Tea of the Serene Ceremony

The myth

The tea ceremony, chanoyu or chadō, "the way of tea", is the Japanese art of preparing and serving matcha, powdered green tea, to guests. Linked to Zen Buddhism, it was refined in the sixteenth century by masters such as Sen no Rikyū, who summed it up in four principles: harmony, respect, purity and tranquility. Every gesture, from wiping the bowl to turning it before drinking, is codified, and the small, simple tearoom invites calm. In 1906 Okakura Kakuzō introduced this philosophy to the West in The Book of Tea. The practice lives on in schools such as Urasenke and Omotesenke.

Why it has this power

A Common spell that restores 800 life points. In MYTHENOR, life is the storyteller's breath, and nothing restores breath like a pause. The tea ceremony is exactly that: a moment of silence and respect amid a restless world. It neither attacks nor defends; it simply lets you breathe for the next round.

Did you know

The entrance to many tearooms, the nijiriguchi, is so low that everyone, even samurai, had to stoop and leave their sword outside.

Connections

• In Aiko, Dojo Apprentice's deck
• In Kenji, Kamo River Fisherman's deck
• In Hanae, Wandering Miko's deck
• In Kaguya, Guardian of the Torii's deck
• In Kaelmyr, Devourer of Pantheons's deck

Where to get it

• Daily Offering: 0% per pack (Common 64% per card)
• Welcome Pack: 0.97% per pack (Common 70% per card)
• Traveler's Pack: 0.88% per pack · 5.2% in the themed pack (Common 64% per card)
• Bronze Reliquary: 0.86% per pack · 5.1% in the themed pack (Common 62% per card)
• Silver Reliquary: 0.67% per pack · 4% in the themed pack (Common 49% per card)
• Golden Reliquary: 0.46% per pack · 2.7% in the themed pack (Common 33% per card)
• Daily Showcase: Shows up on about 0.69% of days · 150 gold
• Craft with card dust: 40 dust
• Crossing of Myths: Can be offered as a reward during a crossing (the card stays in the crossing deck).

Sources

1. Japanese Tea Ceremony — World History Encyclopedia — Mark Cartwright
2. Tea ceremony — Encyclopaedia Britannica — The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
3. The Book of Tea (Project Gutenberg) — Kakuzo Okakura