Barbara Lynne Rowland Mori
Using a Symbolic Interaction analysis of interview and participant observation data of teachers and students collected in Japan, this paper explores the ways in which Japanese teachers, using the medium of a traditional art - chado, teach their students to create within a closed and scripted environment an understanding of the way Japanese society functions. The ritual serving of food and drink conducted in chado is a vehicle for learning about traditional Japanese values and practices. Some students are attracted to an art form that offers a particularly Japanese way of living and set of values that are sometimes missing for people in a world that seems to contain things, spaces and places with a predominantly Western aspect. Students learn to manipulate objects, space, time, symbols and people to create a specific atmosphere and pattern of interaction that is designed to produce a certain perspective on the world and way of perceiving reality. Students learn to apply this not only to the tea room environment but to the home and other situations in Japanese society. Japanese teachers teach their students to create and sustain an artificial reality and to use this to manage interpersonal relationships. This paper explores the way in which students learn the concepts of honne (non-scripted events) and tatemae (scripted reality) in the process of learning the art of preparing and serving tea and food.
INTRODUCTION
This paper will explore the way in which food preparation and
service
in the traditional art of the Japanese tea ceremony (chado) is
used
to teach the students to construct a definition of the meaning of life
as held by the masters of the Urasenke School of Chado and seen
as
the "traditional Japanese" way of life. The study of chado
is a way of learning and creating culture (defined as values, symbols
and
practices) and defining reality. This paper argues that the study
of chado is not only the study of an art aesthetic and
ritual
but primarily the learning of symbols and the construction of reality
by
participants that is meant to provide them with a means of identifying
and defining situations and enabling the learner to become part
of
any on-going activity in Japanese society. Students learn
to
manipulate objects, space, time, symbols and people to create a
specific
atmosphere and pattern of interaction that is designed to produce a
certain
perspective on the world and way of perceiving and defining
reality.
Students learn to apply this not only to the tea room environment but
to
the home and other situations in Japanese society. The outcome of
studying chado is a person who can be described as sunao
(amenable) The student is training the self through the study of
ritual.
This paper will analyze the way in which the study of the
traditional
art of chado teaches people the concepts of honne and
tatemae.
Honne is defined as non-scripted reality, the truth you know or
sense,
genuine motives, feelings, thoughts or actions. This is
often
something that should be held as private, meant only for group
insiders.
Tatemae is defined as scripted reality; the way things are
presented
to outsiders; the way things should be according an accepted pattern,
system
or definition; the way things are expected to occur, sometimes a
facade;
the face shown to the world. Honne and tatemae
concepts
are not unique to Japan but provide an insight into the way in which
Japanese
view reality and structure social behavior. In some ways they are
similar to the concepts of front stage and backstage behavior described
by Goffman (1959, 1963). Chado overtly teaches the
application
of honne and tatemae through tea ritual.
THEORY
The theoretical orientation which has informed this research
is
the Symbolic Interactionist perspective (Berger and Luckman 1967,
Blumer
1969, Charon 1979, Hewitt 1984, Goffman 1959, 1963, Manis and
Meltzer
1967, McHugh 1968, Stryker 1980). This is briefly summed:
behavior
of an individual is in response to symbols, is relative to the audience
and relative to the situation. This conception of social
interaction
applies to chado in three ways: 1) interaction in a tea ceremony
ritual (temae ) is between a host and one or more guests
expressly
involved in the process of creating a situation of shared feeling and
meaning
through the use of predominantly non-verbal symbols; 2) the teaching of
the art is an interactive process where the student has an opportunity
to learn acceptable ranges of behavior and possibly modify
these;
and 3) studying chado is an exercise in creating shared meanings
and defining acceptable behaviors.
"Human conduct is situated and cannot be really comprehended
apart from the actual contexts in which it occurs" (Hewitt 1984
p.140).
Therefore, the nature of a situation as a location, an intersection of
space, time and meaning needs to be established before human conduct
can
be interpreted. "A situation, in other words, is a matter
of
definition - it is an assembly of socially defined objects located at a
particular intersection of time and place that is itself a matter of
social
definitions." (Hewitt 1984, p. 140).
For the purpose of this research, culture is interpreted to be
inclusive of social structure (enduring interaction behavior patterns),
values, language -symbols, and technology -arts. The process by
which
culture is created and taught is an interactive socialization process
of
learning in intensive and non-intensive relationships, formal and
informal
settings, during the life of the individual. This process is
refered
to as role-taking when the individual is learning specifically the
behaviors,
values and attitudes to fit an identified role and position in the
culture.
METHOD
As a vehicle for studying the creation of culture and defining
of reality, chado is an apt choice because not only is it viewed
by Japanese as the ideal representation of Japanese culture (Castile
1976,
Kato 1981, Sen 1988 1979a 1979b, Suzuki 1959, Tanaka 1973), it has a
clearly
defined and enunciated set of values, organizational structure
(iemoto
system - household headship system) and interpersonal patterns
(host-guest,
teacher-student). It provides formal, tearoom, and informal
settings
to observe teachers and students. Urasenke, the largest school
(an
estimated 70% of all people who study chado are members and the
school
boasts a 2 million membership worldwide, Castile 1976) was chosen as a
case study. Settings for observation and interviewing were chosen
on the following criteria: 1) distance from the center (degree of
closeness and supervision by the iemoto - grand master, head of the
school);
2) size of the area (large city, rural); 3) intensity of study
(professional
or amateur; daily, weekly or sporadic lessons); 4) type of study
situation
(institute, junior college, temple, private home). Interviews
with
25 teachers and 50 students were conducted in Kyoto at Urasenke
headquarters
(Konnichi-an) and with teachers and students in Urasenke formal study
groups,
such as the Urasenke Semmon Gakko, the 2 and 4 day Group, The Saturday
Group and others, all under direct auspices of the Sen
family.
Interviews were also held with members of the Kyoto Shibu (teachers'
organization)
and with assistants and students at various study sites. In
Tokyo,
interviews were conducted at three Urasenke affiliated training centers
and in private teachers' homes. In Yokohama, interviews were held
at the homes of private teachers.
Students and teachers interviewed and observed are members of
a number of groups. At least one student of each teacher was
interviewed,
and all of the teachers interviewed were also observed teaching.
The organization of the group was a significant factor in the
student's
learning experience and support provided to the teacher.
Although
the locations and facilities differed, a similarity of atmosphere in
all
teaching situations was noted.
HONNE AND TATEMAE
As human conduct is situated and cannot be comprehended apart
from the actual context where it occurs, so too is reality defined as a
product of time, place, actors and situation. Reality (truth) is
acknowledged in Japan as relative. What will be told or accepted
as true or real depends upon a number of factors, such as: the
relationship
between the speaker and the listener; the situation under which the
information
is revealed; the presence or absence of an audience and the relations
of
the speaker and the listener to the members of the audience; outside
loyalties
affecting the participants concerning what is being revealed; any
consequences
identified as accruing as a result of the revelation; and whether the
speaker
in fact knows what actually occured (honne
) or only has an "official" (tatemae ) or sanctioned version of
events to recount.
In chado, tatemae is the scripted reality of the tea room,
the official version of stories concerning the school, the definition
of
chado as a value set, events and traditions of the Sen
family,
the nature of the relationship between iemoto and tea
practitioners
and between teachers and students. Honne is, of course,
what
actually happens to people, the conflict, the disputes, the mistakes,
the
socially unacceptable behavior of members. Tatemae is not
merely
a fabricated story to impress non-members. It is chado
as its practitioners want and believe it to be. It is chado
in its "pure" form, free of human foibles, the ideal that all members
strive
to create, that embodies beauty and nurturing relationships between
people.
It is this "truth" about chado that the members try to make
happen
and it is the "truth" that the members want outsiders to see and
appreciate.
Where actual events deviate from this, they are to be managed but not
allowed
to change the definition or practice of the art. "Truth and
morality are ...specific to the interaction at hand...The Japanese tend
to accept apparent contradictions as complementary facets to the same
truth."
(Kiefer 1976 p, 281).
CHADO PATTERNS AND PERSPECTIVES
Chado over its 500 year history has
developed
an articulated set of values which describe a world view and networks
that
link members on various levels. The values espoused and taught by
chado are those that are identified as being on the "traditional"
end of the value spectrum in Japanese society. Chado
values include a set of aesthetic concepts relevant to its practice as
an art form. The relationship networks reflect the diversity of
goals
within the teaching of the art.
Chado has developed a world view based on ideas
introduced by its founders, particularly Sen Rikyu (1522-91)(Castile
1976,
Sen 1988 1979a 1979b, Tanaka 1973). This world view seeks to
place
people in specified relationships and patterns that create a feeling of
harmony or balance among people, places, situations and objects.
This is part of the tatemae of chado. This does not
mean the world is harmonious or that people have no conflicts but that
the world and human interactions should be managed so that there is an
appearance of harmony and balance. This is the ever
mentioned
concept of wa . To achieve this, values such as respect (kei
), purity (sei ) and tranquility (jaku ) are
stressed
This sense of harmony is not meant to be a spiritual feeling of peace
and
oneness only but to encompass the way in which people behave toward
others.
It requires constant accommodation, flexibility and a willingness to
accept
direction and conform (to be sunao ).
The values mentioned above are highly influenced by Zen Buddhism
(Kasulis 1981, Hammistszch 1980, Sen 1988 1979a, Suzuki 1959
1973).
Zen has contributed to chado an emphasis on action over
words,
non-purposive action over purposive action, non-verbal
communication
taught by observation and trial and error over lengthy lectures and a
concern
for self-improvement based on self-mastery attained by developing
concentration.
The aim is to produce a state of mind rather than a philosophy.
The
individual is expected to demonstrate a willingness to live in
accordance
with the prevailing situation without recourse to abstract principles,
in a type of eternal present.
The concepts relationed to chado identified with
Zen are : mu-i - non-purposiveness, mushin - no-mind or
selflessness,
and muhinshu - lack of distinction (or merging) between host and
guest.
The practice of tea ritual (temae ), like Zen meditation, is
aimed
at freeing the mind from the concerns of the body and building
awareness
of one's surroundings through concentration.
It is in the context of performing tea ritual in the tea room
setting that these values and their acceptable expression are
taught.
Individuals who study are presented with this world view in a clear and
unambiguous manner and have the option to conform or leave.
The aesthetic concepts in chado are derived from
the basic idea of mono no aware, an intense identification of the
individual
with the surrounding environment emphasizing the ephemeral nature of
the
world. In chado, this is developed in terms of themes for tea
gatherings,
poetic names for utensils and a concern for the relationships and
styles
of objects used. A specific expression of this is seen in the
concept
of wabi, a sense of subdued austerity, sometimes seen as a
glorification
of scarcity or poverty.
The social values critical to chado focus on
interpersonal
relationships and the development of self-identity through one's
relationships
to others. This stresses the importance of being connected in an
hierarchical pattern. There are no equals in chado
and
everyone is subordinate to the head of the school. Manners and
etiquette
are the daily language of hierarchy (Elias 1978). They constitute
a secularized form of morality and for chado adherents may be the
only formalized moral code they respect. It is the teaching of
manners
and etiquette, basic human interaction skills, that is identified by
professional
teachers as the purpose and goal of the study of chado.
The
overriding value, of course, is loyalty to the school, the Sen family
and
their goals.
The social networks in chado encompass an hierarchical
relationship pyramid between teachers and students under the head of
the
school (the iemoto system). All members of the
school
are considered students of the Grand Master or iemoto.
This,
too, is part of the tatemae of chado. Schematically
this is diagrammed through a series of ranks but in actuality the
relationships
between teachers and students are interlocking and students may be
studying
with more than one teacher and some people may not have connections to
people above them in the ranking network.
Ranking based on ritual knowledge recognized by the granting
of certificates but this does not equate with the actual ranking of an
individual in the system. Relationships and status of an
individual
not only reflect standing with regard to knowledge acquisition or a
relationship
to a teacher but standing in Japanese society outside of chado,
family
status and connections, and the ability to make significant economic,
political
and social contributions to the school.
All of these will affect the respect accorded and accommodations
made for an individual as well as opportunities, benefits and rewards
given
by the school. The values expressed by chado are
sometimes
in conflict with the practice or reality of chado. Although
the value of wabi is austere, an aesthetic sense of
poverty,
it is not the only aesthetic value and does not mean there is a
glorification
or promotion of actual economic poverty. Some of the values of chado
seem to contradict each other. This reflects the diversity of
contributions
to the art. There is no overt attempt to remove or ameliorate
these
seeming contradictions. It is a matter of personal preference and
taste. It is acknowledged that contradictions are part of life
and
the individual must manage these as best as possible. The method
suggested is situational application. The tatemae
is of wa, harmony and balance; the honne
is the jostling for position and favor found in any group of people
where
access to people in higher positions means attaining personal goals and
recognition. People come to learn how to manage these very human
and not gentle aspirations not because they are saints.
The goals of learning chado are multiple, depending
on how the individual perceives the art form and what it is they come
to
study (Mori 1988). Some study chado for reasons of
status,
to be perceived as a "cultured" person of taste. Some study
chado
as a leisure activity, to provide a sense of escape or release from
pressures
of modern Japanese life or for fun, to spend a pleasant afternoon with
friends. Some study to find a "Japanese" identity, to learn the
art
forms and values identified as core to being a member of Japanese
society,
different from the Westernized aspects of living encountered in daily
life.
Some study for the purpose of personal improvement, to acquire as sense
of spiritual growth or social graces. Whatever the individual
goals,
the product of chado study is not an artifact, or
knowledge
and performance of ritual but a person who is able to fit in with
others
and with any situation. The person demonstrates self-control, the
ability to endure difficulties silently and accept criticism even if
unmerited,
and a strong sense of loyalty.
The student-teacher relationships are the important links where
transmission of chado values and practices occur.
There
are two types of relationships in the transmission chain, that between
a student (seito ) and a teacher (sensei ) and a
senior
(sempai ) and junior (kohai ) students. Senior
students
are responsible for teaching the practical aspects of learning chado,
how to prepare and clean-up after a lesson, the etiquette of the
learning
situation (how to greet the teacher, pay fees and fit into the group)
and
the basics of the rituals (warigeiko ). The first
lessons
a beginning student receives are from sempai and are usually how
to be a guest and parts of a temae (ritual). When
these
are learned the process of preparing tea is learned from the
teacher.
Teaching etiquette begins from the first day.
These relationships are built on amae
(interdependence).
The student is encouraged to develop close relationships with the
teacher
and fellow students. Evaluation of the student's proficiency in
the
ritual takes a secondary place to the evaluations of the individual's
ability
to work well with others, to develop a sunao
personality.
Students are expected to learn by observation and imitation.
The depiction of the teacher-student relationship in the stories
of the past masters and in the published works on tea, follow the Zen
pattern
of the master-disciple relationship. This is mainly described as
between men. This is the tatemae
aspect. The honne is that approximately 80% of the both
teachers
and students are female. While they accept the model as valid,
few
women are able to make the total commitment to chado
described
in the relationship. The model is accepted because the underlying
values are not seen to be gender specific by the women who choose to
study.
The relationships that develop are seen to follow the values identified
if not the actual behavior that would occur between male teachers and
students.
Close ties develop but they don't exactly fit the model. These
ties
however are enduring and in many cases the teacher comes to play an
important
role in the life of the student, not only as a teacher of chado
but as an advisor and role model. This is another example of the
distinction between honne
and
tatemae . This relationship
pattern
is held to be what is occuring even though the strict disciple pattern
is only possible for those few males who seek to study to become
masters
under the iemoto . The pattern is pleasing in the
abstract
but the reality of its demands are less appealing given the
opportunities
and attractions of modern life in Japan so few young men seek this
full-time
commitment .
These relationship patterns, host-guest and teacher-student,
have clearly indicated and diffuse behavioral expectations.
Within
them there is room for negotiation and re-interpretation to adapt to
modern
Japanese life. This can be seen in the career patterns that
develop
for women. A professional career as a teacher has fewer class or
social limitations as compared to men. Young women identify it as
a career acceptable to family and society. It is compatible with
devotion to the roles of wife and mother, yet provides the satisfying
feeling
of being economically self-supporting . It can provide economic
support
for a woman who cannot find a spouse acceptable to both self and
parents
or a for a woman who has failed at marriage or been widowed
young.
An older woman may pursue it as a career while or after completing a
marriage
career (after the children are raised or as a widow). As chado
receives social acceptance for augmenting women's roles as wife and
mother
and is frequently an acknowledged part of "bride-training", it is
difficult
for a husband to forbid study or teaching.
CREATING AND TRANSMITTING CULTURE
Culture, for the purposes of this discussion, is defined as
consisting
of symbols, behavior, relationships and artifacts. Artifacts or
utensils
for tea are continually being created for new styles and new
ceremonies,
to add diversity to the selection of items for use. Artifacts,
such
as tea bowls, tea scoops, kettles, scrolls, etc. are not only items in
themselves but also are used as symbols of cosmological and social
meaning.
For example, a scroll hung in the alcove will have a simple phrase such
as "the pine tree is ever green" (matsu ni kekkon iro nashi
literally "as for the pine its color doesn't change). This has
philosophical
meaning in terms of continuity and endurance and chado
relevant
interpretation in suggesting the perpetuation of the art . The
people
viewing it become connected to people who have enjoyed it in the past
and
can project connections to people who will enjoy it in the
future.
The inference of the color green connotes the color of tea and is a
name
for a specific study group . It was the color used to designate
the
highest ranking members. The scroll has social meaning
through
the writer, who it was written for and way it is displayed for this set
of guests. It has artistic meaning in the style and formality of
the calligraphy and the materials used to frame it. Students are
expected to learn to see the scroll in all of these different levels of
meaning, all of which constitute the "reality" of the scroll and are
the
basis for constructing the purpose and "reality" of the gathering for
tea.
Behavior in chado encompasses ritual and
relationships.
The ritual in tea room is governed by a continuum of formality -
formal,
semi-formal and informal (shin, gyo, so ). These
classifications
are used to categorize utensils, situations, and locations.
Behavior
and demeanor adapt to the degree of formality identified. The
more
formal rituals are taught after several years of study and the student
has the opportunity to observe senior students.
Rituals include set preparations and servings of tea, food and
fire called temae and collections of temae rituals
called
chakai and chaji. Temae is a ritual
preparation
of tea by a host for a guest or guests. For a chakai
or group meeting to enjoy tea, the host selects an occasion and invites
a number of guests (usually from three to several hundred).
The location chosen is usually a traditional Japanese style room in a
house
or other building (for example in a temple) or free standing (a tea
hut).
The host chooses a particular ritual suited to the guests and occasion
. The host (or hosts) and her helpers prepare hand-made
sweets
and purchase specially made candy sweets with designs or shapes that
reflect
the season or nature of the occasion. They chose
appropriate
utensils such as tea bowls, serving dishes, flower vases, scrolls, tea
scoops, etc. that are artistically pleasing for the guests to
enjoy.
A favorite type of tea (prepared by a noted tea grower) is
chosen.
On the appointed day, the guests arrive. They are shown to the
tearoom
and the tea ritual is performed. If many guests are
invited,
they will be brought in in groups and a number of temae will be
performed
until all guests have been served tea. The temae ritual consists
of three parts: the entrance and set up, the preparation and serving of
tea to the guests and the clean up and utensil appreciation.
Sweets
are served first to the first guest who takes and passes the sweets to
the others just before being given the tea to drink. The host
brings
in the utensils she will use to make and serve the tea. The first
three guests are served tea made by the host in front of
everyone.
The other guests are served tea by the helpers which is brought out
from
the preparation room. After everyone has been served, the
host
will clean some of the utensils in front of everyone before removing
them
from the room. The tea scoop and tea container will be placed for
the guests to admire. The host will answer questions about these
utensils and then the ritual will be concluded and the guests will
leave.
A chaji is a four and a half hour series of
preparations.
Depending on the season the order varies. The guests, usually
five
to seven in number, watch two different layings of charcoal (sumidemai)
at the beginning and middle of the series. The guests are treated
to a seven course meal called a kaiseki, referring to the warm
stone
kept near the stomach by Zen priests to ward off hunger while
meditating,
which consists of servings of soup, rice, braised fish, grilled
mountain
vegetables and seafood, boiled foods, pickles and sake.
They
are served the sweet for the first preparation of tea. A brief
respite
is given for the guests to walk in the garden and refresh
themselves.
Then they are called to return to the tea room. There are two
servings
of tea: koicha or thick tea and usucha or
thin
tea. The koicha ritual is somewhat somber and all the
guests
drink out of the same bowl. A flower and a scroll are
displayed
in the alcove. The usucha ceremony is like the ritual
used for the chakai described above. The tone is
much
lighter and the guests chat with the host about the utensils, occasion
and related topics. After this ceremony the guests
leave.
During the tea preparations there are a series of expected movements in
the ritual of the serving requiring learned responses. The first
guest in each setting is responsible to help maintain the flow of
events.
It is a very choreographed interaction.
The rituals (temae ) are taught by rote memorization and
repetitive practice. While learning the movements of the temae
, the student is not only learning appropriate behavior but also which
utensils to use, context, tea lore and history and how to interpret
what
is happening. The temae is the script for the interaction.
The movments for the preparation are graceful, intricate and
precise.
Both host and guest must practice to learn the proper form, order and
accompanying
phrases. Temae is not action for the host alone. It is
interactive.
The guest must also know when action and responses are required.
The tatemae is a ritual performed smoothly without mistakes or
interruption.
Reality, honne, is that people do
make
mistakes. They spill tea and water. They forget responses
or
get caught up in doing something and forget their lines. They get
ahead or behind the sequence. This occurs but is managed by being
flexible (sunao )so these lapses do not cause pause in the
sequence
or make others to forget their cues. Learning is not only how to
do the things but how to take these blunders into account and so to
still
produce what appears to be a flawless performance.
In chado, the main interpersonal relationship is between
a host and a guest or guests. In the context of the temae,
both have parts to play essential to the events of the
ritual.
The guest is a participant not a spectator. The purpose of the
temae
is the enjoyment of the guest. A simple (or not so simple) act of
serving tea and food to a guest becomes a conduit for developing
personal relationships and for conveying a theme, sense of time and
place
and feeling for another, primarily through non-verbal means by choices
made by the host of occasion, location, utensils and guests.
Highly
scripted in pattern yet intensely personal, the tea ritual is both tatemae
and honne.
CREATING AND MANAGING REALITY
Discussions of symbolism and events of chado
frequently
justly focus on the ideal pattern or interactions in chaji, temae
and keiko (lesson) to assess the impact of ritual, gain a
sense of the intent of the study, and acquire an understanding of the
appeal
of long-term intense practice of the art. In learning to
interpret
or establish a situation's meaning, a particular individual must be
able
to identify the constituent parts, correctly identify the symbolic
meaning
of these parts singly, in combination and as a whole, and act in
accordance.
Learning temae is a method of learning which singles out
these
components for the student and, in the lesson (keiko ) enable
practice
with correction on the processes of identifying and creating symbolic
meaning
with objects, space, ritual movement and other actors.
Problematic in the process of interaction are "degrees of
sharedness"
or incomplete knowledge of the other; lack of knowledge of the symbolic
content and relative importance of object, space and time; management
of
knowledge; role performance and thematic organization of meaning.
In the process of learning temae, the student is guided through
the patterns with constant repetition. The learning process
itself
is overt and later becomes the underlying frame. The learning
environment
(with commentary provided by the teacher and other students) provides
information
on the symbolic content of objects, space and time.
Since space is problematic because part of our definition of
"who we are" depends on "where we are" and "who we are with", the
meaning
of space must be identified on more than one dimension. The
Japanese terms ma, aida and kan (same character) denote a
combination
of physical and temporal space, whereas the English term "space"
primarily
connotes physical space. Part of what is learned in the process
of
learning temae is not only ritual actions but proper calculations
of intervals and the imbuing of meaning of both action and non-action
space
and time. The student learns to associate ma with wa
(harmony, balance) and yet deal with kan (interval, discord) when pause
or cessation may be due to discord, lack of synchronization or lack of
proper cue or response.
The meaning of "where we are" not only is defined in terms of
room, type of situation (formal, semi-formal, informal), stage in the
ritual
process but also where one sits in relation to the process and role to
be played. In learning temae, roles are simply host and guest
(although
the guest role or roles may have added dimensions in terms of numbers
or
status identity that the host must take into account). Both roles
are learned in the temae practice, but usually the host role is
paid
the most attention. Observation, as well as imitation, is
important
in the processes by which this learning occurs. The observer is
expected
to learn with the participant so when his/her turn as performer comes
(in
either role) the teacher can concentrate on corrections rather than
initial
teaching.
Warigeiko (learning parts of a temae with another
student or sempai) is often where actual movement teaching takes
place.
In temae, under the teacher's eye the integration of movements into
patterns
is taught and corrected. In chaji (a four and a half hour
gathering
for tea consisting of several temae), roles are for the duration of
several
temae (for the making of tea, laying of charcoal for the fire and
serving food) and the number of players is increased (two is the usual
number in practice but three, five or seven are the number of guests
commonly
invited to a chaji).
"People know what to expect of one another in particular
situations
because they know that various types of people behave in typical ways
under
particular circumstances (Hewitt 1984 p. 153)."
"Role-taking
is a process in which people are attuned to the typification others are
using to interpret their behavior, and role-making becomes a process in
which the individual seeks to devise conduct in such a way that others
will make desired typification (Hewitt 1984 p. 154)." In doing
both
temae and chaji the learner takes the appropriate role; performs
the ritual movements; asks the proper questions or provides answers;
gives
and responds to cues; synchronizes movements and pace of cues given to
each other to the varying tempo of different temae (and within
temae
); interprets the symbolic meaning of space, objects and time in terms
of a theme (not always given). Through this process the student comes
to
some understanding of the relationship of human beings to the cosmos
and
other human beings, self-improvement, spiritual enlightenment and
self-fulfillment.
When this has been successfully accomplished in keiko or when
actually
doing a chakai or chaji, the participants experience a reported
"high",
a feeling of intoxication or euphoria (Mori 1988).
Definition of the situation through reality construction is what
the student is learning. The student also learns methods by which
he/she can exert control over situations and their definition by
becoming
the definer of the meaning of objects, space and time. "One
effective
technique for exercising control over the definition of the situation
is
by controlling such physical elements (Hewitt 1984 p. 174)" and the
interpretations
of the physical elements.
The process of learning also teaches the student to accept and
believe in the definition and interpretations of reality, e.g. the
constructed
reality of the tearoom, provided by the teacher who by extension
becomes
the reality of Japanese society. The teacher is questioned about
meaning but the answers are never questioned or doubted (at least not
publicly).
This belief in the teacher (and by extension reality) is essential to
success
in chado. "The very routine and stable everyday reality
that
we create maintains itself to a great extent because we believe in it
and
continue to remake it in our acts (Hewitt 1984 p. 174)." Through
this process of action, role-taking, symbolic attributing and learning,
the student comes to accept, practice and believe in not only the
philosophy
of chado but also the Japanese society which
underlies
it. "In dealing with and especially talking about these matters,
we give shape and substance to our ideals, our values, and our
conception
of how things work in society and how we think they should work Hewitt
1984 p. 190)."
If the student wishes to reject the interpretation of the world,
place of humans and individuals within both the world of chado
and
Japanese society as seen through the experiences provided by the
teacher,
the student must reject the teacher and the practice of chado in
toto. Contradictory views and experiences which may produce
dissonance
are harmonized through interpretation with the chado view of the
world or screened from the chado environment. Where
possible,
it is up to the practitioner to either ignore, reinterpret or explain
them
in some personally acceptable manner.
The practitioner of chado learns to construct a reality
(the reality of the tea room encounter) and sustain that construction
for
the duration of a temae from 20 to 45 minutes to that of a
chaji from four to four and a half hours. The construction
is unlike that of a drama or a play where the playwright uses actors to
perform for an audience which is induced to suspend disbelief to follow
the action. Rather the host creates a unique encounter. The
playwright/host is an actor and the audience, also actors, are part of
the drama, with the merest outline of a script (temae ).
Thus doing a temae, chaji or keiko combines the
elements
identified in the Symbolic Interactionist perspective (objects, acts,
meanings,
role-taking, role-making, symbols, environment, self and other) to
construct
a reality. Chado provides the nature and general
content
of tea room reality and teachers expect success or just the experience
of participation will provide the individual with insight and skills to
deal with reality beyond the tea room.
Within Japanese society (allowing for distinct regional and class
difference) a preference for cultural value transmission based on
environmental
control and range of behavioral expression has emerged. The ideal
setting for chado is a hermitage, a secluded hut on a
mountainside
or a temple setting with limited dimension an sparse accouterments
surrounded
by greenery. This is the tatemae environment. In the
500 years that have passed since the introduction of chado and
the
beginnings of the practice of chado as an art (acknowledging that
these settings were restricted to an elite and not commonly available
at
the time) such settings have become increasingly rare. The
honne
is that many of those once remote settings are now surrounded by urban
developments. Some have become the object of massive pilgrimages
on weekends or school trips by students in search of history and
culture.
Japanese style homes completely floored with tatami (reed mats)
with
tokonoma (alcoves) are very expensive to build. In the
urban
and even rural areas, there has been a substantial shift to
predominantly
wood and concrete flooring with maybe one or two tatami rooms.
For the average Japanese and chado practitioner, the impact
of these changes in the physical environment have a significant impact
on daily life and learning the art. The once secluded tearooms
are
now available for viewing and study. Some of these rooms are even
available for chakai, chaji or even having a bowl of tea when
visiting.
The practice of chado in the home is less available unless
specifically
planned for when building the structure and is impossible for many
urban
dwellers who are limited to predominantly Western style apartments or
residences.
Limited space has always had to be accounted for in planning a
chado
environment, for example when planning the roji (dewy path -
entrance
way to the tea house) in the garden, "borrowed" scenery was often
part of the plan. Now the plan must accommodate spaces to be
"disattended"
such as large skyscrapers, noisy buses and neon lights.
Temperature
and heating control in homes and public buildings has become more
widespread
to mitigate against the harshness of winter and summer but this also
detracts
from the sense of seasonal feelings, of feeling apart of the seasonal
changes
going on around you that are important to the practice of
chado.
The extensive use of Western style furniture and rooms means that the
average
Japanese can no longer sit comfortably on tatami floors.
The
adoption of the Western calendar in daily use is not compatible with
the
seasonal variations associated with chado, for example plum trees don't
bloom in January, the beginning of spring. Improvements in public
transportation and communication make attendance at chado
functions
all over Japan and the world possible and teachers more
accessible.
Widespread use of clocks and watches has created a different attitude
toward
time. Industrialization and major changes in work for both men
and
women have had a profound affect on the organization of daily life and
leisure, providing leisure in some cases to those who never had it
before.
Consequently, some people are encouraged to study chado. The
application
of new techniques and development and importation of new materials in
the
arts has increased the variety of utensils available for use in
chado.
Thus all the changes are not necessarily negative but offer challenges
and new opportunities even if meaning some ways of doing things in the
past are no longer available or must be modified.
Chado is a very resourceful art. The changes in
Japanese
society and the environment are not all negatively defined even though
they may require deviation from the "traditional" way of doing
things.
Accommodation to these changes has been made by finding ways to
circumvent
those changes seen as negative and incorporate those deemed useful and
innovative. Some of the changes indicated above have had a
variety
of responses. Chado is done outside the home at the
teacher's
house or at a dojo (training center) or other such location which
provides the "correct" physical setting. As a leisure activity,
it
is an acceptable outlet for housewives who with fewer children and
smaller
homes to clean have time for socially approved leisure, as it enhances
their domestic skills and increases family prestige.
Urasenke
offers lectures to its Gakkuen students and its members in other
locations
not only on how to construct a traditional tearoom but how to modify
Western
style or urban settings to create a conducive environment.
Through
its mail order house, prefabricated tea huts are available. In
practice,
students are taught to concentrate and "disattend" unwelcome intrusions
into the environment, such as not seeing towering buildings, not
hearing
traffic and not smelling car exhaust. Students are taught to
endure
the coldness of winter with only the hearth (ro ) to provide warmth and
accommodate to the sweltering heat of summer without turning on the air
conditioner. Students are gradually taught to sit on tatami
floors. Chado temae such as ryurei which
utilize
furniture allowing the student to sit on a stool are often taught at
the
beginning. Students must learn the chado calendar of events and
work
to bring it into accord with the Western calendar of everyday
life.
Telephones are excluded form the chado tea room environment, and
proper forms of letter writing and invitations are specifically
taught.
Television and other mass media are used as a way to propagandize
chado.
The Urasenke school has been very active in publishing a wide variety
of
materials on chado history and practice. Watches are not
permitted
in the tea room, but chakai and chaji are scheduled to
accommodate
to the rhythms of modern life. Though plastic is eschewed as
being
non-natural, glass, crystal, industrial ceramic, Western designed and
made
articles and new techniques for working materials are wholeheartedly
embraced
as adding to the creative dimension.
Although chado is an art form developed in a specific
environment,
it has shown an ability to adapt to changes in that environment both in
Japan and abroad. Students are taught to aim at creating a
traditional
environment where possible and ways to accommodate to the variety of
environments
they will encounter. While students and teachers may lament the
lack
of a traditional environment to fully learn chado, they nevertheless
create
the environment they need. They become sensitive to their
surroundings,
to objects that may be utilized and to themselves. They learn to
direct their senses and attention to produce the environment and
atmosphere
identified with the practice of chado.
Part of the management of the reality of chado is the
control
the schools and the Sen families exert over what is disseminated
to the public about chado. The iemoto 's (household head)
authority,
influence and control over the art of chado has been a major
factor
in its perpetuation and propagation. The iemoto system has
maintained and strengthened chado by establishing those schools
of
tea founded by Sen Rikyu, their families and Oiemoto (Grand Masters,
heads
of the schools and families) as national arbiters of taste, style and
cultural
knowledge. This control is manifest through teacher training and
recruitment, curriculum content, certification of knowledge and the
granting
of the right to teach, and outreach to the public through the mass
media.
It is also accomplished by creating a tightly structured professional
hierarchy
through teacher-student linkage and by creating regional chapters
(shibu
). The iemoto ' s headship rights (sodan ) enable him to oversee
all activities of the members of the school. He is responsible for all
that goes on but will delegate responsibilities to those below
him.
He is able to punish as well as reward. All publications and
public
activities require his official approval.
In the creative aspect of the art, it is the iemoto who
sanctions new utensils and styles for use within the school and can
forbid
the use of unrecognized objects and utensils made by unsanctioned
craftsmen.
Utensils are developed through relationships with established craft
families
(Senke Jushoku) as well as new artisans whose work meets his
standards.
Each iemoto establishes his preferences (konomi mono ) in utensil
types and designs, these then become part of the utensil repertoire
available
for students. Through authentication (hakogaki ), he establishes
a sense of taste. Other ways of exerting influence over the
utensils
used for chado are through officially recognizing certain
craftsmen
and utensil dealers and encouraging members to patronize these people,
by engaging in utensil sales, by assisting museums and other exhibitors
in displaying utensils for public viewing, by providing assistance to
scholars
and researchers of the arts, and through financial support to
individuals
and institutions which promote the study and practice of chado.
By
being the authority and definer of chado's symbolic content, the
iemoto
perpetuates the art through an hereditary system that enables
continuity
and creativity.
CONCLUSIONS
In looking at the values espoused , the behavior patterns taught,
the environment created and the role of the school and the Sen
families,
it can be seen that the study of chado provides a means for
Japanese
to learn and apply the concepts of tatemae and honne.
Chado
creates its own version of tatemae in the process of tea rituals,
the official stories of the history and practice of chado, the
definitions
of the relationships of host-guest and student-teacher, and the
atmosphere
to be sustained in the tea room. The students learn the movements
of the ritual. They learn how to create the desired atmosphere
and
interaction through non-verbal means by choices of utensils, places and
occasions based on the various levels of symbolic meaning they hold,
how
to adapt these to various environments and how to adapt the self to fit
roles in the on-going tableau. They learn the tatemae of chado,
what
is its ideal form, what it should be, how it should feel and how to
maintain
this in the face of events and situations (honne ) that do not
follow
that ideal and to convince themselves and others that the ideal has
been
maintained, experienced and transmitted. One of the roles of
chado
in Japanese society is to teach ways to define and manage reality.
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