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My second semester of Urasenke has been an enlightening one.\u00a0 I have learned many things about tea ceremony, not least of which were the final steps of the process itself.\u00a0 While gaining an initiate\u2019s grasp of the movements themselves and allowing muscle memory to develop, I have taken a class pertaining to the history and cultural background of tea ceremony. I have been able to discern, to some minor extent, the meaning of the aesthetics of tea ceremony and the importance of the pottery, and the philosophy behind each tea gathering.\u00a0 Understanding the way tea ceremony changes according to season is another facet of tea ceremony I have enjoyed studying.\u00a0 I wish there had been further opportunities to study, as only two sessions a month is rather few, but each one is rewarding and helpful in a new way.\u00a0 Finally beginning to understand the minimalist wabi-sabi aesthetic with my own hands is something that has had a profound impact on my understanding of Japanese culture and history.<\/p>\n
My study of Japanese history has changed substantially during my time in Kyoto because I have been able to connect to historical Japanese people in a way I could not before.\u00a0 Tea ceremony has been a large part of that.\u00a0 Making the same movements in the same order as Date Masamune or Toyotomi Hideyoshi; it brings an entirely new meaning to my understanding of the role tea ceremony played in their lives and decisions.\u00a0 Those connections to Japan\u2019s history lie in more than just the movements in the process.\u00a0 Each tea style is a family-owned franchise which only sons can inherit.\u00a0 The various providers of tea utensils are themselves family run and approved by the family heads of the tea schools.\u00a0 The answers to many things about Japanese history lie in the microcosm of Japanese society that is the tea room.<\/p>\n
My CIP has been a critical piece of my learning experience in Japan. \u00a0I have met many people and learned about the meaning tea ceremony has for them in their everyday lives.\u00a0 I have connected with the community in Imadegawa and Kyoto in a way I could not have otherwise.\u00a0 My study of tea ceremony has also enabled to me to form a better connection with my host family.\u00a0 My host grandfather\u2019s matrilineal grandfather was a famous potter and there is an entire family of potters living in our neighborhood, not to mention a tea ceremony teacher.\u00a0 I have come to realize that different pieces of tea ceremony, whether it is the philosophical tenets or the material tools, permeate Japanese society at every level.\u00a0 I fully intend to continue my study of tea ceremony to the extent that I am able once I have returned to America.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My second semester of Urasenke has been an enlightening one.\u00a0 I have learned many things about tea cere … \u7d9a\u304d\u3092\u8aad\u3080