How to drink the standard Japanese tea ceremony?
In the early days of the Japanese tea ceremony in Nara (the eighth century), Tang Priest sent by Japan brought tea seeds back to Japan for planting, and also brought back the methods of "offering tea" and "giving tea" popular in temples in the Tang Dynasty. However, tea tasting is limited to monasteries and has not been extended to the people. After Lu Yu wrote the Book of Tea in the Tang Dynasty, tea tasting went from temples to folk, and literati appeared to drink tea. "Tuancha", which was popular in Nara era, heian period and Japan, was a kind of tea used by literati in the Tang Dynasty. The method of making "Tuancha" is not difficult, as long as the tea leaves are dried, pounded into powder with a tea mortar, kneaded into balls with a little water, dried and stored for later use. In the middle period of Heian (the end of the ninth century), Japan abolished its diplomatic envoys in Tang Dynasty, so "group tea" gradually disappeared and was replaced by "matcha" which prevailed in Song Dynasty. The method of making "matcha" is to pound refined tea leaves into powder with a tea mortar, put water into the tea powder when drinking, and stir it evenly with a tea basket (bamboo brush) to drink, which is nutritious and delicious. In the early Kamakura period (13rd century), the famous monk Master Rong Xi came to China for the second time. After returning to Japan, he opened a tea garden and wrote "Drinking Tea for Health", arguing that drinking tea can prolong life and promote the popularization of "matcha". The Song Dynasty initiated the "Tea Fight", which first appeared among literati in the form of entertainment. The teahouse of "Doucha" is generally a two-story building, which was called "Tea Pavilion" at that time. The guests wait in the "sitting room" downstairs until the owner of the tea pavilion invites them, and then go to the "Taige" on the second floor for tea. "Taige" has windows on all sides, overlooking the outdoor scenery. Famous paintings are hung on the indoor screen, and the table in front of the screen is covered with brocade with incense burners, vases and candlesticks. There are a pair of decorative cabinets in the west wing room, which are filled with luxurious prizes, and the winners can become the owners of the prizes. "Fighting tea" adopts the method of "four kinds and ten portions". Each contestant drinks ten servings of four kinds of matcha, and then tells the "right and wrong" and "water quality" of the tea, and decides the winner according to the score. The "origin" of tea refers to local tea and non-local tea, and "water quality" refers to the quality of water used for tea making, that is, water source. From the Southern and Northern Dynasties (1336) to the mid-Muromachi period (the mid-15th century), the method of "fighting tea" and tea kiosks almost completely imitated China. However, after the mid-Muromachi period, Chinese tea kiosks were abolished and used as clubs to hold songs and concerts. The taste of "fighting tea" has gradually become Japanese, and people no longer pay attention to luxury, but pay more attention to elegant taste. Thus, the aristocratic tea ware and the popular way of tea tasting appeared. Zhuguang formulated the first tea tasting method, so he was called "the ancestor of tea tasting" by later generations. Zhuguang changed tea tasting from entertainment to tea ceremony. Zhu Guangliu's tea ceremony has gone through several generations, and a tea ceremony master appeared at the end of Muromachi. Mori Noriko and Mori Noriko founded Li Xiuliu Caoan Wind Tea Method, which was popular all over the world for a while and pushed the development of tea ceremony to the peak. Mori no Rikyū is known as "the first person in the world's tea ceremony" and has become the absolute authority of the tea ceremony industry. Senoriki's popularity among the people threatens the authority of those in power. The foul-mouthed General Toyotomi Hideyoshi issued a decree on the status of scholars, farmers and businessmen, and ordered Sen Noriky to commit suicide by caesarean section on trumped-up charges. After Morino's death, his successor took over, and there appeared thousands of schools, such as "expressing thousands", "Li Qian" and "fighters walking on the road of thousands". All schools of tea ceremony basically adopt matcha method, but as early as the Edo period (1the end of the 6th century), the upsurge of tea frying initiated by China in the Ming Dynasty began among scholars. The tea frying method does not require much for tea. Simply dry ordinary tea leaves, then steam them, rub them open by hand, put them in a teapot and brew them with boiling water, and then pour them into a tea bowl for drinking. In fact, at that time, people called this method "flooding tea", but the real "frying tea" method was different. Pour boiling water into the tea bowl first, and then put the tea in it to drink. Modern people collectively call it fried tea. Because frying tea is convenient and not limited by the venue, it is widely used in modern families. Of course, the traditional matcha method is still the main method in formal tea parties or reception of important people.