Tea Culture of Japan: Chanoyu Past and Present
Published January 20th, 2009
For those who don’t mind hopping on a train to New Haven, Connecticut, the Yale University Art Gallery is hosting an exhibition of 116 tea objects…
that explores the significance of Japanese tea culture and how it evolved from the ninth century to the present. The objects on display include ceramic tea bowls, iron tea kettles, bamboo tea scoops and sake cups as well as Zen-inspired calligraphic scrolls, all from the private collection of Peggy and Richard Danziger.
The organization of the exhibition traces the progression of tea culture throughout history: The first section shows tea drinking practices among Japanese warriors prior to the sixteenth century rise of the wabi aesthetic — a simple, austere yet elegant practice influenced by Zen thought. The second section is devoted to wabi, while a third section explores tea culture in the twenty-first century and its international character.
In addition to the history and objects on display, the exhibition will offer a tea demonstration by Sen So-oku (pictured above), the 15th-generation heir to the Mushanokoji Senke tea lineage, who will prepare and serve matcha to viewers at the gallery on April 18.
Click here to go to the full article in the Yale Daily News.

