TEA CEREMONY

Description: Duration: ~9:00 | Format: Black & white silent film A remarkably detailed documentary dedicated entirely to the Japanese tea ceremony (Chanoyu). The opening intertitle establishes the tone: "The 'Tea Ceremony' or 'Chanoyu' is a refined pastime in Japanese homes. It is a cult to develop spiritual enlightenment and encourage mo[rality]..." The film walks the viewer through each precise ritual step with intertitles. At 01:04, a card reads: "The five guests, with their leader at the head, leave the waiting-place for the tea-room." Around 3:37, a host in a dark kimono is shown kneeling and performing the ceremony over a brazier. At 5:19, the text reads: "One by one the guests then examine the incense-holder. This is a treasure, and its admiration is essential to the ceremony." This is an ethnographic documentary of exceptional detail and reverence for the ritual.

Complete Record: Duration: ~9:00 | Format: Black & white silent film A remarkably detailed documentary dedicated entirely to the Japanese tea ceremony (Chanoyu). The opening intertitle establishes the tone: "The 'Tea Ceremony' or 'Chanoyu' is a refined pastime in Japanese homes. It is a cult to develop spiritual enlightenment and encourage mo[rality]..." The film walks the viewer through each precise ritual step with intertitles. At 01:04, a card reads: "The five guests, with their leader at the head, leave the waiting-place for the tea-room." Around 3:37, a host in a dark kimono is shown kneeling and performing the ceremony over a brazier. At 5:19, the text reads: "One by one the guests then examine the incense-holder. This is a treasure, and its admiration is essential to the ceremony." This is an ethnographic documentary of exceptional detail and reverence for the ritual.