Tea Ceremony

Urban sophisticates in 19th-century Japan enjoyed composing poetry and participating in tea ceremonies. This print shows a tea master in a black haori jacket and two guests dressed in formal clothing with exaggerated shoulders and full trousers (kamishimo) over their kimonos. Perhaps the figures are meant to represent the poets whose poems appear on the print. The tea master faces a large hearth which holds an iron kettle used to heat the water for tea. After enjoying tea, it was customary for the guests to admire the wares selected for the occasion by the tea master. One of the guests can be seen adjusting his glasses to get a better look at the flaring tea bowl he holds in his hand.