Variations of tea ceremony and chaseki

Japanese tea ceremony have different enjoyment depending on the time and the theme, and they all have different names such as Akatsuki, Shogo, Hango, Fuji, Atomi, and Oyose. They are called as Seven Chaji. Here are the rough descriptions of each Cha-ji: Akatsuki-chaji Ceremony is held early in the morning of the winter time. The purpose is to enjoy the tranquillity and peace in the morning. Guests should be arrived before the dawn. Therefore, it is also called as Yogome. Asa-chaji Ceremony is held in a morning of summer. The purpose is to enjoy the moment of coolness and freshness of the morning . A simple meal is served after the tea ceremony which usually comes with one kind of soup and 2 kinds of dish. Shogo-chaji The most typical tea ceremony. The guests are entering the tea house at noon. The serving manner will be slightly change by the season. Hango-no-chaji After noon tea. Tea is served with wagashi (Japanese sweet). Yobanashi-no-chaji Starts in early evening of the winter. The ceremony is performed while stone lanterns and candles are lighting up at the garden. Enjoy the visionary atmosphere created by the lights. Fuji-no-chaji When unexpected guest comes, serve the tea ceremony in casual way. Atomi-no-chaji The tea ceremony is performed by the request from the guests who could not attend the morning or noon tea ceremony. Ooyose-no-chakai Traditional Japanese tea ceremony is usually performed in the small group, however in recent years the large group of tea ceremony is becoming popular. Now it seems "chakai" refers to this type of large tea ceremony. Hana(flower)-no-kai, Nouryou-chakai, Tukimi(watching the moon)-no-kai, Yukimi (watching the snow)-no-kai etc.., seasonal meetings are hold in different seasons. Chaseki (Tearoom) Tea ceremony can be hold anywhere. However, Chashitsu, designed and designated for tea ceremony are often used for the formal tea ceremony. A typical size of Chashitsu is 4.5 tatami mats, and larger one is called "Hiroma" and smaller one is called "Koma". The average size of Chashitsu can be also used as Hiroma or Koma by changing the tea things and rearranging the decoration. There is a room between Koma and Hiroma called "Kusari no ma" ,and this room is also used as part of the ceremony. During Meiji era, the modern style of tea ceremony using chairs were newly introduced. There are also Chashitsu designed and designated for this style of tea ceremony.

(Hayao Ono)