ROCK SPRINGS – Local residents got a taste of Japanese culture at the Broadway Theater Friday, Jan. 28.
Osaka native Kuniko Yamamoto hosted an afternoon koto green tea ceremony.
One of the main purposes of the tea ceremony is to ease stress.
“A tea ceremony is creating a second world,” Yamamoto revealed. “We are not thinking about our daily lives because we are in a different world.
“You eventually have to come back but for now, the tea ceremony takes you back to thousands of years ago.”
Yamamoto mentioned that Japan was an isolated island but soon, they were introduced to Buddhist ideas.
Meditation began in an Asian temple. They wanted an escape and a place where people can ask about life.
“Back then, life was very hard – there was hardly any food, the military government was present and people wanted to discover how to handle the struggles.”
According to Yamamoto, beginning in the 6th century, people in Japan were fighting over money, territories and other issues.
“There were no guns but they fought with swords,” Yamamoto explained. “There was still violence.”
She went on to say that since this brought mental stress to those who fought in the wars, they went to the small “tea house” where monks served tea to bring them peace.
The doors were short to remind those who entered to bow. They weren’t allowed to bring weapons and armor into the house. No names were exchanged.
“You are a soul coming in for peace – to relax for a few minutes,” she said. “This really saved mental health.”
A long silence is important in meditation during the tea ceremony, she pointed out.
“This is the essence of tea ceremony,” she said. “Time goes slowly in this room.”
After she mixed warm water and macha with a bamboo spoon in a bowl, she turned the bowl three times in her hand, set it down and bowed, inviting participants to drink the tea.
Participants noticed she was slurping as she drank her tea.
“Slurping is a compliment in Japan,” she said.
Another Japanese custom is not looking into the eyes of others during conversations.
“In Japan, it is considered very direct and aggressive when we look into the eyes of others,” she shared. “That is why we look away.”
After drinking the tea, Yamamoto played some tunes on a koto, an instrument imported from Japan. She described parts of the koto as parts of the body of a dragon.
“In Japan, music wasn’t meant to be enjoyed,” she shared. “Music is meant to cleanse your soul.”
“A whole universe is in this instrument.”
Yamamoto taught the participants that the silence between the sounds of the instrument is the most important.
Later in the evening, Yamamoto took the stage at the theater to share stories and songs.
Yamamoto has been a professional Japanese storyteller since the 80s.
“Whatever you see comes from imagination,” she told the audience. “It’s never wrong.”
As part of Japanese culture, she shared adventurous tales with origami. With the art of paper folding, she was able to transform objects to scenery and vice versa. The most popular model is the Japanese paper crane.
As Yamamoto stood next to a small origami crane, she shared the story of 1000 origami cranes between playing a few notes on a shakuhachi, a Japanese flute. As the notes got higher and higher, the single crane briefly flew in the air as a sign that the wish for peace came true.
Yamamoto continued to share stories, using various hand-crafted masks.
In “The Little Funny Woman,” she explained how the main character was held prisoner by “oni”, a group of monsters. They ordered her to make rice cakes with a magic paddle. After feeling homesick, she started to sneak away by boat. The “oni” sucked all the water up until the river disappeared. She felt stuck and defeated on dry land until she started laughing. The “oni” laughed, releasing all the water. She was able to go back home and make rice cakes for people.
“They weren’t hungry anymore,” Yamamoto said. “She was a hero.”
She went on to say that in Japan, laughter is an element of self-control.
“Instead of crying, you can be a hero. You can smile or laugh. You can do it loudly or do it in your heart so you can move on.”
Throughout the performance, Yamamoto shared Japanese customs such as bowing,
“Bowing is our way to greet, show thanks and to be respectful,” she said. “Bowing is very important.
“If we don’t bow, we’ll be in big trouble.”
From kiminos to origami, the recent performance gave children and adults the opportunity to understand the significance of Japanese cultural values.