Chajin is the Japanese word for “tea people,” in other words, most of you reading this blog. Chajin are supposed to have especially acute sensibilities to their surroundings, which is akin to saying they have special powers. According to Chado, the Way of Tea by Sasaki Sanmi, “April is the month for this flower and that. The peak time, however, is short-lived, which is exactly one of the beauties of nature chajin appreciate. The theme for tea in the beginning of this month is predominantly cherry blossoms. Tea gatherings are held in the open air with quilted silk outer garments hanging over branches of cherry trees as screens. The chajin must be sensitive to nature, to the feeling of the season.”
The Japanese Tea Ceremony is an embodiment of this philosophy of being in harmony with nature. Every detail of the ceremony, including the setting, the utensils, and the manner of the preparation of the tea, is considered, so as to best reflect “one time, one meeting, one season.” The theme of the season, the taste of the tea, and the mindset we bring to appreciating the tea are never the same twice.
In the Washington, DC area, the cherry blossom trees bloom in late March and early April, putting a smile on the chajin. Blue skies appear more frequently and light winds are refreshing and fragrant with spring flowers and grasses. The heavier teas of winter – malty, roasted, and smoky – seem weary from carrying the burden of winter and are ready to give way to lighter more enchanting teas. Simultaneously, although thousands of miles away, chajin in the West sense the awakening of the tea plants in the East as the first small bud growths appear. For tea people, it is not enough that spring has arrived, equally important is the promise of a new tea harvest soon to follow.
Maybe it is as simple as the ancient Japanese proverb that someone without tea in them is incapable of understanding truth and beauty. To chajin, this is the way (and the why) of tea.
I love it. Chajin…..this is who I am. Thank you for introducing me to this way of tea. Can you provide the phonetic pronunciation?
I live in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area in Hood River Oregon. We are the largest producers of pears in the U.S. and outside my window is endless orchards of pears, cherries and apples. This week-end is the blossom festival – when thousands of acres are in bloom. It’s a sight to behold. It certainly calls to mind the spring harvest of tea which I eagerly await. If only our fertile soil and Pacific Northwest climate was appropriate for tea. One can dream:)
It is kind of amusing how the blossoms from cherry trees get top billing around here. Other similar looking trees blossom at the same time but if the tourists find out they are not cherry blossoms, they put their cameras down.
Love the final sentences:
“Maybe it is as simple as the ancient Japanese proverb that someone without tea in them is incapable of understanding truth and beauty. To chajin, this is the way (and the why) of tea.”
As a tea lover I am predisposed to take it at face value and can hardly wait to assert its undeniable truth with the next non-tea drinker I meet, but among the tea drinking brethren/sisterhood I have to admit that’s a pretty bold statement. Perhaps not suprising that it originated or at least is attributed to the tea culture of Japan. Can you or anyone say anything about the historical origin, philosophical context, or anything more about it? Thanks!