Editing Japanese tea ceremony (section)

== Procedures ==
[[File:Yōshū Chikanobu Cha no yu.jpg|thumb|Guests seated to receive tea (print by [[Yōshū Chikanobu]])]] 
[[File:Outdoor Tea Ceremony.jpg|thumb|The hostess fills the bowl with green tea powder and then pours hot water into it and stirs with a bamboo whisk.]] 
[[File:Cha no yu nichinichisō by Mizuno Toshikata 14.jpg|thumb|Guests may be allowed after the serving of the tea ({{transliteration|ja|otemae}}) to take a closer look at the objects in the room ({{transliteration|ja|[[Nishiki-e]]}} by [[Mizuno Toshikata]]).]]

Procedures vary from school to school, and with the time of year, time of day, venue, and other considerations. The noon tea gathering of one host and a maximum of five guests is considered the most formal {{transliteration|ja|chaji}}. The following is a general description of a noon {{transliteration|ja|chaji}} held in the cool weather season at a purpose-built tea house.

The guests arrive a little before the appointed time and enter an interior waiting room, where they store unneeded items such as coats, and put on fresh {{transliteration|ja|[[tabi]]}} socks. Ideally, the waiting room has a {{transliteration|ja|tatami}} floor and an alcove ({{transliteration|ja|[[tokonoma]]}}), in which is displayed a [[hanging scroll]] which may allude to the season, the theme of the {{transliteration|ja|chaji}}, or some other appropriate theme.

The guests are served a cup of the hot water, {{transliteration|ja|[[kombu]]}} tea, roasted barley tea, or {{transliteration|ja|[[sakurayu]]}}. When all the guests have arrived and finished their preparations, they proceed to the outdoor waiting bench in the {{transliteration|ja|[[roji]]}}, where they remain until summoned by the host.

Following a silent bow between host and guests, the guests proceed in order to a {{transliteration|ja|[[tsukubai]]}} (stone basin) where they ritually purify themselves by washing their hands and rinsing their mouths with water, and then continue along the {{transliteration|ja|roji}} to the tea house. They remove their footwear and enter the tea room through a small "crawling-in" door ({{transliteration|ja|nijiri-guchi}}), and proceed to view the items placed in the {{transliteration|ja|tokonoma}} and any tea equipment placed ready in the room, and are then seated {{transliteration|ja|[[seiza]]}}-style on the {{transliteration|ja|tatami}} in order of prestige.

When the last guest has taken their place, they close the door with an audible sound to alert the host, who enters the tea room and welcomes each guest, and then answers questions posed by the first guest about the scroll and other items.

The {{transliteration|ja|chaji}} begins in the cool months with the laying of the charcoal fire which is used to heat the water. Following this, guests are served a meal in several courses accompanied by {{transliteration|ja|[[sake]]}} and followed by a small sweet ({{transliteration|ja|[[wagashi]]}}) eaten from special [[Japanese paper|paper]] called {{nihongo||懐紙|kaishi}}, which each guest carries, often in a decorative wallet or tucked into the breast of the [[kimono]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.udgw.jp/logos/chado/chaji/kaiseki.html |title=Sequential photos of kaiseki portion of an actual chaji |language=ja |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722130304/http://www.udgw.jp/logos/chado/chaji/kaiseki.html |archive-date=2011-07-22}}</ref> After the meal, there is a break called a {{nihongo||中立ち|nakadachi}} during which the guests return to the waiting shelter until summoned again by the host, who uses the break to sweep the tea room, take down the scroll and replace it with a flower arrangement, open the tea room's shutters, and make preparations for serving the tea.

Having been summoned back to the tea room by the sound of a bell or gong rung in prescribed ways, the guests again purify themselves and examine the items placed in the tea room. The host then enters, ritually cleanses each utensil – including the tea bowl, whisk, and tea scoop – in the presence of the guests in a precise order and using prescribed motions, and places them in an exact arrangement according to the particular {{transliteration|ja|temae}} procedure being performed. When the preparation of the utensils is complete, the host prepares thick tea.

[[Bowing (social)|Bows]] are exchanged between the host and the guest receiving the tea. The guest then bows to the second guest, and raises the bowl in a gesture of respect to the host. The guest rotates the bowl to avoid drinking from its front, takes a sip, and compliments the host on the tea. After taking a few sips, the guest wipes clean the rim of the bowl and passes it to the second guest. The procedure is repeated until all guests have taken tea from the same bowl; each guest then has an opportunity to admire the bowl before it is returned to the host, who then cleanses the equipment and leaves the tea room.

The host then rekindles the fire and adds more charcoal. This signifies a change from the more formal portion of the gathering to the more casual portion, and the host will return to the tea room to bring in a {{nihongo|smoking set|タバコ盆|[[Kiseru|tabako-bon]]}} and more confections, usually {{transliteration|ja|[[Higashi (food)|higashi]]}}, to accompany the thin tea, and possibly cushions for the guests' comfort.

The host will then proceed with the preparation of an individual bowl of thin tea to be served to each guest. While in earlier portions of the gathering conversation is limited to a few formal comments exchanged between the first guest and the host, in the {{transliteration|ja|usucha}} portion, after a similar ritual exchange, the guests may engage in casual conversation.

After all the guests have taken tea, the host cleans the utensils in preparation for putting them away. The guest of honour will request that the host allow the guests to examine some of the utensils, and each guest in turn examines each item, including the tea caddy and the tea scoop. (This examination is done to show respect and admiration for the host.)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rivertea.com/blog/the-japanese-tea-ceremony-in-6-steps/|title=The Japanese Tea Ceremony in 6 Steps|date=2013-05-13|website=Rivertea Blog|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-20|archive-date=2019-11-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191118153630/http://www.rivertea.com/blog/the-japanese-tea-ceremony-in-6-steps/}}</ref> The items are treated with extreme care and reverence as they may be priceless, irreplaceable, handmade [[antiques]], and guests often use a special brocaded cloth to handle them.

The host then collects the utensils, and the guests leave the tea house. The host bows from the door, and the gathering is over. A tea gathering can last up to four hours, depending on the type of occasion performed, the number of guests, and the types of meal and tea served.