to others; we take refuge in pride because + we are afraid to tell the truth to ourselves. How can one be serious with + the world when the world itself is so ridiculous! The spirit of barter is + everywhere. Honour and Chastity! Behold the complacent salesman retailing + the Good and True. One can even buy a so-called Religion, which is really + but common morality sanctified with flowers and music. Rob the Church of + her accessories and what remains behind? Yet the trusts thrive + marvelously, for the prices are absurdly cheap,—a prayer for a + ticket to heaven, a diploma for an honourable citizenship. Hide yourself + under a bushel quickly, for if your real usefulness were known to the + world you would soon be knocked down to the highest bidder by the public + auctioneer. Why do men and women like to advertise themselves so much? Is + it not but an instinct derived from the days of slavery? + </p> + <p> + The virility of the idea lies not less in its power of breaking through + contemporary thought than in its capacity for dominating subsequent + movements. Taoism was an active power during the Shin dynasty, that epoch + of Chinese unification from which we derive the name China. It would be + interesting had we time to note its influence on contemporary thinkers, + the mathematicians, writers on law and war, the mystics and alchemists and + the later nature-poets of the Yangtse-Kiang. We should not even ignore + those speculators on Reality who doubted whether a white horse was real + because he was white, or because he was solid, nor the Conversationalists + of the Six dynasties who, like the Zen philosophers, revelled in + discussions concerning the Pure and the Abstract. Above all we should pay + homage to Taoism for what it has done toward the formation of the + Celestial character, giving to it a certain capacity for reserve and + refinement as "warm as jade." Chinese history is full of instances in + which the votaries of Taoism, princes and hermits alike, followed with + varied and interesting results the teachings of their creed. The tale will + not be without its quota of instruction and amusement. It will be rich in + anecdotes, allegories, and aphorisms. We would fain be on speaking terms + with the delightful emperor who never died because he had never lived. We + may ride the wind with Liehtse and find it absolutely quiet because we + ourselves are the wind, or dwell in mid-air with the Aged one of the + Hoang-Ho, who lived betwixt Heaven and Earth because he was subject to + neither the one nor the other. Even in that grotesque apology for Taoism + which we find in China at the present day, we can revel in a wealth of + imagery impossible to find in any other cult. + </p> + <p> + But the chief contribution of Taoism to Asiatic life has been in the realm + of aesthetics. Chinese historians have always spoken of Taoism as the "art + of being in the world," for it deals with the present—ourselves. It + is in us that God meets with Nature, and yesterday parts from to-morrow. + The Present is the moving Infinity, the legitimate sphere of the Relative. + Relativity seeks Adjustment; Adjustment is Art. The art of life lies in a + constant readjustment to our surroundings. Taoism accepts the mundane as + it is and, unlike the Confucians or the Buddhists, tries to find beauty in + our world of woe and worry. The Sung allegory of the Three Vinegar Tasters + explains admirably the trend of the three doctrines. Sakyamuni, Confucius, + and Laotse once stood before a jar of vinegar—the emblem of life—and + each dipped in his finger to taste the brew. The matter-of-fact Confucius + found it sour, the Buddha called it bitter, and Laotse pronounced it + sweet. + </p> + <p> + The Taoists claimed that the comedy of life could be made more interesting + if everyone would preserve the unities. To keep the proportion of things + and give place to others without losing one's own position was the secret + of success in the mundane drama. We must know the whole play in order to + properly act our parts; the conception of totality must never be lost in + that of the individual. This Laotse illustrates by his favourite metaphor + of the Vacuum. He claimed that only in vacuum lay the truly essential. The + reality of a room, for instance, was to be found in the vacant space + enclosed by the roof and the walls, not in the roof and walls themselves. + The usefulness of a water pitcher dwelt in the emptiness where water might + be put, not in the form of the pitcher or the material of which it was + made. Vacuum is all potent because all containing. In vacuum alone motion + becomes possible. One who could make of himself a vacuum into which others + might freely enter would become master of all situations. The whole can + always dominate the part. + </p> + <p> + These Taoists' ideas have greatly influenced all our theories of action, + even to those of fencing and wrestling. Jiu-jitsu, the Japanese art of + self-defence, owes its name to a passage in the Tao-teking. In jiu-jitsu + one seeks to draw out and exhaust the enemy's strength by non-resistance, + vacuum, while conserving one's own strength for victory in the final + struggle. In art the importance of the same principle is illustrated by + the value of suggestion. In leaving something unsaid the beholder is given + a chance to complete the idea and thus a great masterpiece irresistibly + rivets your attention until you seem to become actually a part of it. A + vacuum is there for you to enter and fill up the full measure of your + aesthetic emotion. + </p> + <p> + He who had made himself master of the art of living was the Real man of + the Taoist. At birth he enters the realm of dreams only to awaken to + reality at death. He tempers his own brightness in order to merge himself + into the obscurity of others. He is "reluctant, as one who crosses a + stream in winter; hesitating as one who fears the neighbourhood; + respectful, like a guest; trembling, like ice that is about to melt; + unassuming, like a piece of wood not yet carved; vacant, like a valley; + formless, like troubled waters." To him the three jewels of life were + Pity, Economy, and Modesty. + </p> + <p> + If now we turn our attention to Zennism we shall find that it emphasises + the teachings of Taoism. Zen is a name derived from the Sanscrit word + Dhyana, which signifies meditation. It claims that through consecrated + meditation may be attained supreme self-realisation. Meditation is one of + the six ways through which Buddhahood may be reached, and the Zen + sectarians affirm that Sakyamuni laid special stress on this method in his + later teachings, handing down the rules to his chief disciple Kashiapa. + According to their tradition Kashiapa, the first Zen patriarch, imparted + the secret to Ananda, who in turn passed it on to successive patriarchs + until it reached Bodhi-Dharma, the twenty-eighth. Bodhi-Dharma came to + Northern China in the early half of the sixth century and was the first + patriarch of Chinese Zen. There is much uncertainty about the history of + these patriarchs and their doctrines. In its philosophical aspect early + Zennism seems to have affinity on one hand to the Indian Negativism of + Nagarjuna and on the other to the Gnan philosophy formulated by + Sancharacharya. The first teaching of Zen as we know it at the present day + must be attributed to the sixth Chinese patriarch Yeno(637-713), founder + of Southern Zen, so-called from the fact of its predominance in Southern + China. He is closely followed by the great Baso(died 788) who made of Zen + a living influence in Celestial life. Hiakujo(719-814) the pupil of Baso, + first instituted the Zen monastery and established a ritual and + regulations for its government. In the discussions of the Zen school after + the time of Baso we find the play of the Yangtse-Kiang mind causing an + accession of native modes of thought in contrast to the former Indian + idealism. Whatever sectarian pride may assert to the contrary one cannot + help being impressed by the similarity of Southern Zen to the teachings of + Laotse and the Taoist Conversationalists. In the Tao-teking we already + find allusions to the importance of self-concentration and the need of + properly regulating the breath—essential points in the practice of + Zen meditation. Some of the best commentaries on the Book of Laotse have + been written by Zen scholars. + </p> + <p> + Zennism, like Taoism, is the worship of Relativity. One master defines Zen + as the art of feeling the polar star in the southern sky. Truth can be + reached only through the comprehension of opposites. Again, Zennism, like + Taoism, is a strong advocate of individualism. Nothing is real except that + which concerns the working of our own minds. Yeno, the sixth patriarch, + once saw two monks watching the flag of a pagoda fluttering in the wind. + One said "It is the wind that moves," the other said "It is the flag that + moves"; but Yeno explained to them that the real movement was neither of + the wind nor the flag, but of something within their own minds. Hiakujo + was walking in the forest with a disciple when a hare scurried off at + their approach. "Why does the hare fly from you?" asked Hiakujo. "Because + he is afraid of me," was the answer. "No," said the master, "it is because + you have murderous instinct." The dialogue recalls that of Soshi + (Chaungtse), the Taoist. One day Soshi was walking on the bank of a river + with a friend. "How delightfully the fishes are enjoying themselves in the + water!" exclaimed Soshi. His friend spake to him thus: "You are not a + fish; how do you know that the fishes are enjoying themselves?" "You are + not myself," returned Soshi; "how do you know that I do not know that the + fishes are enjoying themselves?" + </p> + <p> + Zen was often opposed to the precepts of orthodox Buddhism even as Taoism + was opposed to Confucianism. To the transcendental insight of the Zen, + words were but an incumbrance to thought; the whole sway of Buddhist + scriptures only commentaries on personal speculation. The followers of Zen + aimed at direct communion with the inner nature of things, regarding their + outward accessories only as impediments to a clear perception of Truth. It + was this love of the Abstract that led the Zen to prefer black and white + sketches to the elaborately coloured paintings of the classic Buddhist + School. Some of the Zen even became iconoclastic as a result of their + endeavor to recognise the Buddha in themselves rather than through images + and symbolism. We find Tankawosho breaking up a wooden statue of Buddha on + a wintry day to make a fire. "What sacrilege!" said the horror-stricken + bystander. "I wish to get the Shali out of the ashes," calmly rejoined the + Zen. "But you certainly will not get Shali from this image!" was the angry + retort, to which Tanka replied, "If I do not, this is certainly not a + Buddha and I am committing no sacrilege." Then he turned to warm himself + over the kindling fire. + </p> + <p> + A special contribution of Zen to Eastern thought was its recognition of + the mundane as of equal importance with the spiritual. It held that in the + great relation of things there was no distinction of small and great, an + atom possessing equal possibilities with the universe. The seeker for + perfection must discover in his own life the reflection of the inner + light. The organisation of the Zen monastery was very significant of this + point of view. To every member, except the abbot, was assigned some + special work in the caretaking of the monastery, and curiously enough, to + the novices was committed the lighter duties, while to the most respected + and advanced monks were given the more irksome and menial tasks. Such + services formed a part of the Zen discipline and every least action must + be done absolutely perfectly. Thus many a weighty discussion ensued while + weeding the garden, paring a turnip, or serving tea. The whole ideal of + Teaism is a result of this Zen conception of greatness in the smallest + incidents of life. Taoism furnished the basis for aesthetic ideals, + Zennism made them practical. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0004" id="link2H_4_0004"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + IV. The Tea-Room + </h2> + <p> + To European architects brought up on the traditions of stone and brick + construction, our Japanese method of building with wood and bamboo seems + scarcely worthy to be ranked as architecture. It is but quite recently + that a competent student of Western architecture has recognised and paid + tribute to the remarkable perfection of our great temples. Such being the + case as regards our classic architecture, we could hardly expect the + outsider to appreciate the subtle beauty of the tea-room, its principles + of construction and decoration being entirely different from those of the + West. + </p> + <p> + The tea-room (the Sukiya) does not pretend to be other than a mere cottage—a + straw hut, as we call it. The original ideographs for Sukiya mean the + Abode of Fancy. Latterly the various tea-masters substituted various + Chinese characters according to their conception of the tea-room, and the + term Sukiya may signify the Abode of Vacancy or the Abode of the + Unsymmetrical. It is an Abode of Fancy inasmuch as it is an ephemeral + structure built to house a poetic impulse. It is an Abode of Vacancy + inasmuch as it is devoid of ornamentation except for what may be placed in + it to satisfy some aesthetic need of the moment. It is an Abode of the + Unsymmetrical inasmuch as it is consecrated to the worship of the + Imperfect, purposely leaving some thing unfinished for the play of the + imagination to complete. The ideals of Teaism have since the sixteenth + century influenced our architecture to such degree that the ordinary + Japanese interior of the present day, on account of the extreme simplicity + and chasteness of its scheme of decoration, appears to foreigners almost + barren. + </p> + <p> + The first independent tea-room was the creation of Senno-Soyeki, commonly + known by his later name of Rikiu, the greatest of all tea-masters, who, in + the sixteenth century, under the patronage of Taiko-Hideyoshi, instituted + and brought to a high state of perfection the formalities of the + Tea-ceremony. The proportions of the tea-room had been previously + determined by Jowo—a famous tea-master of the fifteenth century. The + early tea-room consisted merely of a portion of the ordinary drawing-room + partitioned off by screens for the purpose of the tea-gathering. The + portion partitioned off was called the Kakoi (enclosure), a name still + applied to those tea-rooms which are built into a house and are not + independent constructions. The Sukiya consists of the tea-room proper, + designed to accommodate not more than five persons, a number suggestive of + the saying "more than the Graces and less than the Muses," an anteroom + (midsuya) where the tea utensils are washed and arranged before being + brought in, a portico (machiai) in which the guests wait until they + receive the summons to enter the tea-room, and a garden path (the roji) + which connects the machiai with the tea-room. The tea-room is unimpressive + in appearance. It is smaller than the smallest of Japanese houses, while + the materials used in its construction are intended to give the suggestion + of refined poverty. Yet we must remember that all this is the result of + profound artistic forethought, and that the details have been worked out + with care perhaps even greater than that expended on the building of the + richest palaces and temples. A good tea-room is more costly than an + ordinary mansion, for the selection of its materials, as well as its + workmanship, requires immense care and precision. Indeed, the carpenters + employed by the tea-masters form a distinct and highly honoured class + among artisans, their work being no less delicate than that of the makers + of lacquer cabinets. + </p> + <p> + The tea-room is not only different from any production of Western + architecture, but also contrasts strongly with the classical architecture + of Japan itself. Our ancient noble edifices, whether secular or + ecclesiastical, were not to be despised even as regards their mere size. + The few that have been spared in the disastrous conflagrations of + centuries are still capable of aweing us by the grandeur and richness of + their decoration. Huge pillars of wood from two to three feet in diameter + and from thirty to forty feet high, supported, by a complicated network of + brackets, the enormous beams which groaned under the weight of the + tile-covered roofs. The material and mode of construction, though weak + against fire, proved itself strong against earthquakes, and was well + suited to the climatic conditions of the country. In the Golden Hall of + Horiuji and the Pagoda of Yakushiji, we have noteworthy examples of the + durability of our wooden architecture. These buildings have practically + stood intact for nearly twelve centuries. The interior of the old temples + and palaces was profusely decorated. In the Hoodo temple at Uji, dating + from the tenth century, we can still see the elaborate canopy and gilded + baldachinos, many-coloured and inlaid with mirrors and mother-of-pearl, as + well as remains of the paintings and sculpture which formerly covered the + walls. Later, at Nikko and in the Nijo castle in Kyoto, we see structural + beauty sacrificed to a wealth of ornamentation which in colour and + exquisite detail equals the utmost gorgeousness of Arabian or Moorish + effort. + </p> + <p> + The simplicity and purism of the tea-room resulted from emulation of the + Zen monastery. A Zen monastery differs from those of other Buddhist sects + inasmuch as it is meant only to be a dwelling place for the monks. Its + chapel is not a place of worship or pilgrimage, but a college room where + the students congregate for discussion and the practice of meditation. The + room is bare except for a central alcove in which, behind the altar, is a + statue of Bodhi Dharma, the founder of the sect, or of Sakyamuni attended + by Kashiapa and Ananda, the two earliest Zen patriarchs. On the altar, + flowers and incense are offered up in the memory of the great + contributions which these sages made to Zen. We have already said that it + was the ritual instituted by the Zen monks of successively drinking tea + out of a bowl before the image of Bodhi Dharma, which laid the foundations + of the tea-ceremony. We might add here that the altar of the Zen chapel + was the prototype of the Tokonoma,—the place of honour in a Japanese + room where paintings and flowers are placed for the edification of the + guests. + </p> + <p> + All our great tea-masters were students of Zen and attempted to introduce + the spirit of Zennism into the actualities of life. Thus the room, like + the other equipments of the tea-ceremony, reflects many of the Zen + doctrines. The size of the orthodox tea-room, which is four mats and a + half, or ten feet square, is determined by a passage in the Sutra of + Vikramadytia. In that interesting work, Vikramadytia welcomes the Saint + Manjushiri and eighty-four thousand disciples of Buddha in a room of this + size,—an allegory based on the theory of the non-existence of space + to the truly enlightened. Again the roji, the garden path which leads from + the machiai to the tea-room, signified the first stage of meditation,—the + passage into self-illumination. The roji was intended to break connection + with the outside world, and produce a fresh sensation conducive to the + full enjoyment of aestheticism in the tea-room itself. One who has trodden + this garden path cannot fail to remember how his spirit, as he walked in + the twilight of evergreens over the regular irregularities of the stepping + stones, beneath which lay dried pine needles, and passed beside the + moss-covered granite lanterns, became uplifted above ordinary thoughts. + One may be in the midst of a city, and yet feel as if he were in the + forest far away from the dust and din of civilisation. Great was the + ingenuity displayed by the tea-masters in producing these effects of + serenity and purity. The nature of the sensations to be aroused in passing + through the roji differed with different tea-masters. Some, like Rikiu, + aimed at utter loneliness, and claimed the secret of making a roji was + contained in the ancient ditty: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "I look beyond; + Flowers are not, + Nor tinted leaves. + On the sea beach + A solitary cottage stands + In the waning light + Of an autumn eve." +</pre> + <p> + Others, like Kobori-Enshiu, sought for a different effect. Enshiu said the + idea of the garden path was to be found in the following verses: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "A cluster of summer trees, + A bit of the sea, + A pale evening moon." +</pre> + <p> + It is not difficult to gather his meaning. He wished to create the + attitude of a newly awakened soul still lingering amid shadowy dreams of + the past, yet bathing in the sweet unconsciousness of a mellow spiritual + light, and yearning for the freedom that lay in the expanse beyond. + </p> + <p> + Thus prepared the guest will silently approach the sanctuary, and, if a + samurai, will leave his sword on the rack beneath the eaves, the tea-room + being preeminently the house of peace. Then he will bend low and creep + into the room through a small door not more than three feet in height. + This proceeding was incumbent on all guests,—high and low alike,—and + was intended to inculcate humility. The order of precedence having been + mutually agreed upon while resting in the machiai, the guests one by one + will enter noiselessly and take their seats, first making obeisance to the + picture or flower arrangement on the tokonoma. The host will not enter the + room until all the guests have seated themselves and quiet reigns with + nothing to break the silence save the note of the boiling water in the + iron kettle. The kettle sings well, for pieces of iron are so arranged in + the bottom as to produce a peculiar melody in which one may hear the + echoes of a cataract muffled by clouds, of a distant sea breaking among + the rocks, a rainstorm sweeping through a bamboo forest, or of the + soughing of pines on some faraway hill. + </p> + <p> + Even in the daytime the light in the room is subdued, for the low eaves of + the slanting roof admit but few of the sun's rays. Everything is sober in + tint from the ceiling to the floor; the guests themselves have carefully + chosen garments of unobtrusive colors. The mellowness of age is over all, + everything suggestive of recent acquirement being tabooed save only the + one note of contrast furnished by the bamboo dipper and the linen napkin, + both immaculately white and new. However faded the tea-room and the + tea-equipage may seem, everything is absolutely clean. Not a particle of + dust will be found in the darkest corner, for if any exists the host is + not a tea-master. One of the first requisites of a tea-master is the + knowledge of how to sweep, clean, and wash, for there is an art in + cleaning and dusting. A piece of antique metal work must not be attacked + with the unscrupulous zeal of the Dutch housewife. Dripping water from a + flower vase need not be wiped away, for it may be suggestive of dew and + coolness. + </p> + <p> + In this connection there is a story of Rikiu which well illustrates the + ideas of cleanliness entertained by the tea-masters. Rikiu was watching + his son Shoan as he swept and watered the garden path. "Not clean enough," + said Rikiu, when Shoan had finished his task, and bade him try again. + After a weary hour the son turned to Rikiu: "Father, there is nothing more + to be done. The steps have been washed for the third time, the stone + lanterns and the trees are well sprinkled with water, moss and lichens are + shining with a fresh verdure; not a twig, not a leaf have I left on the + ground." "Young fool," chided the tea-master, "that is not the way a + garden path should be swept." Saying this, Rikiu stepped into the garden, + shook a tree and scattered over the garden gold and crimson leaves, scraps + of the brocade of autumn! What Rikiu demanded was not cleanliness alone, + but the beautiful and the natural also. + </p> + <p> + The name, Abode of Fancy, implies a structure created to meet some + individual artistic requirement. The tea-room is made for the tea master, + not the tea-master for the tea-room. It is not intended for posterity and + is therefore ephemeral. The idea that everyone should have a house of his + own is based on an ancient custom of the Japanese race, Shinto + superstition ordaining that every dwelling should be evacuated on the + death of its chief occupant. Perhaps there may have been some unrealized + sanitary reason for this practice. Another early custom was that a newly + built house should be provided for each couple that married. It is on + account of such customs that we find the Imperial capitals so frequently + removed from one site to another in ancient days. The rebuilding, every + twenty years, of Ise Temple, the supreme shrine of the Sun-Goddess, is an + example of one of these ancient rites which still obtain at the present + day. The observance of these customs was only possible with some form of + construction as that furnished by our system of wooden architecture, + easily pulled down, easily built up. A more lasting style, employing brick + and stone, would have rendered migrations impracticable, as indeed they + became when the more stable and massive wooden construction of China was + adopted by us after the Nara period. + </p> + <p> + With the predominance of Zen individualism in the fifteenth century, + however, the old idea became imbued with a deeper significance as + conceived in connection with the tea-room. Zennism, with the Buddhist + theory of evanescence and its demands for the mastery of spirit over + matter, recognized the house only as a temporary refuge for the body. The + body itself was but as a hut in the wilderness, a flimsy shelter made by + tying together the grasses that grew around,—when these ceased to be + bound together they again became resolved into the original waste. In the + tea-room fugitiveness is suggested in the thatched roof, frailty in the + slender pillars, lightness in the bamboo support, apparent carelessness in + the use of commonplace materials. The eternal is to be found only in the + spirit which, embodied in these simple surroundings, beautifies them with + the subtle light of its refinement. + </p> + <p> + That the tea-room should be built to suit some individual taste is an + enforcement of the principle of vitality in art. Art, to be fully + appreciated, must be true to contemporaneous life. It is not that we + should ignore the claims of posterity, but that we should seek to enjoy + the present more. It is not that we should disregard the creations of the + past, but that we should try to assimilate them into our consciousness. + Slavish conformity to traditions and formulas fetters the expression of + individuality in architecture. We can but weep over the senseless + imitations of European buildings which one beholds in modern Japan. We + marvel why, among the most progressive Western nations, architecture + should be so devoid of originality, so replete with repetitions of + obsolete styles. Perhaps we are passing through an age of democratisation + in art, while awaiting the rise of some princely master who shall + establish a new dynasty. Would that we loved the ancients more and copied + them less! It has been said that the Greeks were great because they never + drew from the antique. + </p> + <p> + The term, Abode of Vacancy, besides conveying the Taoist theory of the + all-containing, involves the conception of a continued need of change in + decorative motives. The tea-room is absolutely empty, except for what may + be placed there temporarily to satisfy some aesthetic mood. Some special + art object is brought in for the occasion, and everything else is selected + and arranged to enhance the beauty of the principal theme. One cannot + listen to different pieces of music at the same time, a real comprehension + of the beautiful being possible only through concentration upon some + central motive. Thus it will be seen that the system of decoration in our + tea-rooms is opposed to that which obtains in the West, where the interior + of a house is often converted into a museum. To a Japanese, accustomed to + simplicity of ornamentation and frequent change of decorative method, a + Western interior permanently filled with a vast array of pictures, + statuary, and bric-a-brac gives the impression of mere vulgar display of + riches. It calls for a mighty wealth of appreciation to enjoy the constant + sight of even a masterpiece, and limitless indeed must be the capacity for + artistic feeling in those who can exist day after day in the midst of such + confusion of color and form as is to be often seen in the homes of Europe + and America. + </p> + <p> + The "Abode of the Unsymmetrical" suggests another phase of our decorative + scheme. The absence of symmetry in Japanese art objects has been often + commented on by Western critics. This, also, is a result of a working out + through Zennism of Taoist ideals. Confucianism, with its deep-seated idea + of dualism, and Northern Buddhism with its worship of a trinity, were in + no way opposed to the expression of symmetry. As a matter of fact, if we + study the ancient bronzes of China or the religious arts of the Tang + dynasty and the Nara period, we shall recognize a constant striving after + symmetry. The decoration of our classical interiors was decidedly regular + in its arrangement. The Taoist and Zen conception of perfection, however, + was different. The dynamic nature of their philosophy laid more stress + upon the process through which perfection was sought than upon perfection + itself. True beauty could be discovered only by one who mentally completed + the incomplete. The virility of life and art lay in its possibilities for + growth. In the tea-room it is left for each guest in imagination to + complete the total effect in relation to himself. Since Zennism has become + the prevailing mode of thought, the art of the extreme Orient has + purposefully avoided the symmetrical as expressing not only completion, + but repetition. Uniformity of design was considered fatal to the freshness + of imagination. Thus, landscapes, birds, and flowers became the favorite + subjects for depiction rather than the human figure, the latter being + present in the person of the beholder himself. We are often too much in + evidence as it is, and in spite of our vanity even self-regard is apt to + become monotonous. + </p> + <p> + In the tea-room the fear of repetition is a constant presence. The various + objects for the decoration of a room should be so selected that no colour + or design shall be repeated. If you have a living flower, a painting of + flowers is not allowable. If you are using a round kettle, the water + pitcher should be angular. A cup with a black glaze should not be + associated with a tea-caddy of black lacquer. In placing a vase of an + incense burner on the tokonoma, care should be taken not to put it in the + exact centre, lest it divide the space into equal halves. The pillar of + the tokonoma should be of a different kind of wood from the other pillars, + in order to break any suggestion of monotony in the room. + </p> + <p> + Here again the Japanese method of interior decoration differs from that of + the Occident, where we see objects arrayed symmetrically on mantelpieces + and elsewhere. In Western houses we are often confronted with what appears + to us useless reiteration. We find it trying to talk to a man while his + full-length portrait stares at us from behind his back. We wonder which is + real, he of the picture or he who talks, and feel a curious conviction + that one of them must be fraud. Many a time have we sat at a festive board + contemplating, with a secret shock to our digestion, the representation of + abundance on the dining-room walls. Why these pictured victims of chase + and sport, the elaborate carvings of fishes and fruit? Why the display of + family plates, reminding us of those who have dined and are dead? + </p> + <p> + The simplicity of the tea-room and its freedom from vulgarity make it + truly a sanctuary from the vexations of the outer world. There and there + alone one can consecrate himself to undisturbed adoration of the + beautiful. In the sixteenth century the tea-room afforded a welcome + respite from labour to the fierce warriors and statesmen engaged in the + unification and reconstruction of Japan. In the seventeenth century, after + the strict formalism of the Tokugawa rule had been developed, it offered + the only opportunity possible for the free communion of artistic spirits. + Before a great work of art there was no distinction between daimyo, + samurai, and commoner. Nowadays industrialism is making true refinement + more and more difficult all the world over. Do we not need the tea-room + more than ever? + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0005" id="link2H_4_0005"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + V. Art Appreciation + </h2> + <p> + Have you heard the Taoist tale of the Taming of the Harp? + </p> + <p> + Once in the hoary ages in the Ravine of Lungmen stood a Kiri tree, a + veritable king of the forest. It reared its head to talk to the stars; its + roots struck deep into the earth, mingling their bronzed coils with those + of the silver dragon that slept beneath. And it came to pass that a mighty + wizard made of this tree a wondrous harp, whose stubborn spirit should be + tamed but by the greatest of musicians. For long the instrument was + treasured by the Emperor of China, but all in vain were the efforts of + those who in turn tried to draw melody from its strings. In response to + their utmost strivings there came from the harp but harsh notes of + disdain, ill-according with the songs they fain would sing. The harp + refused to recognise a master. + </p> + <p> + At last came Peiwoh, the prince of harpists. With tender hand he caressed + the harp as one might seek to soothe an unruly horse, and softly touched + the chords. He sang of nature and the seasons, of high mountains and + flowing waters, and all the memories of the tree awoke! Once more the + sweet breath of spring played amidst its branches. The young cataracts, as + they danced down the ravine, laughed to the budding flowers. Anon were + heard the dreamy voices of summer with its myriad insects, the gentle + pattering of rain, the wail of the cuckoo. Hark! a tiger roars,—the + valley answers again. It is autumn; in the desert night, sharp like a + sword gleams the moon upon the frosted grass. Now winter reigns, and + through the snow-filled air swirl flocks of swans and rattling hailstones + beat upon the boughs with fierce delight. + </p> + <p> + Then Peiwoh changed the key and sang of love. The forest swayed like an + ardent swain deep lost in thought. On high, like a haughty maiden, swept a + cloud bright and fair; but passing, trailed long shadows on the ground, + black like despair. Again the mode was changed; Peiwoh sang of war, of + clashing steel and trampling steeds. And in the harp arose the tempest of + Lungmen, the dragon rode the lightning, the thundering avalanche crashed + through the hills. In ecstasy the Celestial monarch asked Peiwoh wherein + lay the secret of his victory. "Sire," he replied, "others have failed + because they sang but of themselves. I left the harp to choose its theme, + and knew not truly whether the harp had been Peiwoh or Peiwoh were the + harp." + </p> + <p> + This story well illustrates the mystery of art appreciation. The + masterpiece is a symphony played upon our finest feelings. True art is + Peiwoh, and we the harp of Lungmen. At the magic touch of the beautiful + the secret chords of our being are awakened, we vibrate and thrill in + response to its call. Mind speaks to mind. We listen to the unspoken, we + gaze upon the unseen. The master calls forth notes we know not of. + Memories long forgotten all come back to us with a new significance. Hopes + stifled by fear, yearnings that we dare not recognise, stand forth in new + glory. Our mind is the canvas on which the artists lay their colour; their + pigments are our emotions; their chiaroscuro the light of joy, the shadow + of sadness. The masterpiece is of ourselves, as we are of the masterpiece. + </p> + <p> + The sympathetic communion of minds necessary for art appreciation must be + based on mutual concession. The spectator must cultivate the proper + attitude for receiving the message, as the artist must know how to impart + it. The tea-master, Kobori-Enshiu, himself a daimyo, has left to us these + memorable words: "Approach a great painting as thou wouldst approach a + great prince." In order to understand a masterpiece, you must lay yourself + low before it and await with bated breath its least utterance. An eminent + Sung critic once made a charming confession. Said he: "In my young days I + praised the master whose pictures I liked, but as my judgement matured I + praised myself for liking what the masters had chosen to have me like." It + is to be deplored that so few of us really take pains to study the moods + of the masters. In our stubborn ignorance we refuse to render them this + simple courtesy, and thus often miss the rich repast of beauty spread + before our very eyes. A master has always something to offer, while we go + hungry solely because of our own lack of appreciation. + </p> + <p> + To the sympathetic a masterpiece becomes a living reality towards which we + feel drawn in bonds of comradeship. The masters are immortal, for their + loves and fears live in us over and over again. It is rather the soul than + the hand, the man than the technique, which appeals to us,—the more + human the call the deeper is our response. It is because of this secret + understanding between the master and ourselves that in poetry or romance + we suffer and rejoice with the hero and heroine. Chikamatsu, our Japanese + Shakespeare, has laid down as one of the first principles of dramatic + composition the importance of taking the audience into the confidence of + the author. Several of his pupils submitted plays for his approval, but + only one of the pieces appealed to him. It was a play somewhat resembling + the Comedy of Errors, in which twin brethren suffer through mistaken + identity. "This," said Chikamatsu, "has the proper spirit of the drama, + for it takes the audience into consideration. The public is permitted to + know more than the actors. It knows where the mistake lies, and pities the + poor figures on the board who innocently rush to their fate." + </p> + <p> + The great masters both of the East and the West never forgot the value of + suggestion as a means for taking the spectator into their confidence. Who + can contemplate a masterpiece without being awed by the immense vista of + thought presented to our consideration? How familiar and sympathetic are + they all; how cold in contrast the modern commonplaces! In the former we + feel the warm outpouring of a man's heart; in the latter only a formal + salute. Engrossed in his technique, the modern rarely rises above himself. + Like the musicians who vainly invoked the Lungmen harp, he sings only of + himself. His works may be nearer science, but are further from humanity. + We have an old saying in Japan that a woman cannot love a man who is truly + vain, for their is no crevice in his heart for love to enter and fill up. + In art vanity is equally fatal to sympathetic feeling, whether on the part + of the artist or the public. + </p> + <p> + Nothing is more hallowing than the union of kindred spirits in art. At the + moment of meeting, the art lover transcends himself. At once he is and is + not. He catches a glimpse of Infinity, but words cannot voice his delight, + for the eye has no tongue. Freed from the fetters of matter, his spirit + moves in the rhythm of things. It is thus that art becomes akin to + religion and ennobles mankind. It is this which makes a masterpiece + something sacred. In the old days the veneration in which the Japanese + held the work of the great artist was intense. The tea-masters guarded + their treasures with religious secrecy, and it was often necessary to open + a whole series of boxes, one within another, before reaching the shrine + itself—the silken wrapping within whose soft folds lay the holy of + holies. Rarely was the object exposed to view, and then only to the + initiated. + </p> + <p> + At the time when Teaism was in the ascendency the Taiko's generals would + be better satisfied with the present of a rare work of art than a large + grant of territory as a reward of victory. Many of our favourite dramas + are based on the loss and recovery of a noted masterpiece. For instance, + in one play the palace of Lord Hosokawa, in which was preserved the + celebrated painting of Dharuma by Sesson, suddenly takes fire through the + negligence of the samurai in charge. Resolved at all hazards to rescue the + precious painting, he rushes into the burning building and seizes the + kakemono, only to find all means of exit cut off by the flames. Thinking + only of the picture, he slashes open his body with his sword, wraps his + torn sleeve about the Sesson and plunges it into the gaping wound. The + fire is at last extinguished. Among the smoking embers is found a + half-consumed corpse, within which reposes the treasure uninjured by the + fire. Horrible as such tales are, they illustrate the great value that we + set upon a masterpiece, as well as the devotion of a trusted samurai. + </p> + <p> + We must remember, however, that art is of value only to the extent that it + speaks to us. It might be a universal language if we ourselves were + universal in our sympathies. Our finite nature, the power of tradition and + conventionality, as well as our hereditary instincts, restrict the scope + of our capacity for artistic enjoyment. Our very individuality establishes + in one sense a limit to our understanding; and our aesthetic personality + seeks its own affinities in the creations of the past. It is true that + with cultivation our sense of art appreciation broadens, and we become + able to enjoy many hitherto unrecognised expressions of beauty. But, after + all, we see only our own image in the universe,—our particular + idiosyncracies dictate the mode of our perceptions. The tea-masters + collected only objects which fell strictly within the measure of their + individual appreciation. + </p> + <p> + One is reminded in this connection of a story concerning Kobori-Enshiu. + Enshiu was complimented by his disciples on the admirable taste he had + displayed in the choice of his collection. Said they, "Each piece is such + that no one could help admiring. It shows that you had better taste than + had Rikiu, for his collection could only be appreciated by one beholder in + a thousand." Sorrowfully Enshiu replied: "This only proves how commonplace + I am. The great Rikiu dared to love only those objects which personally + appealed to him, whereas I unconsciously cater to the taste of the + majority. Verily, Rikiu was one in a thousand among tea-masters." + </p> + <p> + It is much to be regretted that so much of the apparent enthusiasm for art + at the present day has no foundation in real feeling. In this democratic + age of ours men clamour for what is popularly considered the best, + regardless of their feelings. They want the costly, not the refined; the + fashionable, not the beautiful. To the masses, contemplation of + illustrated periodicals, the worthy product of their own industrialism, + would give more digestible food for artistic enjoyment than the early + Italians or the Ashikaga masters, whom they pretend to admire. The name of + the artist is more important to them than the quality of the work. As a + Chinese critic complained many centuries ago, "People criticise a picture + by their ear." It is this lack of genuine appreciation that is responsible + for the pseudo-classic horrors that to-day greet us wherever we turn. + </p> + <p> + Another common mistake is that of confusing art with archaeology. The + veneration born of antiquity is one of the best traits in the human + character, and fain would we have it cultivated to a greater extent. The + old masters are rightly to be honoured for opening the path to future + enlightenment. The mere fact that they have passed unscathed through + centuries of criticism and come down to us still covered with glory + commands our respect. But we should be foolish indeed if we valued their + achievement simply on the score of age. Yet we allow our historical + sympathy to override our aesthetic discrimination. We offer flowers of + approbation when the artist is safely laid in his grave. The nineteenth + century, pregnant with the theory of evolution, has moreover created in us + the habit of losing sight of the individual in the species. A collector is + anxious to acquire specimens to illustrate a period or a school, and + forgets that a single masterpiece can teach us more than any number of the + mediocre products of a given period or school. We classify too much and + enjoy too little. The sacrifice of the aesthetic to the so-called + scientific method of exhibition has been the bane of many museums. + </p> + <p> + The claims of contemporary art cannot be ignored in any vital scheme of + life. The art of to-day is that which really belongs to us: it is our own + reflection. In condemning it we but condemn ourselves. We say that the + present age possesses no art:—who is responsible for this? It is + indeed a shame that despite all our rhapsodies about the ancients we pay + so little attention to our own possibilities. Struggling artists, weary + souls lingering in the shadow of cold disdain! In our self-centered + century, what inspiration do we offer them? The past may well look with + pity at the poverty of our civilisation; the future will laugh at the + barrenness of our art. We are destroying the beautiful in life. Would that + some great wizard might from the stem of society shape a mighty harp whose + strings would resound to the touch of genius. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0006" id="link2H_4_0006"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + VI. Flowers + </h2> + <p> + In the trembling grey of a spring dawn, when the birds were whispering in + mysterious cadence among the trees, have you not felt that they were + talking to their mates about the flowers? Surely with mankind the + appreciation of flowers must have been coeval with the poetry of love. + Where better than in a flower, sweet in its unconsciousness, fragrant + because of its silence, can we image the unfolding of a virgin soul? The + primeval man in offering the first garland to his maiden thereby + transcended the brute. He became human in thus rising above the crude + necessities of nature. He entered the realm of art when he perceived the + subtle use of the useless. + </p> + <p> + In joy or sadness, flowers are our constant friends. We eat, drink, sing, + dance, and flirt with them. We wed and christen with flowers. We dare not + die without them. We have worshipped with the lily, we have meditated with + the lotus, we have charged in battle array with the rose and the + chrysanthemum. We have even attempted to speak in the language of flowers. + How could we live without them? It frightens one to conceive of a world + bereft of their presence. What solace do they not bring to the bedside of + the sick, what a light of bliss to the darkness of weary spirits? Their + serene tenderness restores to us our waning confidence in the universe + even as the intent gaze of a beautiful child recalls our lost hopes. When + we are laid low in the dust it is they who linger in sorrow over our + graves. + </p> + <p> + Sad as it is, we cannot conceal the fact that in spite of our + companionship with flowers we have not risen very far above the brute. + Scratch the sheepskin and the wolf within us will soon show his teeth. It + has been said that a man at ten is an animal, at twenty a lunatic, at + thirty a failure, at forty a fraud, and at fifty a criminal. Perhaps he + becomes a criminal because he has never ceased to be an animal. Nothing is + real to us but hunger, nothing sacred except our own desires. Shrine after + shrine has crumbled before our eyes; but one altar is forever preserved, + that whereon we burn incense to the supreme idol,—ourselves. Our god + is great, and money is his Prophet! We devastate nature in order to make + sacrifice to him. We boast that we have conquered Matter and forget that + it is Matter that has enslaved us. What atrocities do we not perpetrate in + the name of culture and refinement! + </p> + <p> + Tell me, gentle flowers, teardrops of the stars, standing in the garden, + nodding your heads to the bees as they sing of the dews and the sunbeams, + are you aware of the fearful doom that awaits you? Dream on, sway and + frolic while you may in the gentle breezes of summer. To-morrow a ruthless + hand will close around your throats. You will be wrenched, torn asunder + limb by limb, and borne away from your quiet homes. The wretch, she may be + passing fair. She may say how lovely you are while her fingers are still + moist with your blood. Tell me, will this be kindness? It may be your fate + to be imprisoned in the hair of one whom you know to be heartless or to be + thrust into the buttonhole of one who would not dare to look you in the + face were you a man. It may even be your lot to be confined in some narrow + vessel with only stagnant water to quench the maddening thirst that warns + of ebbing life. + </p> + <p> + Flowers, if you were in the land of the Mikado, you might some time meet a + dread personage armed with scissors and a tiny saw. He would call himself + a Master of Flowers. He would claim the rights of a doctor and you would + instinctively hate him, for you know a doctor always seeks to prolong the + troubles of his victims. He would cut, bend, and twist you into those + impossible positions which he thinks it proper that you should assume. He + would contort your muscles and dislocate your bones like any osteopath. He + would burn you with red-hot coals to stop your bleeding, and thrust wires + into you to assist your circulation. He would diet you with salt, vinegar, + alum, and sometimes, vitriol. Boiling water would be poured on your feet + when you seemed ready to faint. It would be his boast that he could keep + life within you for two or more weeks longer than would have been possible + without his treatment. Would you not have preferred to have been killed at + once when you were first captured? What were the crimes you must have + committed during your past incarnation to warrant such punishment in this? + </p> + <p> + The wanton waste of flowers among Western communities is even more + appalling than the way they are treated by Eastern Flower Masters. The + number of flowers cut daily to adorn the ballrooms and banquet-tables of + Europe and America, to be thrown away on the morrow, must be something + enormous; if strung together they might garland a continent. Beside this + utter carelessness of life, the guilt of the Flower-Master becomes + insignificant. He, at least, respects the economy of nature, selects his + victims with careful foresight, and after death does honour to their + remains. In the West the display of flowers seems to be a part of the + pageantry of wealth,—the fancy of a moment. Whither do they all go, + these flowers, when the revelry is over? Nothing is more pitiful than to + see a faded flower remorselessly flung upon a dung heap. + </p> + <p> + Why were the flowers born so beautiful and yet so hapless? Insects can + sting, and even the meekest of beasts will fight when brought to bay. The + birds whose plumage is sought to deck some bonnet can fly from its + pursuer, the furred animal whose coat you covet for your own may hide at + your approach. Alas! The only flower known to have wings is the butterfly; + all others stand helpless before the destroyer. If they shriek in their + death agony their cry never reaches our hardened ears. We are ever brutal + to those who love and serve us in silence, but the time may come when, for + our cruelty, we shall be deserted by these best friends of ours. Have you + not noticed that the wild flowers are becoming scarcer every year? It may + be that their wise men have told them to depart till man becomes more + human. Perhaps they have migrated to heaven. + </p> + <p> + Much may be said in favor of him who cultivates plants. The man of the pot + is far more humane than he of the scissors. We watch with delight his + concern about water and sunshine, his feuds with parasites, his horror of + frosts, his anxiety when the buds come slowly, his rapture when the leaves + attain their lustre. In the East the art of floriculture is a very ancient + one, and the loves of a poet and his favorite plant have often been + recorded in story and song. With the development of ceramics during the + Tang and Sung dynasties we hear of wonderful receptacles made to hold + plants, not pots, but jewelled palaces. A special attendant was detailed + to wait upon each flower and to wash its leaves with soft brushes made of + rabbit hair. It has been written ["Pingtse", by Yuenchunlang] that the + peony should be bathed by a handsome maiden in full costume, that a + winter-plum should be watered by a pale, slender monk. In Japan, one of + the most popular of the No-dances, the Hachinoki, composed during the + Ashikaga period, is based upon the story of an impoverished knight, who, + on a freezing night, in lack of fuel for a fire, cuts his cherished plants + in order to entertain a wandering friar. The friar is in reality no other + than Hojo-Tokiyori, the Haroun-Al-Raschid of our tales, and the sacrifice + is not without its reward. This opera never fails to draw tears from a + Tokio audience even to-day. + </p> + <p> + Great precautions were taken for the preservation of delicate blossoms. + Emperor Huensung, of the Tang Dynasty, hung tiny golden bells on the + branches in his garden to keep off the birds. He it was who went off in + the springtime with his court musicians to gladden the flowers with soft + music. A quaint tablet, which tradition ascribes to Yoshitsune, the hero + of our Arthurian legends, is still extant in one of the Japanese + monasteries [Sumadera, near Kobe]. It is a notice put up for the + protection of a certain wonderful plum-tree, and appeals to us with the + grim humour of a warlike age. After referring to the beauty of the + blossoms, the inscription says: "Whoever cuts a single branch of this tree + shall forfeit a finger therefor." Would that such laws could be enforced + nowadays against those who wantonly destroy flowers and mutilate objects + of art! + </p> + <p> + Yet even in the case of pot flowers we are inclined to suspect the + selfishness of man. Why take the plants from their homes and ask them to + bloom mid strange surroundings? Is it not like asking the birds to sing + and mate cooped up in cages? Who knows but that the orchids feel stifled + by the artificial heat in your conservatories and hopelessly long for a + glimpse of their own Southern skies? + </p> + <p> + The ideal lover of flowers is he who visits them in their native haunts, + like Taoyuenming [all celebrated Chinese poets and philosophers], who sat + before a broken bamboo fence in converse with the wild chrysanthemum, or + Linwosing, losing himself amid mysterious fragrance as he wandered in the + twilight among the plum-blossoms of the Western Lake. 'Tis said that + Chowmushih slept in a boat so that his dreams might mingle with those of + the lotus. It was the same spirit which moved the Empress Komio, one of + our most renowned Nara sovereigns, as she sang: "If I pluck thee, my hand + will defile thee, O flower! Standing in the meadows as thou art, I offer + thee to the Buddhas of the past, of the present, of the future." + </p> + <p> + However, let us not be too sentimental. Let us be less luxurious but more + magnificent. Said Laotse: "Heaven and earth are pitiless." Said + Kobodaishi: "Flow, flow, flow, flow, the current of life is ever onward. + Die, die, die, die, death comes to all." Destruction faces us wherever we + turn. Destruction below and above, destruction behind and before. Change + is the only Eternal,—why not as welcome Death as Life? They are but + counterparts one of the other,—The Night and Day of Brahma. Through + the disintegration of the old, re-creation becomes possible. We have + worshipped Death, the relentless goddess of mercy, under many different + names. It was the shadow of the All-devouring that the Gheburs greeted in + the fire. It is the icy purism of the sword-soul before which Shinto-Japan + prostrates herself even to-day. The mystic fire consumes our weakness, the + sacred sword cleaves the bondage of desire. From our ashes springs the + phoenix of celestial hope, out of the freedom comes a higher realisation + of manhood. + </p> + <p> + Why not destroy flowers if thereby we can evolve new forms ennobling the + world idea? We only ask them to join in our sacrifice to the beautiful. We + shall atone for the deed by consecrating ourselves to Purity and + Simplicity. Thus reasoned the tea-masters when they established the Cult + of Flowers. + </p> + <p> + Anyone acquainted with the ways of our tea- and flower-masters must have + noticed the religious veneration with which they regard flowers. They do + not cull at random, but carefully select each branch or spray with an eye + to the artistic composition they have in mind. They would be ashamed + should they chance to cut more than were absolutely necessary. It may be + remarked in this connection that they always associate the leaves, if + there be any, with the flower, for the object is to present the whole + beauty of plant life. In this respect, as in many others, their method + differs from that pursued in Western countries. Here we are apt to see + only the flower stems, heads as it were, without body, stuck promiscuously + into a vase. + </p> + <p> + When a tea-master has arranged a flower to his satisfaction he will place + it on the tokonoma, the place of honour in a Japanese room. Nothing else + will be placed near it which might interfere with its effect, not even a + painting, unless there be some special aesthetic reason for the + combination. It rests there like an enthroned prince, and the guests or + disciples on entering the room will salute it with a profound bow before + making their addresses to the host. Drawings from masterpieces are made + and published for the edification of amateurs. The amount of literature on + the subject is quite voluminous. When the flower fades, the master + tenderly consigns it to the river or carefully buries it in the ground. + Monuments are sometimes erected to their memory. + </p> + <p> + The birth of the Art of Flower Arrangement seems to be simultaneous with + that of Teaism in the fifteenth century. Our legends ascribe the first + flower arrangement to those early Buddhist saints who gathered the flowers + strewn by the storm and, in their infinite solicitude for all living + things, placed them in vessels of water. It is said that Soami, the great + painter and connoisseur of the court of Ashikaga-Yoshimasa, was one of the + earliest adepts at it. Juko, the tea-master, was one of his pupils, as was + also Senno, the founder of the house of Ikenobo, a family as illustrious + in the annals of flowers as was that of the Kanos in painting. With the + perfecting of the tea-ritual under Rikiu, in the latter part of the + sixteenth century, flower arrangement also attains its full growth. Rikiu + and his successors, the celebrated Oda-wuraka, Furuka-Oribe, Koyetsu, + Kobori-Enshiu, Katagiri-Sekishiu, vied with each other in forming new + combinations. We must remember, however, that the flower-worship of the + tea-masters formed only a part of their aesthetic ritual, and was not a + distinct religion by itself. A flower arrangement, like the other works of + art in the tea-room, was subordinated to the total scheme of decoration. + Thus Sekishiu ordained that white plum blossoms should not be made use of + when snow lay in the garden. "Noisy" flowers were relentlessly banished + from the tea-room. A flower arrangement by a tea-master loses its + significance if removed from the place for which it was originally + intended, for its lines and proportions have been specially worked out + with a view to its surroundings. + </p> + <p> + The adoration of the flower for its own sake begins with the rise of + "Flower-Masters," toward the middle of the seventeenth century. It now + becomes independent of the tea-room and knows no law save that the vase + imposes on it. New conceptions and methods of execution now become + possible, and many were the principles and schools resulting therefrom. A + writer in the middle of the last century said he could count over one + hundred different schools of flower arrangement. Broadly speaking, these + divide themselves into two main branches, the Formalistic and the + Naturalesque. The Formalistic schools, led by the Ikenobos, aimed at a + classic idealism corresponding to that of the Kano-academicians. We + possess records of arrangements by the early masters of the school which + almost reproduce the flower paintings of Sansetsu and Tsunenobu. The + Naturalesque school, on the other hand, accepted nature as its model, only + imposing such modifications of form as conduced to the expression of + artistic unity. Thus we recognise in its works the same impulses which + formed the Ukiyoe and Shijo schools of painting. + </p> + <p> + It would be interesting, had we time, to enter more fully than it is now + possible into the laws of composition and detail formulated by the various + flower-masters of this period, showing, as they would, the fundamental + theories which governed Tokugawa decoration. We find them referring to the + Leading Principle (Heaven), the Subordinate Principle (Earth), the + Reconciling Principle (Man), and any flower arrangement which did not + embody these principles was considered barren and dead. They also dwelt + much on the importance of treating a flower in its three different + aspects, the Formal, the Semi-Formal, and the Informal. The first might be + said to represent flowers in the stately costume of the ballroom, the + second in the easy elegance of afternoon dress, the third in the charming + deshabille of the boudoir. + </p> + <p> + Our personal sympathies are with the flower-arrangements of the tea-master + rather than with those of the flower-master. The former is art in its + proper setting and appeals to us on account of its true intimacy with + life. We should like to call this school the Natural in contradistinction + to the Naturalesque and Formalistic schools. The tea-master deems his duty + ended with the selection of the flowers, and leaves them to tell their own + story. Entering a tea-room in late winter, you may see a slender spray of + wild cherries in combination with a budding camellia; it is an echo of + departing winter coupled with the prophecy of spring. Again, if you go + into a noon-tea on some irritatingly hot summer day, you may discover in + the darkened coolness of the tokonoma a single lily in a hanging vase; + dripping with dew, it seems to smile at the foolishness of life. + </p> + <p> + A solo of flowers is interesting, but in a concerto with painting and + sculpture the combination becomes entrancing. Sekishiu once placed some + water-plants in a flat receptacle to suggest the vegetation of lakes and + marshes, and on the wall above he hung a painting by Soami of wild ducks + flying in the air. Shoha, another tea-master, combined a poem on the + Beauty of Solitude by the Sea with a bronze incense burner in the form of + a fisherman's hut and some wild flowers of the beach. One of the guests + has recorded that he felt in the whole composition the breath of waning + autumn. + </p> + <p> + Flower stories are endless. We shall recount but one more. In the + sixteenth century the morning-glory was as yet a rare plant with us. Rikiu + had an entire garden planted with it, which he cultivated with assiduous + care. The fame of his convulvuli reached the ear of the Taiko, and he + expressed a desire to see them, in consequence of which Rikiu invited him + to a morning tea at his house. On the appointed day Taiko walked through + the garden, but nowhere could he see any vestige of the convulvulus. The + ground had been leveled and strewn with fine pebbles and sand. With sullen + anger the despot entered the tea-room, but a sight waited him there which + completely restored his humour. On the tokonoma, in a rare bronze of Sung + workmanship, lay a single morning-glory—the queen of the whole + garden! + </p> + <p> + In such instances we see the full significance of the Flower Sacrifice. + Perhaps the flowers appreciate the full significance of it. They are not + cowards, like men. Some flowers glory in death—certainly the + Japanese cherry blossoms do, as they freely surrender themselves to the + winds. Anyone who has stood before the fragrant avalanche at Yoshino or + Arashiyama must have realized this. For a moment they hover like + bejewelled clouds and dance above the crystal streams; then, as they sail + away on the laughing waters, they seem to say: "Farewell, O Spring! We are + on to eternity." + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2H_4_0007" id="link2H_4_0007"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + VII. Tea-Masters + </h2> + <p> + In religion the Future is behind us. In art the present is the eternal. + The tea-masters held that real appreciation of art is only possible to + those who make of it a living influence. Thus they sought to regulate + their daily life by the high standard of refinement which obtained in the + tea-room. In all circumstances serenity of mind should be maintained, and + conversation should be conducted as never to mar the harmony of the + surroundings. The cut and color of the dress, the poise of the body, and + the manner of walking could all be made expressions of artistic + personality. These were matters not to be lightly ignored, for until one + has made himself beautiful he has no right to approach beauty. Thus the + tea-master strove to be something more than the artist,—art itself. + It was the Zen of aestheticism. Perfection is everywhere if we only choose + to recognise it. Rikiu loved to quote an old poem which says: "To those + who long only for flowers, fain would I show the full-blown spring which + abides in the toiling buds of snow-covered hills." + </p> + <p> + Manifold indeed have been the contributions of the tea-masters to art. + They completely revolutionised the classical architecture and interior + decorations, and established the new style which we have described in the + chapter of the tea-room, a style to whose influence even the palaces and + monasteries built after the sixteenth century have all been subject. The + many-sided Kobori-Enshiu has left notable examples of his genius in the + Imperial villa of Katsura, the castles of Nagoya and Nijo, and the + monastery of Kohoan. All the celebrated gardens of Japan were laid out by + the tea-masters. Our pottery would probably never have attained its high + quality of excellence if the tea-masters had not lent it to their + inspiration, the manufacture of the utensils used in the tea-ceremony + calling forth the utmost expenditure of ingenuity on the parts of our + ceramists. The Seven Kilns of Enshiu are well known to all students of + Japanese pottery. Many of our textile fabrics bear the names of + tea-masters who conceived their color or design. It is impossible, indeed, + to find any department of art in which the tea-masters have not left marks + of their genius. In painting and lacquer it seems almost superfluous to + mention the immense services they have rendered. One of the greatest + schools of painting owes its origin to the tea-master Honnami-Koyetsu, + famed also as a lacquer artist and potter. Beside his works, the splendid + creation of his grandson, Koho, and of his grand-nephews, Korin and + Kenzan, almost fall into the shade. The whole Korin school, as it is + generally designated, is an expression of Teaism. In the broad lines of + this school we seem to find the vitality of nature herself. + </p> + <p> + Great as has been the influence of the tea-masters in the field of art, it + is as nothing compared to that which they have exerted on the conduct of + life. Not only in the usages of polite society, but also in the + arrangement of all our domestic details, do we feel the presence of the + tea-masters. Many of our delicate dishes, as well as our way of serving + food, are their inventions. They have taught us to dress only in garments + of sober colors. They have instructed us in the proper spirit in which to + approach flowers. They have given emphasis to our natural love of + simplicity, and shown us the beauty of humility. In fact, through their + teachings tea has entered the life of the people. + </p> + <p> + Those of us who know not the secret of properly regulating our own + existence on this tumultuous sea of foolish troubles which we call life + are constantly in a state of misery while vainly trying to appear happy + and contented. We stagger in the attempt to keep our moral equilibrium, + and see forerunners of the tempest in every cloud that floats on the + horizon. Yet there is joy and beauty in the roll of billows as they sweep + outward toward eternity. Why not enter into their spirit, or, like + Liehtse, ride upon the hurricane itself? + </p> + <p> + He only who has lived with the beautiful can die beautifully. The last + moments of the great tea-masters were as full of exquisite refinement as + had been their lives. Seeking always to be in harmony with the great + rhythm of the universe, they were ever prepared to enter the unknown. The + "Last Tea of Rikiu" will stand forth forever as the acme of tragic + grandeur. + </p> + <p> + Long had been the friendship between Rikiu and the Taiko-Hideyoshi, and + high the estimation in which the great warrior held the tea-master. But + the friendship of a despot is ever a dangerous honour. It was an age rife + with treachery, and men trusted not even their nearest kin. Rikiu was no + servile courtier, and had often dared to differ in argument with his + fierce patron. Taking advantage of the coldness which had for some time + existed between the Taiko and Rikiu, the enemies of the latter accused him + of being implicated in a conspiracy to poison the despot. It was whispered + to Hideyoshi that the fatal potion was to be administered to him with a + cup of the green beverage prepared by the tea-master. With Hideyoshi + suspicion was sufficient ground for instant execution, and there was no + appeal from the will of the angry ruler. One privilege alone was granted + to the condemned—the honor of dying by his own hand. + </p> + <p> + On the day destined for his self-immolation, Rikiu invited his chief + disciples to a last tea-ceremony. Mournfully at the appointed time the + guests met at the portico. As they look into the garden path the trees + seem to shudder, and in the rustling of their leaves are heard the + whispers of homeless ghosts. Like solemn sentinels before the gates of + Hades stand the grey stone lanterns. A wave of rare incense is wafted from + the tea-room; it is the summons which bids the guests to enter. One by one + they advance and take their places. In the tokonoma hangs a kakemon,—a + wonderful writing by an ancient monk dealing with the evanescence of all + earthly things. The singing kettle, as it boils over the brazier, sounds + like some cicada pouring forth his woes to departing summer. Soon the host + enters the room. Each in turn is served with tea, and each in turn + silently drains his cup, the host last of all. According to established + etiquette, the chief guest now asks permission to examine the + tea-equipage. Rikiu places the various articles before them, with the + kakemono. After all have expressed admiration of their beauty, Rikiu + presents one of them to each of the assembled company as a souvenir. The + bowl alone he keeps. "Never again shall this cup, polluted by the lips of + misfortune, be used by man." He speaks, and breaks the vessel into + fragments. + </p> + <p> + The ceremony is over; the guests with difficulty restraining their tears, + take their last farewell and leave the room. One only, the nearest and + dearest, is requested to remain and witness the end. Rikiu then removes + his tea-gown and carefully folds it upon the mat, thereby disclosing the + immaculate white death robe which it had hitherto concealed. Tenderly he + gazes on the shining blade of the fatal dagger, and in exquisite verse + thus addresses it: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Welcome to thee, + O sword of eternity! + Through Buddha + And through + Dharuma alike + Thou hast cleft thy way." +</pre> + <p> + With a smile upon his face Rikiu passed forth into the unknown. + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Book of Tea, by Kakuzo Okakura + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BOOK OF TEA *** + +***** This file should be named 769-h.htm or 769-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/7/6/769/ + +Produced by Matthew, Gabrielle Harbowy and David Widger + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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