The history of the Japanese tea ceremony (Chado or Chanoyu) is too often told without the sociopolitical context that was essential to its popularity as it took hold in the 16th century. In this article, we look at relationship between Chado and political power—a relationship that helped cement its prominent influence on Japanese culture for the next 4 centuries.

In this article, tea aficionado Jim Burridge offers commentary on two books that examine who practiced tea ceremony, what it has meant and what social and cultural roles it has played over the centuries. They are titled: Making Tea, Making Japan: Cultural Nationalism in Practice by Kristin Surak, and Cultivating Femininity: Women and Tea Culture in Edo and Meiji Japan by Rebecca Corbett.

 

 

The best places in Tokyo to experience matcha in the setting of Chanoyu, the Japanese tea ceremony.