Here is a quote and a few thoughts that came to mind after friends and long-time customers mentioned during a visit to the gallery this week that their son hopes to go into the tea business in their country of Dubai United Arab Emirates.
"The most important pottery of the Cha-no-yu (tea-ceremony) is first the Cha-ire (other name for tea-caddy) and then the Cha-wan (tea-bowl). It is said that among the military class the most precious possessions were first Tea-caddies, second writings and third swords. For this was the order in which they were presented by the Shogun to one he desired to honour."
-- A.L. Sadler.[4]
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16th cen. Japanese Momoyama-Era 'Cha-ire' (tea-caddy) |
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Chinese tea pot 1700s; 'Cha-ire' for coarse tea; modern 'Natsume' tea-caddy; 21st cen. tea pot. |
Knowing that Japan, like my previous country the US, has had a history full of warfare, this statement is rather surprising, that a nation that lived by bushido ('the way of the warrior') would have prized tea implements more highly than the symbol of their identity, the Japanese sword.
A grand old Japanese martial arts master, complete with wispy beard, came to my gallery a few years ago. We sat in tea and conversation looking out over the ocean. He too surprised me when he said that within 50 years, martial arts would be no more, gone, no longer needed.
Times are a-changing. I believe we are moving inextricably into an age of peace, beyond war-economics and the globe's control by shadowy power-brokering secret societies, into an Age where tea will be one of the compelling symbols of the dominance of civil society with its respect for diversity, its celebration of commonality and its essential commitment to the principles of Gaia.
Perhaps tea is a Divine channel for a growing consciousness of Gaia in the minds of humanity?
Tea, a peace potion?
In the meantime, I know that it is delicious, and that Genmaicha, green tea with roasted rice, aka 'Popcorn Tea' is my favourite. So I serve it at the gallery every day....
