Written by a mindfulness tea teacher, Miki Sensei.
This time, I was given the impossibly expansive theme of “beauty and aesthetic sensibility in Japan.”
The inspiration for this topic came from a quiet remark made by the chasen craftsman, Mr. Taniguchi, during the finishing stage of his chasen-making work in the previous article. Since then, I’ve been wondering where to even begin speaking about such a subject—and how much of what I feel I truly understand, and how much of that can actually be articulated
One particular memory surfaced first: I once cried while writing the character for "beauty" - 美. The character 美 appears in my own name, and is probably one of the most commonly used kanji in Japanese women’s names.
As a child, I struggled to find the characters' balance on paper and practiced endlessly with a small calligraphy brush. After writing 美 over and over across, sheet after sheet of paper, I began to truly see the character itself: 羊 (sheep) + 大 (big).
A great sheep.
It's soft, warm, and gentle...so abundant that there's enough to share with everyone. It brings a sense of comfort, a deep reassurance that quietly spreads to every corner, making us feel okay. It felt as though the parts of me that had longed for that comfort finally softened enough to bring me to cry.
One definition of beauty within tea, and the Way of Tea, is precisely this feeling of reassurance. In tea practice, even as the body moves through countless motions of hands and feet, sitting, standing, and moving, the foundational posture is often described as “like a great tree.”
The lower body is deeply rooted in the earth, stable and grounded.
The pelvis naturally lifts, the spine stacks upward from the lower abdomen, and the crown of the head extends toward the sky. The body maintains balance left and right through the feet, while the elbows soften outward, the arms gently rounded, with just enough space beneath the armpits to hold an egg. Even as the body leans and moves in all directions, this central axis remains quietly alive and flexible.
Becoming like a great tree, anchored between heaven and earth, allowing light and water to flow comfortably through the body while preparing tea as part of nature itself—this makes complete sense to me. In that moment, one becomes one with the tea.
My tea teacher describes this posture as reminiscent of a mother holding a child. A baby nestled warmly and securely against a soft chest, able to fall asleep in complete peace. There is a pure, untouchable essence in that love, along with immense strength.
This maternal approach extends not only to the tea bowl, the utensils, the flowers, and the people sharing the space, but also to the entire world, including oneself.
And at the same time, I feel that nothing in this world is perhaps more beautiful than a baby: small, fragile, innocent. It's an entity that makes us instinctively want to protect it. We are inspired not only by reassurance, but also by instability, by what is incomplete, changing, imbalanced, fleeting, and worn away. We find beauty in things that are still becoming.
The swelling bud of a magnolia just before it blooms.
A faint trace of incense drifting in and out of awareness.
The delicate rim of a tea bowl as it touches the lips.
The trembling flame of a candle.
The immense time, labor, and inherited technique contained within the fine maki-e lacquerwork on a tea caddy.
Without thinking, we instinctively reach toward such things.
They seem to require careful handling, to be received with both hands, both eyes, and both ears, yet still feel as if they need more attention, as if they invite protection and openness while simultaneously resisting careless contact.
Here, we find purity and a sense that our own abilities are being quietly tested. There’s a spaciousness that spans across time and space.
We experience beauty not only in the comforting fullness of love itself but also in the instability that ignites love within us and encourages us to reach out. These two qualities complement one another. Perhaps that is the essence of naturalness: humanity as an integral part of nature.
Within it, there is a heartbeat and breath. The sound of breath catching, creating a rhythm flowing like waves.
There is the undeniable realization of our existence and the gift of life. It invokes a resonance of awe and gratitude.
In reverence for the overwhelming and unconditional beauty of nature, human beings have created religions, philosophies, arts, and cultures in every age and place.
Although we can never fully reach perfection, we still devote ourselves wholeheartedly to living in the present moment as wholeheartedly as we can, despite our flaws. Perhaps, this effort itself is what we call beautiful. I feel this is a sensibility shared across the world.
The Way of Tea has been passed down through generations as one of the most complete practices for cultivating and embodying that sensibility. It increasingly feels to me like a gift from our ancestors, composed entirely of the very things human beings will continue to seek most deeply.
For a long time, people have emphasized the importance of having an inner axis, a center within oneself. I believe that refining one’s aesthetic axis, one’s sense of beauty, is also an essential part of that lifelong practice.
Written by:
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Miki Fujisaki, hibana to bloom founder, mindfulness tea facilitator/coach Website: https://www.hibana-to-bloom.com/ nstagram: @hibanatobloom / @mikiwisteria |
Miki was born in Osaka and began her journey in Urasenke Chado while working as a Japan Airlines cabin attendant. During her time in London, she planned and managed Japanese cafes ("Matcha" and "Cha no Ma"), and after her return to Japan, she oversaw international project planning.
To deepen her understanding of spaces and relationships where individuals coexist, illuminate, and nurture, Miki studied coaching and facilitation. Currently, she holds tea gatherings and coaching sessions for individuals and companies in tea rooms, offices, online, and overseas. Her work is centered around the theme of interbeing, cultivating a sense of interconnectedness, mindfulness, and "here-and-now."