Yamahira Atsushi
Yamahira Masako
We were fortunate to enjoy a rare sunny day, nestled between a series of cherry blossom scattering rainy days—an ideal moment for our annual outdoor tea ceremony under the blooming sakura.
We began with a toast to the cherry trees in full-bloom.
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For this special day, Joi-san provided the finest grade of Dassai sake, with a sweet aroma—perfect for celebrating the start of our hanami gathering.
Architect Rei Mitsui was among the guests, with whom we shared sake and conversation.
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Before tea, we enjoyed a sweet called “Spring Relay.” It was adorned with plum blossoms at the base, peach blossoms above, and cherry blossoms at the top. Like a baton passed in a relay race, it symbolized the transition from early spring to the double-petaled sakura and the fresh greenery soon to come.
Today's main attraction was a playful tea-tasting game called cha-kabuki, where participants guess the type of tea by taste and aroma. For many of our guests, this was their first time experiencing it.The tradition traces back to tōcha, a tea guessing game that originated with identifying teas from Toganoo. It became so heated as a form of gambling that the Muromachi shogunate eventually issued a ban.
To begin, we tasted two practice teas known as "Takeda" and "Kanbayashi." While these teas now come from different vendors, they retain their traditional names. Next, guests sampled three bowls of tea: the two familiar teas from the practice round plus a new "guest" tea, served in random order. The challenge was to correctly identify which tea was which: "Takeda," "Kanbayashi," or "Guest."
We modified some of the cha-kabuki formalities for our outdoor setting—simplifying certain steps, skipping the formal seating and paper-passing rituals, and using different tea bowls for each round.
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Enough with the explanation—the experience!
We began with the two practice teas, prepared in the thick tea style. Since consistent preparation was essential for comparing the teas, the skill of our host, Naomi-san, was crucial.
Participants focused intently on the flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel, sharpening their senses to memorize the experience.
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When we concentrated on our senses, we suddenly seemed to be able to clearly sense the sound of the leaves rustling, the warmth of the sunlight, and the feeling of the wind blowing on our cheeks.
After the practice teas, it was time for the real thing. The designated scribe began writing. Even the style of writing has traditional rules.
Each guest received a "name paper" containing the three tea names. After deciding which tea was which, they carefully cut out their chosen name and placed it into a small box—called an orisue—that was passed around.
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So, what were the guesses for the first round? Surprisingly, only Joi-san chose “Takeda,” while everyone else guessed “Guest.”
Will that bold choice prove lucky or not...?
And then came the second bowl… In cha-kabuki, once you submit your guess after each bowl, there's no turning back—even if you suddenly realize, "Oops, that was wrong!" That’s part of the challenge and charm of the game.
Once everyone has submitted their guesses for all three rounds, it was time for the big reveal. The host shares the names of the tea vendors—written on the inside of the tea container (natsume)—with the scribe.
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To everyone's surprise, the first tea turned out to be “Takeda.” At that point, only Joi-san remained in the running for a perfect score.
And then—Joi-san correctly identified the second and third teas as well. A flawless victory!
Note from Joi: I was seated as the first guest so I had the advantage of tasting first when the tea was warm and fresh. Also, it would be somewhat typical Japanese behavior to let someone like me win in deference. I guess I’ll never know. It was my first time doing cha-kabuki and the experience was delightful, regardless of the “win” and the circumstances. 😃
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Everyone praised him for his brilliant victory.
After the game, guests took turns performing tea ceremonies using a portable tea sets, sharing sweets, and soaking in the gentle, peaceful beauty of spring.
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Joi-san and Mitsui-san seemed to be discussing something. Maybe a new tea room will be built here next year.
We hope that we can all be together again next year to see these cherry blossoms. With this wish in mind, we quietly brought this year's hanami gathering to a close.
Photo by Yamahira Atsuhiro Text by Yamahira Masako
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