Tea Ceremony, Uji Matcha & the Chanoyu Culture of Kyoto

The Japanese tea ceremony (茶の湯 — Chanoyu, literally 'hot water for tea' — the ritualized preparation and presentation of matcha (抹茶 — powdered green tea) that was developed into its current form by the tea master Sen no Rikyū (1522-1591) in Kyoto in the 16th century): the tea ceremony is the central aesthetic and philosophical practice of traditional Japanese culture, embodying the four principles defined by Rikyū — wa (和 — harmony), kei (敬 — respect), sei (清 — purity), and jaku (寂 — tranquility) — and the aesthetic concept of wabi-sabi (the beauty of imperfection, incompleteness, and transience).