Third Thursday Lecture: The New Way of Tea and its Art in Modern Japan

Chanoyu (literally means “hot water for tea” but generally translated as “the Japanese tea ceremony) is more than making tea or drinking a bowl of tea. From its inception in the fifteenth century, chanoyu has been a codified practice that transforms a drinking activity into a ritual and sets it apart from everyday life. As chanoyu was labelled as traditional in the process of Japan’s intensive Westernization and modernization, the practice of tea simultaneously became characterized as a routine expressive of Japanese-ness. This talk will deconstruct seemingly inherent connections between chanoyu and “unique Japanese essence” by raising questions such as 'What political and cultural forces shaped a newly imagined identity of chanoyu in modern Japan?' and 'How did famed tea utensils become representative national arts?'