BonryakuTemae 【Japanese Tea Ceremony: Urasenke】

The “Bonryaku” tea serving procedure was designed by the 13th generation Urasenke Grand Tea Master, Ennousai. This procedure can be performed in an authentic tearoom, a Western style living room, or outside as long as you have a tray approximately 30 centimeters in diameter with a standing rim.

Bonryaku Temae

There should also be a set of basic tea utensils such as a tea caddy(棗：なつめ：natsume), a tea scoop（茶杓：ちゃしゃく：chashaku), a linen napkin (茶巾：ちゃきん： a tea whisk) as well as a wastewater receptacle（建水：けんすい：kensui). The standard hot-water equipment for the “Bonryaku” tea serving procedure is a teapot with a handle(鉄瓶：てつびん：tetsuibin) over a small brazier(瓶掛：びんかけ：binkake).

Click here>>>Yamamichi Bon Assortment Tea Tools

Click here>>>Red Painting Kensui

Click here>>>Iwachu Japanese Iron Tetsubin Teapot

Table Bonryaku Temae

You can substitute the teapot and brazier with a typical hot-water kettle or a thermos, in which cases, the procedures will change accordingly.Here, the host is using a Hydro Frask water bottle in a Balinese Rattan basket. The Rattan trays are used for serving sweets and thin tea as well.

Purification Utensils

• The host folds the fukusa, or the silk napkin and starts purifying the tea container with the fukusa.
• Needless to say, each utensil is previously examined and carefully cleaned in the preparation room.
• Therefore, this purification process in front of the guest is a sign of spiritual purification rather than the physical purification.
• The host then refolds the fukusa to purify the tea scoop by sliding the fukusa down to the end of the scoop a few times.
• The upper and lower surfaces of the tea scoop are purified.
• The tea scoop is placed diagonally on the near side of the tray next to the tea bowl, resting its handle on the rim of the tray.
• She takes the tea whisk out of the tea bowl and places it at the 1:30 position of the tray. 
• Then the host takes the linen napkin called “chakin” out of the tea bowl and places it at 3 o’clock position of the tray.

Making and Serving Tea

• The host grabs the water bottle with her left hand and pours hot water into the tea bowl.
• The host takes the tea whisk with her right hand and sets the tea whisk handle on the three o’clock position of the tea bowl.
• The host regrasps the tea whisk, brings it up in the air, rotates it as she brings it back down in the tea bowl.
• She repeats the movement twice.
• The host rinses the tea whisk in the center of the tea bowl with a back and forth motion several times.
• The host takes the tea bowl with her right hand and passes it to her left hand to throw away the water in the wastewater receptacle.
• The host takes the linen napkin with her right hand. 
• Hangs it over the rim of the tea bowl right above her left thumb.
• The host rotates the tea bowl three times from thumb to thumb in order to wipe the tea bowl.
• The host lays it inside the tea bowl to wipe the interior of the tea bowl.
• The tea bowl is placed back on the tray with your right hand.
• The host picks up the tea scoop and offers the sweets to the main guest by saying okashiwo dozo, which means please enjoy your sweets.
• The host takes the tea container with her left hand and opens the cover with her right hand.
• The host scoops green tea powder twice from the tea container.
• The host gently taps against the rim of the tea bowl with her tea scoop to remove the excess tea powder. 
• The host closes the cover of the tea container and places the tea container back on the tray.
• The host pours hot water into the tea bowl.
• The host takes the tea whisk and whisks the green tea to make a nice froth on the surface.
• When the tea is ready, the host puts the tea whisk back on the tray.
• The host picks up the tea bowl with her right hand and puts it on her left palm and turns the tea ball twice clockwise to face the center of the tea bowl to the guest.

Concluding the Temae

• The main guest returns the tea bowl back to the host after drinking the thin tea.
• The host takes the return-tea bowl with her right hand and places it on her left palm to check inside.
• The host pours hot water into the tea bowl.
• The host picks up the tea bowl with her right hand, transfers it to her left hand, and throw away the hot water in the wastewater receptacle.
• The main guest asks the host to end the tea serving procedure and the host acknowledges the comment and says “the tea serving procedure will be concluded while bowing.
• The host pours hot water into the tea bowl again.
• The host then takes the tea whisk with her right hand immediately rinses the whisk inside the tea bowl.
• The host places its handle on the rim of the tea bowl, re-grasps the whisk handle and brings it up in the air to examine the bristles after putting the tea whisk back on the tray.
• The host takes the the tea bowl with a right hand passes it to her left hand to throw away the water into the wastewater receptacle.
• The host picks up the linen napkin from the tray and places it inside the tea bowl. 
• The host puts the tea whisk inside the tea bowl.
• The host starts folding the fukusa to purify the tea scoop. 
• The host puts the scoop back on the tea bowl face down.
• The host pads the fukusa twice above the waste water receptacle to dust off the green tea powder.
• The host puts the fukusa back on her belt.

If you want to learn bonryakutemae more, this book is for you.

Click here>>>Urasenke tea procedure Guidebook 1 Introductory Level