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Korean Tea CeremonyThe Korean tea ceremony is a unique form of tea ceremony practiced in Korea for over a thousand years. The Korean tea ceremony drew its inspiration from China and preceded the Japanese Tea Ceremony by several centuries. The chief differences between the Korean and Japanese ceremonies is that of Korean ease and naturalness against Japanese absolutism in ritual and artifice. Tea ceremonies are now being revived in Korea as a way to find relaxation and harmony in the fast-paced new Korean culture. History The first historical record documenting the offering of tea to an ancestral god describes a rite tin the year 661 in which a tea offering was made to the spirit of Kong Suro, the founder of the Kaya Kingdom (A.D. 42-562). Records from the Koryo Dynasty (918-1392) show that tea offerings were made in Buddhist temples to the spirits of revered monks. During the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the royal Yi family and the aristocracy used tea for simple rites, the "Day Tea Rite" was a common daytime ceremony, whereas the "Special Tea Rite" was reserved for specific occasions. These terms are not found in other countries. Toward the end of the Joseon Dynasty, commoners joined the trend and used tea for ancestral rites, following the Chinese example based on Zhu Xi's text formalities of Family. Equipment Korean tea ceremonies follow the seasons, and the ceramics and metalware used so vary. Religious traditions were influential. Stoneware was common, ceramic more frequent, mostly made in provincial kilns, with porcelain rare, imperial porcelain with dragons the rarest. Examples of equipment used in this ceremony are also discussed in the general entry Korean Ceramics as well as the more specific Korean pottery with images cited. Historically the appearance of the bowls and cups is naturalistic, with a division according to religious influence. Celadon or jade green, "punchong", or bronze-like weathered patinas for Buddhist tea rituals; the purest of white with faint designs in porcelain for Confucian tea rituals; and coarser porcelains and ash-stone glazes for animist tea rituals, or for export to Japan where they were known as "gohan chawan". An aesthetic of rough surface texture from a clay and sand mix with a thin glazing were particularly prized and copied. The randomness of this creation was said to provide a "now moment of reality" treasured by tea masters. Glazing has very rich texture and variations between many tones occur that change colour according to light and season. Clay used was generally light, with celadon clays being particularly prized. Glazing tricks could imitate most materials: from bamboo, through pebbles in rivers, through tree-bark, to human skin, with rare and unique glazes that gave tiger's eye, peach, or snow-like attributes in deep snow-drift glazes or fine etched white porcelain.Thus enhancing memories of seasons, poems, writings, or still moments. Potting style, glazing, form vary according to date. Old designs are still kept up, and exports to Japan were significant, from the late 16th century onwards. Korean potters such as the Yi Sukkwang and Yi Kyong brothers transferred traditional styles abroad that became known as the "Hagi" styles. Individual families of potters and provincial kilns provided highly individual glazes whose depth identifies the best middle Yi Dynasty wares. Summer tea equipment consisted of "katade" bowls that were 5cm tall and 12cm wide, so as to provide maximum cooling surface. Within that circular bowl hot water would be emplaced, then poured into a teapot. The leaves within the teapot would then be heated, and then with two hands the tea would be poured into smaller matching cups with a cover placed on a rough wood or laquer table. The tea would be had by lifting the cover while drinking so as not to show the open mouth. Cups were very small. Tea would be taken cool. Autumn and winter tea equipment consisted of taller narrower bowls such as the "irabo" style that would contain and maintain heat. Typically of spiral construction, shallow, with a high rim. Once again tea made within that bowl would then be taken into heated teapots, and poured centered over a smaller matching cup with cover. Tea would be taken hot. And once again repeatedly poured in small spurts from cup to cup so as to prevent flavour concentrated in one cup. Unlike the Chinese tradition, no Korean tea vessels used in the ceremony are tested for a fine musical note. Judgment instead is based on naturalness in form, emotion, and colouring. A Natural Approach to Tea Central to the Korean approach to tea is an easy and natural coherence, with less formal rituals, fewer absolutes, greater freedom for relaxation, and more creativity in enjoying a wider variety of teas, services, and conversation. This leads to a wider variance of teahouse design, tea garden entries and gardens, different use and styles of teawares, and regional variations in choice of tea, choice of cakes and biscuits and snacks, seasonal and temporal variations, and the acoustic and visual ambiance of Korean teahouses. Tea storage containers were often large - being made of clay coils, finished on potter's wheels, and 3/4 glazed from within the kiln itself as wood burned. Natural green ash glazes were typical. A wood scoop with a long handle often a split bamboo with a scoop end would be used to retrieve the tea. Water for tea is generally the best local water, and at times some of the best Korean teahouses had their own small springs. Water is brought to boil above a wood fire, then poured into a teapot then brought immediately to service. Tea is poured initially by a tea hostess into warmed cups from a heated teapot at a distance above the first cup so as to create a controlled flow of tea with attractive bubbles, which is done to create good luck. As Korean tea was often green tea, even small leaves were rare. Kinds of Tea The earliest kinds of tea used in tea ceremonies were heavily pressed cakes of black tea, the equivalent of aged "pu-er" tea still popular in China. Vintages of tea were respected, and tea of great age imported from China had a certain popularity at court. However, importation of tea plants by Buddhist monks brought a more delicate series of teas into Korea, and the tea ceremony. While green tea, "chaksol" or "chugno", is most often served, other teas such as "Byeoksoryung" Chunhachoon, Woojeon, Jakseol, Jookro, Okcheon, as well as native chrysanthemum tea, persimmon leaf tea, or mugwort tea may be served at different times of the year. Korean teas were divided into the five different tastes: bitterness, sweetness, astringency, saltiness and "sourness". Aging is rare and most teas are consumed as fresh as possible, with particular note to new harvests. Tea regions were famous for having a higher note on one of these dimensions than others: Jeju island, contemporarily, has teas with more salt in them from the ocean winds; other elements are brought out by different means of cooking the leaves, or hardness of water. Teas also evoke four kinds of thought for Korean buddhists: peacefulness, respectfulness, purity and quietness. Those teas that bring out more of these qualities are prized. Contemporary Revival of Tea Ceremonies at Panyaro Institute The Panyaro Institute for the Promotion of the Way of Tea was founded to perpetuate the lifelong work of the celebrated Korean Tea Master, the Venerable Hyodang, who devoted sixty years of his life to a study of the teachings of the great Korean spiritual master Wonhyo and to the elaboration of methods of using tea in meditation. Hyodang contributed to the culture of tea in three major ways: First, he published the first Korean book consecrated to the Way of Tea, "The Korean Way of Tea", a work that continues to inspire readers interested in Korean tea culture. Second, he transmitted the particular method of making the green tea known as Panyaro. Third, he founded the first association of Koreans interested in the study of tea, the "Korean Association for the Way of Tea". Hyodang was also the first to give ordinary readers an awareness of the significance of the life of the Venerable Ch'o-ui, the early 19th century tea master, through a series of articles published in a popular newspaper. Just as Ch'o-ui led the revival of interest in tea in his time, so Hyodang led the modern revival. In 1981 Chae Won-hwa launched what became the Panyaro Institute for the Promotion of the Way of Tea, and by November 1995 he had established a formal graduation ceremony for those who had completed the full course of study. Such ceremonies are now held each year. External links English Korean
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