
Item | Tsutsugaki Solid Indigo Cotton Marital Celebratory Futon Cover A wonderful array of tea making utensil (chadogu) images celebrating the Japanese tea ceremony (sado, the way of tea). |
Age |
Late 1800s to Early 1900s From Shikoku Island, the birthplace of revered Buddhist ascetic Kobo Daishi (774–835). Shikoku Island is synonymous with natural beauty and the pursuit of spiritual perfection, both important elements of the time-honored tea ceremony. |
Fabric | 100% Cotton We have washed and ironed this textile. |
Size |
4.1 X 5.4 feet 125 X 165 cm Medium-Heavy Weight, Strong, Thick, Soft Fabric, 13 oz, 365 g |
Condition |
Good Overall Condition No spots, no tears but several small holes bottom right area as seen in photos. The base indigo fabric has somewhat faded to where it shows a somewhat blue-green color. See 2nd to last photo for this condition. |
Comments |
The Japanese tea ceremony aesthetic has its origins with the introduction of Buddhism from China more than 1300 years ago.
The tea ceremony is a choreographic ritual of preparing and serving a specially processed green tea, called Matcha, together with traditional Japanese sweets to balance with the bitter taste of the tea. Preparing tea in this ceremony means pouring all one's attention into the predefined movements. The whole process is not about drinking tea, but is about aesthetics, preparing a bowl of tea from one's heart. The host of the ceremony always considers the guests with every movement and gesture. Even the placement of the tea utensils is considered from the guests view point Tea ceremony tea (matcha) is a finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea leaves. It is special in two aspects of farming and processing: the green tea plants are shade-grown for about three weeks before harvest and the stems and veins are removed. During shaded growth, the tea plant produces quantities of theanine and caffeine. This combination of chemicals is considered to account for the calm energy people often feel from drinking matcha. The powdered form of matcha is made differently from tea leaves or tea bags in that it is dissolved in hot water. |