This Japanese Tea Master Has Been Hosting Ceremonies for Decades | National Geographic

[@NatGeo]

The Japanese tea ceremony is a fine art that requires a lot of attention and care. What are your thoughts on this method of serving tea?

[@morganolfursson2560]

I studied the tea ceremony in Japan for over 15 years , and kept on studying after i left Japan and have now been studying and practicing for nearly 30 years. Maybe i haven't studied enough or maybe i will never get it because i am not smart enough, but although i find the principles of the tea ceremony absolutely wonderful i find the tea ceremony today in Japan to be merely a business, run by a few families throughout Japan and that the Motto is not Wa Kei Sei Jaku (peace, respect, harmony and serenity) but rather Kane, Kane, Kane, Kane (money, money, money, money). The tea ceremony style i studied, which was also Urasenke and especially the Wabi Cha, was based on simplicity and humility, poverty even It was the tea made by monks in huts with very simple and unostentatious utensils. But i soon realized that a tea bowl could fetch for over a 100 000 dollars and a spoon owned by a famous master could go for over a million at private auctions. I also realized that the masters and the instructors teaching a simple and unostentatious lifestyle, were all millionaires and lived a very lavish lifestyle outside the Chashitsu. This very quickly started to bother me and i started asking questions, which were not welcome. I changed style and started studying with actual monks and then with actual hermit at the zen monastery of Eiheiji where i spent three years studying tea and Zen. There and only there have i found something that seemed close to the original meaning of the tea ceremony and definitely found peace, respect, harmony, purity and serenity. I do not want to diss my former teachers from the Urasenke School or other teachers and masters from the Omotesenke or Mushanokojisenke or so many others who claim to be the true path of tea. But to be quite honest they all reminded me of Marie Antoinette in her Petit Trianon . The Petit Trainon is a part of Versailles that was offered by Louis the XVI to Marie Antoinette and wehere she lived like a shepherdess . She had an entire fake village built with actual villagers living in it but who were actual actors and workers for Marie Antoinette so she could pretend to live like a peasant, far from the luxury of Versailles, while still remaining the Queen and the richest woman in France. It may seem cute but it is also extremely condescending toward actual peasants and poor people who had to see their kids starve while Marie Antoinette dined in her little cottage out of the finest porcelain, eating dishes prepared by chef and wasting more food in a day than a poor family could ever have in a month. Those tea teachers and masters are like aristocrats pretending to live like hermits while asking for money in exchange for teaching the tea ceremony which they claim to be based on poverty. The contrast and contradiction become very quickly disturbing when you experience it first hand like any other teacher, but unlike most of the other teacher, questions what i was taught. One thing which disturbed me the most was that, although during lessons we were only served tea and cakes (and taught later own how to prepare the Kaiseki or meal served in full tea ceremonies, called Chaji , as opposed to Chakai when only tea and cakes are served), we (the students and teachers) were sometimes going out for dinner and then i could see my fellow students and my teachers eating out . And this is when it struck me that this was all a masquerade. The tea ceremony is based not only on simplicity and poverty and respect of naturebut it is also based on Zen. Zen is the true basis of the tea ceremony and its values. I had started studying zen at the same time and we were taught a few Zen teaching during the lessons. But to me the first thing important about zen was the respect of nature and the respect of life. Any true Zen master is de facto vegetarian or vegan as i was (and still am) because not taking animal life is one of the most fundamental principle of Zen. And here i was at these expensive exclusive restaurant with the other students and our teachers, all of them eating meat and fish , all of them in their most expensive Kimono and accessories. And i thought , where is the Zen teaching of respect for nature and animals and where is the unostentatious spirit and style of poverty. There i was in the Petit Trianon with Marie Antoinette and her friends and i was the only one thinking that it was very wrong. I left soon afterwards the lessons and started looking for true teachers and masters. I found them at Eiheiji and other simple places even in the heart of Tokyo , among simple people, with simple and beautiful values. This video is funny to watch for me. because this lady is wearing an extremely expensive Kimono and talks about the values of the tea ceremony, but not a single time does she mention the Zen Values attached to it. And , although i may be wrong, i am pretty sure that she had fish for lunch and may have steak for dinner.

[@saffron1996]

@@morganolfursson2560 i totally agree with you here as somebody who is only halfway into learning.

[@azeoprop]

I drink tea or matcha daily and i always take a photo of my cup of tea everyday. This could be the happiest time of my day on some days especially dring this covid.

[@emfox6280]

@@morganolfursson2560 you are stunningly ignorant of Japanese culture and totally lacking in your understanding of Zen.

[@EmmaAppleBerry]

Gorgeous woman, gorgeous philosophy. What an artform.

[@NurseRii]

She’s so peaceful.

[@donabelreyes6423]

I love her tranquility, that aura of gentleness 🍃🌿🌾

[@Sarah_Grant]

This could have been way longer. I could watch the beauty of this lady all day.

[@Malkav]

It was a privilege to meet and watch her explain the history of macha as well as the origin of the tea ceremony last April during the Japanese Festival in Washington DC.

[@RedWaterGlow]

I'm obsessed with her voice.

[@MA-md8eu]

CocoIIV I'm Japanese but I love my parents voice. And the way they talk slowly makes me sleep.

[@rubensalazar8450]

such a graceful woman she is

[@stevenzin5834]

A story too beautiful and peaceful to be this short.

[@monkeydo992]

Her voice is so calming

[@katrinae5422]

She has amazing skin for her age! Unbelievable.

[@dankhnw8]

She's so sweet and gentle. Peaceful

[@maevenoor7980]

What a gentle lady! I love watching tea ceremonies. It is so relaxing to watch each elegant and deliberate little movement. Like a spa, for your mind. Although I do like my tea different than the traditional "pure" way of Japan. Sugar and lemon, yes please!

[@NatGeo]

We agree, Maeve! Tea ceremonies help people relax even if they're not directly participating. We're glad you enjoyed watching!

[@logicandreason3812]

What a lucky woman.

[@jgbs8710]

Logic and Reason woman*

[@dustinadams1394]

whamen*

[@logicandreason3812]

ty

[@Solitude1990]

She has such beautiful skin. Oh my god. I'm not just interested in her tea making skills, I want her skin regime as well.

[@m1coc441]

I love natgeo it teaches us so much

[@romeosantos9006]

She revealed just a tiny bit of her three-year learning. What could appear such a simple, no-brainer rite is actually complicated, yet simple, and meticulous to the finest details. Not revealing everything is part of the mystery of Japanese culture, indeed, of many other oriental cultures. Attention to detail makes Japan very distinctive - it has served it well, as excellence in things both small and big, must shine through.

[@arandompasserby1725]

i love the sparkle in her eyes, it's as if even if 66 years has passed, her passion still gleaming her soul

[@BumbleBeeBeeRock]

すばらしい

[@KenjiSummers]

This is beautiful

[@inflexibleprick1709]

*_What a beautiful woman._*

[@Enlightened0ne]

Thank you for sharing those wonderful memories with us stangers,

[@VerryLongName]

I read the title as “This Japanese Tea Monster...”

[@jtlove8776]

What a captivating story... I wanted to hear more

[@JuniperTreeee]

What a wonderful story.

[@averyvaughnwallace5112]

I love the Japanese. Their culture seems more peaceful than most and I love it.

[@pleplop3683]

I'd love to have a tea now😁

[@YodaDJmaster]

She speaks _incredibly quickly_ for someone her age!

[@malih7777]

Art.

[@Tatsahdasaygo]

Miss One Thousand Spring Blossoms...♥️👍

[@morganolfursson2560]

I studied the tea ceremony in Japan for over 15 years , and kept on studying after i left Japan and have now been studying and practicing for nearly 30 years. Maybe i haven't studied enough or maybe i will never get it because i am not smart enough, but although i find the principles of the tea ceremony absolutely wonderful i find the tea ceremony today in Japan to be merely a business, run by a few families throughout Japan and that the Motto is not Wa Kei Sei Jaku (peace, respect, harmony and serenity) but rather Kane, Kane, Kane, Kane (money, money, money, money). The tea ceremony style i studied, which was also Urasenke and especially the Wabi Cha, was based on simplicity and humility, poverty even It was the tea made by monks in huts with very simple and unostentatious utensils. But i soon realized that a tea bowl could fetch for over a 100 000 dollars and a spoon owned by a famous master could go for over a million at private auctions. I also realized that the masters and the instructors teaching a simple and unostentatious lifestyle, were all millionaires and lived a very lavish lifestyle outside the Chashitsu. This very quickly started to bother me and i started asking questions, which were not welcome. I changed style and started studying with actual monks and then with actual hermit at the zen monastery of Eiheiji where i spent three years studying tea and Zen. There and only there have i found something that seemed close to the original meaning of the tea ceremony and definitely found peace, respect, harmony, purity and serenity. I do not want to diss my former teachers from the Urasenke School or other teachers and masters from the Omotesenke or Mushanokojisenke or so many others who claim to be the true path of tea. But to be quite honest they all reminded me of Marie Antoinette in her Petit Trianon . The Petit Trainon is a part of Versailles that was offered by Louis the XVI to Marie Antoinette and wehere she lived like a shepherdess . She had an entire fake village built with actual villagers living in it but who were actual actors and workers for Marie Antoinette so she could pretend to live like a peasant, far from the luxury of Versailles, while still remaining the Queen and the richest woman in France. It may seem cute but it is also extremely condescending toward actual peasants and poor people who had to see their kids starve while Marie Antoinette dined in her little cottage out of the finest porcelain, eating dishes prepared by chef and wasting more food in a day than a poor family could ever have in a month. Those tea teachers and masters are like aristocrats pretending to live like hermits while asking for money in exchange for teaching the tea ceremony which they claim to be based on poverty. The contrast and contradiction become very quickly disturbing when you experience it first hand like any other teacher, but unlike most of the other teacher, questions what i was taught. One thing which disturbed me the most was that, although during lessons we were only served tea and cakes (and taught later own how to prepare the Kaiseki or meal served in full tea ceremonies, called Chaji , as opposed to Chakai when only tea and cakes are served), we (the students and teachers) were sometimes going out for dinner and then i could see my fellow students and my teachers eating out . And this is when it struck me that this was all a masquerade. The tea ceremony is based not only on simplicity and poverty and respect of naturebut it is also based on Zen. Zen is the true basis of the tea ceremony and its values. I had started studying zen at the same time and we were taught a few Zen teaching during the lessons. But to me the first thing important about zen was the respect of nature and the respect of life. Any true Zen master is de facto vegetarian or vegan as i was (and still am) because not taking animal life is one of the most fundamental principle of Zen. And here i was at these expensive exclusive restaurant with the other students and our teachers, all of them eating meat and fish , all of them in their most expensive Kimono and accessories. And i thought , where is the Zen teaching of respect for nature and animals and where is the unostentatious spirit and style of poverty. There i was in the Petit Trianon with Marie Antoinette and her friends and i was the only one thinking that it was very wrong. I left soon afterwards the lessons and started looking for true teachers and masters. I found them at Eiheiji and other simple places even in the heart of Tokyo , among simple people, with simple and beautiful values. This video is funny to watch for me. because this lady is wearing an extremely expensive Kimono and talks about the values of the tea ceremony, but not a single time does she mention the Zen Values attached to it. And , although i may be wrong, i am pretty sure that she had fish for lunch and may have steak for dinner.

[@jrak]

In Tea Drinking She's The Greatest of All Time , total legend = mythical

[@mcatherine36]

I love NatGeo so much it allows us to learn about so many different things and perspectives in the world I'm so grateful for all the content that it provides to us!!

[@gulaykayaoglu]

her voice is so pretty

[@JCB576]

if I would be urged describe this video in just two words, they would be happines and peace

[@atranas6018]

Tea bender

[@anonymousstout4759]

Tea time desu!!~~

[@TheTractorjaws]

Very beautiful!

[@leckertoastbrot6532]

Beautiful video :)

[@Sam_A_Sam]

So amazing and beautiful. I hope I get to be a guest at her tea ceremony one day...

[@BelloBudo007]

Wonderful story from a very graceful tea master. I wonder if she is regarded as a Japanese Treasure?

[@raysa3429]

this is a great video, but the subtitles are really lazy! she explained the tea making process with much more detail and a bunch of places are just skipped for no reason? whyyyy

[@Pinkpalmpuffan4ever]

i love tea!!!!!

[@riley6681]

Really beautiful music.

[@virgenfj]

I love matcha!!!!!!!! It gives me peaceful energy.

[@NatGeo]

Matcha is great! Did you know that it was worth more than gold when it was first introduced to Japan at least 800 years ago?

[@jeenabittenbender7205]

Fascinating

[@lidette711]

I want to experience a tea ceremony at least once. :)

[@onyxmoon4843]

😍😍😍

[@ThisIsJoe11]

awesome video!

[@Happy_HIbiscus]

dude, this is cool

[@Soldierboss]

I did a project about this. This would've been beneficial to me if this was available.

[@HandersonDTjia]

Anyone knows the title of tbe music? It's so relaxing...

[@carloshumbertocacaofiguero7556]

Se dice que un cuenco de té no es hermoso si carece de defectos. La belleza integra las imperfecciones

[@ivomdcoliveira]

National Geographic why did you made the documentary about Muslims in America only available to people based on USA? I'm not from USA but I'm interested in the documentary and i am for sure not the only one.

[@OrganicGreens]

Makes me think it might have some kind of propaganda

[@ndbd9drn]

Viewing it from Europe. Just asked my friend in Singapore to try watching it, works too.

[@ivomdcoliveira]

Rina R. N. I mean: America Inside Out , The Muslim next door. I'm based in Germany and can't see it.

[@OrganicGreens]

try a few free online proxy's if you know how just google it

[@V4nQuish1]

That's weird. It's a very good documentary offering very different perspectives, I hope they fix it soon.

[@oisincollins9119]

Lovely video, but most of the subtitles are way off in terms of timing and accuracy. 字幕はもう少し気を付けた方がいいと思いますよ。タイミングや内容のずれがたくさんあります。

[@AnimalsAndReports]

Tea party

[@goldsknight1674]

TIME FOR A TEA PARTY

[@SarahCarrico]

いいねー

[@SlipperySoup-pg4in]

Not your fault, but the subtitles are incredibly lazy with so much good bits skipped unnecessarily. I don't know if the transcriptor or translator did not understand her dialect or what.

[@havingicecream]

Y Y right? I think there was a whole chunk missimg about her greeting the guests and such

[@NewMessage]

'Soybean' is also her Rapper name.

[@DakotaRae2211]

I now feel like the way I make tea is disrespectful.

[@xeniadono]

Those who disliked this video, why???

[@locoHAWAIIANkane]

A true tea ceremony involves all of the senses. This is just one aspect of the ceremony but beautiful nonetheless.

[@morganolfursson2560]

I studied the tea ceremony in Japan for over 15 years , and kept on studying after i left Japan and have now been studying and practicing for nearly 30 years. Maybe i haven't studied enough or maybe i will never get it because i am not smart enough, but although i find the principles of the tea ceremony absolutely wonderful i find the tea ceremony today in Japan to be merely a business, run by a few families throughout Japan and that the Motto is not Wa Kei Sei Jaku (peace, respect, harmony and serenity) but rather Kane, Kane, Kane, Kane (money, money, money, money). The tea ceremony style i studied, which was also Urasenke and especially the Wabi Cha, was based on simplicity and humility, poverty even It was the tea made by monks in huts with very simple and unostentatious utensils. But i soon realized that a tea bowl could fetch for over a 100 000 dollars and a spoon owned by a famous master could go for over a million at private auctions. I also realized that the masters and the instructors teaching a simple and unostentatious lifestyle, were all millionaires and lived a very lavish lifestyle outside the Chashitsu. This very quickly started to bother me and i started asking questions, which were not welcome. I changed style and started studying with actual monks and then with actual hermit at the zen monastery of Eiheiji where i spent three years studying tea and Zen. There and only there have i found something that seemed close to the original meaning of the tea ceremony and definitely found peace, respect, harmony, purity and serenity. I do not want to diss my former teachers from the Urasenke School or other teachers and masters from the Omotesenke or Mushanokojisenke or so many others who claim to be the true path of tea. But to be quite honest they all reminded me of Marie Antoinette in her Petit Trianon . The Petit Trainon is a part of Versailles that was offered by Louis the XVI to Marie Antoinette and wehere she lived like a shepherdess . She had an entire fake village built with actual villagers living in it but who were actual actors and workers for Marie Antoinette so she could pretend to live like a peasant, far from the luxury of Versailles, while still remaining the Queen and the richest woman in France. It may seem cute but it is also extremely condescending toward actual peasants and poor people who had to see their kids starve while Marie Antoinette dined in her little cottage out of the finest porcelain, eating dishes prepared by chef and wasting more food in a day than a poor family could ever have in a month. Those tea teachers and masters are like aristocrats pretending to live like hermits while asking for money in exchange for teaching the tea ceremony which they claim to be based on poverty. The contrast and contradiction become very quickly disturbing when you experience it first hand like any other teacher, but unlike most of the other teacher, questions what i was taught. One thing which disturbed me the most was that, although during lessons we were only served tea and cakes (and taught later own how to prepare the Kaiseki or meal served in full tea ceremonies, called Chaji , as opposed to Chakai when only tea and cakes are served), we (the students and teachers) were sometimes going out for dinner and then i could see my fellow students and my teachers eating out . And this is when it struck me that this was all a masquerade. The tea ceremony is based not only on simplicity and poverty and respect of naturebut it is also based on Zen. Zen is the true basis of the tea ceremony and its values. I had started studying zen at the same time and we were taught a few Zen teaching during the lessons. But to me the first thing important about zen was the respect of nature and the respect of life. Any true Zen master is de facto vegetarian or vegan as i was (and still am) because not taking animal life is one of the most fundamental principle of Zen. And here i was at these expensive exclusive restaurant with the other students and our teachers, all of them eating meat and fish , all of them in their most expensive Kimono and accessories. And i thought , where is the Zen teaching of respect for nature and animals and where is the unostentatious spirit and style of poverty. There i was in the Petit Trianon with Marie Antoinette and her friends and i was the only one thinking that it was very wrong. I left soon afterwards the lessons and started looking for true teachers and masters. I found them at Eiheiji and other simple places even in the heart of Tokyo , among simple people, with simple and beautiful values. This video is funny to watch for me. because this lady is wearing an extremely expensive Kimono and talks about the values of the tea ceremony, but not a single time does she mention the Zen Values attached to it. And , although i may be wrong, i am pretty sure that she had fish for lunch and may have steak for dinner.

[@wallace5464]

@ Prospect Park.

[@candycanenee]

I wish they got a better and much more detail oriented translator/subber. :(

[@chan6586]

わたしも裏~茶道最高∩^ω^∩

[@wren460]

Please explain to me why do you need to study for 3 years so you can pour some wáter and brisk some tea. I am not asking this in a bad way, I just want to know and understand what do they do for 3 years. I mean, it seems to the uneducated eye that this is something that can be learned and mastered in a few days at most. Please educate me

[@JuliaParadisa]

She speaks very quickly and I can't hold her tongue.😕😕...

[@m1coc441]

Early!

[@rohde007]

looks like having 54 yars old, started studying 66 years ago. Asians

[@kismag1042]

First .

[@cloutzondi4104]

1

[@sok1720]

Rule of survival Player/gameplays i

[@kris5357]

Fifth

[@ThatOneRandomDude69]

Fourth