Ie no Yoshikuri
Drinking Kiocha

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Cerimonial drinking of koicha, thick tea

  1. The main guest places the bowl between himself and the next guest and says, "Let us partake of the tea together."
  2. The main guest places the kobukusa on his left palm and the tea bowl on top of it. If the kobukusa is valuable, the guest will use his own, instead.
  3. With the thumb in front and the other fingers around the bowl to steady, he bows his head to indicate he is about to taste the tea.
  4. He turns the bowl 90 degrees clockwise so that the front faces he host. With the edge of the kobukusa pinched between the index and middle finger of the right hand, he takes a sip. The host asks about the taste and the guest replies politely. Two and a half more sips follow.
  5. The guest then places the bowl with the kobukusa under it in front of his knees. The guest wipes the rim of the bowl with rice paper, which is then replaced in the kimono. The bowl is turned to face the next guest squarely.
  6. He then passes the bowl to the next guest with the kobukusa under it. If the next guest is of the opposite sex, the bowl is placed between them. The two face each other momentarily while the bowl is passed.
  7. In either case, once the bowl is passed, the first guest bows and the other guest nods acknowledgement. These actions are called ukerei.
  8. The next guest repeats the actions of the previous, but does not speak. After the second guest takes the first sip, the main guest asks the host for the name of the tea and the region in which it is grown.
  9. When the last guest has finished the tea, (indicated by a loud slurp) the main guest asks to see the bowl. It is wiped with the kobukusa and brought to the main guest for inspection. Then it is passed around for viewing.

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