Allison Lee | HSIE Teacher

The Way of the Tea: Year 12 Society and Culture 2019

Year 12 Society and Culture students attended an incursion on Friday 15 February to watch a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony (Chado or Way of the Tea) in the Urasenke tradition, presented by Ryoko Omachi, Wendy Lin, Mio Terasaki and Robert Davies.

The students have just completed the core unit, Social and Cultural Continuity and Change with the focus study being Japan. As part of this unit they have looked at Japanese traditional culture, gender roles and the status of men and women, as well as an exploration of the beliefs and values of this society. To further the students’ understanding of these values, roles and culture they listened to a presentation about the history of Chado and how it has changed and retained continuities over time.

Two lucky students, Saachi Owen and Charli Krite, were able to participate in the ceremony, guided by Wendy Lin as to the correct etiquette to exhibit during the procedure. The tea ceremony emphasises the principles of harmony, respect, purity and tranquillity, and ritualised movements within the procedure encapsulate these values. Afterwards all of the students, and our Principal, Andrew Watt, who attended the event, were invited to ask questions of our hosts, partake of the traditional sweets and tea, and try their hand at whisking the matcha tea itself.