Tea Ceremony and I-Ching (茶道と八卦）

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I-ching is deeply related to Tea Ceremony.

The person most well-known for incorporating the Eight Trigrams of the I Ching (Yi Jing) into the Japanese Way of Tea (Chadō) is Sen no Sōeki, more commonly known as Sen no Rikyū.

• Sen no Rikyū (1522–1591) is regarded as the greatest master of the Japanese tea ceremony, credited with perfecting the Wabi-cha style of tea.

• Rikyū’s tea practice was not limited to etiquette or aesthetics; he also integrated elements of Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, and particularly Yijing (I Ching) philosophy to deepen the spiritual and philosophical dimensions of tea.

• Among these influences, the Eight Trigrams (Bagua) from the Yijing were used in various aspects of the tea room and tea practice to reflect a cosmological worldview based on yin-yang and the Five Elements.

Examples of the Eight Trigrams Influence (Based on Research and Tradition)

• The structure of tea rooms often reflects design principles aligned with yin-yang or Five Elements theory.

• The placement of items such as the hearth (ro), portable brazier (furo), and water jar (mizusashi) can carry symbolic significance based on the trigrams.

• Writings and records from Rikyū’s successors and various tea schools sometimes explicitly mention ideas drawn from the Yijing.

If you’d like more detailed information—such as specific tea schools, historical documents, or examples of tea rooms (like Jōan or Tai-an)—please feel free to ask.

八卦を取り入れたのは、千利休と知られています。

• 千利休（1522–1591） は、茶道の大成者とされる人物で、「侘び茶（わびちゃ）」を完成させたことで知られています。

• 千利休は単なる茶の湯の作法だけでなく、儒教・仏教・道教・易学など、当時の学問や思想も取り入れて茶道を深めました。

• その中でも「易の八卦思想」を茶室の設計や道具の配置などに取り入れることで、宇宙観や陰陽五行思想を茶の湯に反映させたと考えられています。