Sado — the Way of Tea from China to Japan

Sadō or chadō is written with the characters for tea and road, way. Michi (dō; tō) is part of the names of many terms related to martial or applied arts: aikidō, kendō, the samurai code bushidō, the art of incense appreciation kōdō and even the Japanese religion Shintō can be translated as “the way of…” (the way of tea, the way of harmonious power, the way of the sword, the way of the samurai, the way of the gods). The Michi in these terms has the meanings “duty, morality; teaching, way”. When it comes to the concept of the “Japanese Tea Ceremony” the term Sadō is primarily used, while the ritual is referred to as Chanoyu (“hot water for tea”). In this paper we will use the term Sadō as the aim is to explore the path of tea drinking traditions from their homeland, China, to Japan.