In the 1930s Dr. Howard Martin returned from Japan with a large number of Japanese books which he then donated to Monmouth College. Many of these books are exquisite examples of the Japanese bookbinder’s art, which is famous worldwide. For instance, this title is not only found inside a slipcover with pictures on the front and back, but the striped fabric cover of the book itself is a beautiful example of Japanese detailing.
The book itself presents an English language version of the art of drinking tea, a subject taken very seriously by many nations in the Far East, especially Japan and China. In Japanese culture, one is not just invited over for a microwaved mug of hot water with a teabag in it, but one can be treated to a centuries’ old ritual involving a number of special implements, towels, cups, saucers and tea pots.
This book goes into detail not only on the tea ceremony itself, but describes the proper setting for such a ceremony.
In the past, it was customary for wealthy people to have a tea house on their property, where the tea ceremony could be performed properly for the family and guests. There are numerous “schools” of the tea ceremony, with each ones rituals being slightly different. A short history of the tea ceremony is given at the beginning of the book and some of the schools are mentioned. However this book was printed for the traveler to Japan to learn something about the tea ceremony, so it just gives a general overview of the ceremony.
The Special Collections title referred to above is not the only example of tea ceremony titles held by Hewes Library. There is a book from the 1960’s on the tea ceremony found in the regular collection and one found in the oversize collection. Monmouth College is also one of the few places with copies of a magazine devoted to the culture of tea, Chanyou Quarterly, Tea and the Arts of Japan. This title, published by the Urasenke school of tea ceremonies can be found in the basement periodicals section.
The tea ceremony is not dead, but alive and well with many practitioners found in America. There are several videos on YouTube of the tea ceremony; here is a link to a short one (8 minutes) which demonstrates the simplest form of tea ceremony: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebQ384WZ5Po
For those with more interest, here is a link to a long video demonstrating the Urasenke tea ceremony in full (nearly 30 minutes in length) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCM6l1r1SqQ
The tea ceremony encourages relaxation and refreshment, so during exams, take a little time to have your own tea ceremony. Have a cup of tea and take a short breather before hitting the books again.
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