Japanese Tea Ceremony

Japanese tea ceremonies comprise many elements of the Japanese culture celebrating the value of art forms, just to name a few: architecture, gardening, ceramics, textiles, and cuisine. Since working with such diverse sets of clients, it important for me and the SYED team to learn important processes, steps, history and other details for different types of ceremonies we participate in. The following research was written by one of our interns, Julie Chung.


It is believed that Buddhist monks brought tea from China to Japan around 6 century B.C. Japanese tea ceremony was designed in the spirit of the Zen doctrine, according to which spiritual elevation is achieved by engrossing oneself in the small details of daily life. The attention paid to the minutest details of the tea ceremony is meant to induce a sense of serenity and harmony among the host and guests. In 1477, the rules of etiquette chanoyu “hot-water tea” were created by Buddhist priest named Murata Shuko. He viewed it as an interlude in which one leads oneself for a moment to the spirit of beauty, quietude and politeness towards others. The tearoom is considered to be an island of tranquility and purity, allowing guests to leave the outside world behind and relax.
The 4 principles of the tea ceremony consist of: harmony (wa), respect (kae), cleanliness soul and body or purity (sae), tranquility or serenity (jubuo) tranquility.

As part of the traditional wedding ceremony, one can incorporate a traditional tea ceremony to honor and thank their parents. Check out some photos from a wedding with a Japanese Tea Ceremony we were able to create the decor for.

Images provided by Sam Lim Studio