The main attraction in the tea ceremony is a hanging scroll which is selected by the host to convey a message. Guests can interpret the theme hidden in the message.

Hosts go through many preparations to ready the tea ceremony room for the guests. An important step is to select a hanging scroll which adorns the “tokonoma” or an alcove of the tea ceremony room that is considered as the most honored space. Hanging scrolls are generally written by monks with experience or calligraphers using Zen words or classical Chinese poems. Hosts choose the appropriate writing to express their message for the guests.

The messages are normally very simple but they can leave vast space for interpretation. Each guest is allowed to appreciate in his/her own way.

A very popular hanging scroll, as seen in the picture is with the words, “wa, kei, sei, jaku”

Sen-no-Rikyu, who developed the basic form of tea ceremony we now practice, has taught us the four rules of tea:

和　Wa ・・・ Harmony; with nature and people
敬　Kei ・・・ Respect; feeling of gratitude to other people
清　Sei ・・・ Purity; cleanliness and orderliness, physically as well as spiritually
寂　Jaku ・・・ Tranquility; “be heart’s master, not heart mastered”

Mat-Cha-Doh offers a tea ceremony plan where you would experience the true spirit of tea as you receive a warm message from a host.