The Heart of Tea
The Cultural Philosophy of Chanoyu and Sado
When one delves deeply into the inquiry of Japanese culture, one is often startled to discover that the distinct characteristics of a certain ideological system extend in all directions, permeating the very strata of what we call “Japan.” This is particularly conspicuous in the realm known as traditional culture. That system is Confucianism. However, one must note that this is not the Confucianism indigenous to China, but a uniquely Japanese Confucianism. Indeed, when we apply the element of Confucianism to various Japanese traditional cultures, it appears not merely as a transplant of foreign knowledge derived from China, but as a foundational root that can no longer be ignored in any insight into Japan.
In other words, whether one finds the cultural dimension in which Confucian teachings intervene to be comfortable or constricting—this bifurcation is already prepared within our consciousness. Yet, if we unravel history, it appears that the internal conflict and struggle at this very fork in the road is the ground upon which Japanese culture has managed to survive in various forms to this day. Therefore, gaining insight into this unknown territory is an extremely arduous task, but let us begin by re-examining the fundamentals.
As a major premise, the concept of “道 (Michi, Do)” (the Way) appears frequently in Japanese culture. While this has occupied the core of what is called traditional culture, if we categorize it from a modern perspective, it is broadly divided into the Budo (武道, Martial Ways) of the martial arts, and the Geido (芸道, Artistic Ways) of the arts. While this classification is certainly easy to grasp, I view this very structural categorization as the principal cause of the dilution of Japanese culture. To understand this, let us proceed from a holistic understanding. By treading through the insights that follow, the actual image of the alienated Japanese culture will be visualized, and one can grasp where the essential cultural constellation once lay. I dare to use the past tense, for I believe it is lost in the present.
First, Budo refers to the techniques that warriors had long honed for combat, which were transformed into a “Way” for the spiritual cultivation of soldiers and military men. This shift occurred through the history following the dawn of the new era of the Edo period in the early 17th century—when battles suddenly ceased—and into the Meiji era (starting in 1868), the beginning of modern Japan, which entered an era of international warfare. Representative examples include Kendo (剣道), Judo (柔道), Kyudo (弓道), Aikido (合氣道), Karatedo (空手道), and Iaido (居合道).
On the other hand, Geido refers to the “Way” of mastering spiritual silence and aesthetic consciousness through art and living culture. Initially, this developed under the strong influence of Chinese-style Zen, but it was gradually Japanized, eventually represented by Sado (茶道, tea ceremony), Kado (華道, flower arrangement), Shodo (書道, calligraphy), and Kodo (香道, incense appreciation).
At first glance, this classification seems valid and gives the impression of quintessential Japanese traditional culture. But is it really so? If I were to say that these are not the essence of Japanese culture, how would you feel? It implies that the vantage point is misplaced.
What must be observed here is not the culture as “that which is signified,” but the “Way” itself. Indeed, as the Edo period began, ending an era where fighting was a matter of course, society turned completely toward a peace without war. However, the reality of the Tokugawa Shogunate that built this era was a bureaucratic warrior regime; thus, the treatment of the countless warriors existing across the regions was crucial for maintaining order. Within the Shogunate’s system, warriors became bureaucrats and officials. In this process, the various techniques they had sharpened as combat abilities were gradually systematized into moral norms. This was collectively called Bushido in a much later era, but even before that, there was a spiritual pillar that crowned this “Michi/Do” (Way). That is Shinto, which lies at the base of Japanese faith.
Seeing that “Shinto” is written with the Kanji for “ 神道, The Way of the Gods,” one understands that concept formation began in a considerably ancient era, regardless of when the word itself spread. The essential point is that in what is generally called Japanese traditional culture, this concept of “Way” manifests in every locus.
Pinpointing the origin of this concept of “Way” is difficult, but one source is undoubtedly linked to Taoism—the “Tao, Dao (道)” itself in China—or the concept of the “Way of the Sages (聖人の道)” in Confucianism. However, I believe that prior to such external influences, there was fundamentally “Something” in the land of Japan that was close to, or had an affinity with, this concept. Since this “Something” belongs to a pre-literate era, strict identification is impossible, but the soil was there.
Rather, I believe the Japanese characteristic lies in the very substrate that softly accepts the “Other,” regardless of the historical stage. When viewed from this perspective, it becomes visible that a state akin to a biological metabolism was occurring in the cultural dimension—softly taking in every element, including foreign decorations, digesting them within itself, and expelling them. In this metabolism, we should perceive that the Japanese existence possesses characteristic metabolic pathways and mutations as a kind of ethnic gene. In short, I believe that by understanding the Japanese genes and their metabolic habits, we can disclose a specific cultural primordiality. This inquiry and attempt is my greatest theme beginning in 2026.
From this perspective, let us focus on the Sado as one example.