The Cambodia Daily

Tea Ceremony on Display at Japanese Festival

By Denise Hruby
The Cambodia Daily

Dressed in a beautiful kimono, a Japanese woman bowed in front of Princess Norodom Buppha Devi on Friday before handing her a cup of tea. The princess was then instructed to place the cup on her right palm, bow slightly, turn the cup clockwise and drink the green powder tea.

But before enjoying her tea, the Princess witnessed the making of it: An almost half hour traditional tea ceremony conducted by tea master Urasznke Szei Souszi, who flew in from Japan for the annual Kizuna festival to celebrate Japanese culture in Phnom Penh.

During the ceremony, Mr. Szei Souszi sat at a black two-part table with a Japanese sign in the backdrop, folded a handkerchief over and over again and devoutly wiped the cup before folding the handkerchief again.

Even the slightest motion of Mr. Szei Souszi’s fingers gain significance during the procedure, which the Japanese have regarded as an art for centuries.

“Of course everyone can make tea, all you need is hot water, powder and then you whisk it.”

But for the tea ceremony, the principles of harmony, respect, purity and tranquility [apply] and we train for our whole life to achieve these principles,” said Mr. Szei Souszi, who has studied the different procedures for more than 20 years.

Cleaning the pots, mixing the tea powder with hot water, and stirring the ingredients—each step takes time and concentration, he said, and not a word was spoken during the ceremony.

“Making tea is like philosophy and meditation,”

Mr. Szei Souszi said after the ceremony, adding that there were different ways to prepare the tea, depending on how well-respected the guest is.

“If the emperor would come to me, the procedure would take an hour, but if my friend comes to visit me, five minutes is OK too,”

he said.

On Saturday and Sunday, the tea ceremony will be performed several times at the Cambodia-Japan Cooperation Center on the campus of the Royal University of Phnom Penh, where Japanese characters like Pokemon, Hello Kitty and Monchhichi are on display, as well as several manga heroines.

Other highlights of the Kizuna festival include kendo and aikido demonstrations, a kimono workshop and a cosplay show.

Photo caption:

A master tea maker prepares green tea according to the procedures of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony at the Royal University of Phnom Penh on Friday.

Photo: Six Channa