#44 Postcard Trivia 2.12.19
1937. Postcard published by Japanese Government Railways, Tokyo. From the collection of J Garner.
The beautiful image on this postcard sent by a traveler in 1937, depicts the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. The back of the postcard explains that the tea ceremony promotes enlightenment and mental composure. Each movement and spoken word follows a tradition that has been handed down for hundreds of years. The tea is a special powdered green tea called matcha and the utensils, such as the bamboo whisk, iron kettle, and ladle, are unique and used in specific ways in the ceremony. If this makes you curious, you might enjoy watching a video of a Japanese tea ceremony (if you can’t attend a real one.) This website - japanese-tea-ceremony.net - is the ultimate guide to all aspects of the tea ceremony. After watching a ceremony, I was impressed. With only a few simple utensils and some very exact movements, the Teishu (hostess) conveys respect, peace, and value to all participants. I find it amazing that the tradition has survived intact for almost a thousand years. Even with today’s lightening-fast technology, it seems our world still recognizes the need to restore the soul with a simple, calming ritual.
Trivia Question:
Tea trees are not native to Japan. Tea tree seeds were brought to Japan from what other country in the 9th century to start the growth of tea trees in Japan?
A. India B. China C. Turkey
The photo on the left of Laura Bush learning to use the bamboo tea whisk is part of the George W. Bush Whitehouse Archives, http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov, and is posted with the following caption:
Mrs. Laura Bush, joined by her mother, Mrs. Jenna Welch, right, is given whisking instructions by Ms. Sakiko Akiyama, executive assistant to Grand Master Sen Genshitsu, left, while participating in a Japanese Tea Ceremony, Monday, April 17, 2006, in Washington, DC, with H.E. Ryozo Kato, Ambassador of Japan to the US, and his wife, Mrs. Hanayo Kato. White House photo by Shealah Craighead
Answer to Trivia Question:
B. China Green tea was produced in China as early as the 4th century. Seeds were brought to Japan during the Tang dynasty (618 - 907).
Source Links:
Japanese tea ceremony website: japanese-tea-ceremony.net