October 10, 2010
Tea and Shinto
Sadou or the Japanese Way of Tea is more strongly associated with Zen. But Zen has a strong affinity to Shinto. It seems to me that the form of Zen Buddhism that is found in Japam, the wordless, and some would say ultimate path to the Buddha, became so wordless (even though the man, Siddhartha Gautama, himself was quite a talker) as a result of the meeting of Buddhism with Shinto. It is true that Zen Buddhism started in China. And some would argue that Zen is Buddhism plus Taoism, and fair enough, but I think that it flourished in Japan because Japan, as Shinto-land, is the land of the way <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dao_De_Jing">that can not be spoken of</a>.
I collected some links between Shinto and the Way of Tea, that can be found on the net.
<a href="http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~vb7y-td/kako/111113.htm">Kubo chief shrine priest</a> writes that the "Dou" (Dao, or Tao in Chinese, Michi in Yamato Japanese, and often Path or Way in English) in Shinto (Shindo), is the same as that in Judo, Aikido, Sado (tea ceremony), Kado (Flower arrangement) Koudo (the way of scent?), and that he feels Japanese identity permeates through all of them.
The <a href="http://www5f.biglobe.ne.jp/~nekonyann/kyoto_c059.html">Sotan Inari Shrine</a> is to a Tea-Person (Cha-Jin) Sotan, who is the <a href="http://www2u.biglobe.ne.jp/~yamy1265/kyoto-39.html">grand master and Zen priest of hot water</a> for Tea. There is also a tradition that the fox (to which all Inari shrines are dedicated) of this shrine would pose as a man and give tea parties. Local Tea practioners <a href="http://www.shokoku-ji.or.jp/shokokuji/guide/sotan.html">come to drink and make tea there</a>. Sotan Inari Shrine is in the grounds the large <a href="http://www.shokoku-ji.or.jp/shokokuji/">Shokukuji Zen Temple</a>.
The temple may sell Ofuda, or Omamori (most likely ones from the temple rather than the small shrine, if they sell them at all). They publish their <a href="mailto:office@shokoku-ji.or.jp ">email address</a>.
This <a href="http://matsu.pos.to/sightseeing/kouiki/sub/shimoga.html">Shimoga Shrine</a> has an affiliated little shrine to Susano.
who it is claimed is the spirit of the tea ceremony. Susano? He is one of the more agressive untamed of spirits, so that is a bit of a surprise.
<a href="http://www.shibuyam.com/Jinjya/Zenkoku/mikatagahara.html">This shrine</a> seems to be connected with tea, housing a tea pot and having a monumnet to a tea practioner in its grounds
This article claims that there are strong Shinto-Tea connections and quotes <a href="http://www.kosaiji.org/bodhi/log/bodhi_5_201-300.htm">the opinion of a leading Tea practioner</a> that the Seiza form of sitting came from Shinto
Being a Briton at heart, I take a large bit pot of <a href="http://www.pgmoment.com/">PG Tips tea</a> to work everyday, thanks to my Japanese wife.
Originally posted to the <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/shintoML/message/3807">Shinto Mailing List</a>