AESTHETIC AND RELIGIOUS ASPECT OF THE TEA CEREMONY AS A THEATRICAL PERFORMANCE: CONTEMPORARY INSIGHTS IN THE CLASSICAL CULTURE OF JAPAN

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyse the thematic literature devoted to the proposed topic. Having determined the state of its research, the authors have to make a scientific and structural analysis of the phenomenon of ritual and theatrical performance of tea drinking as an aesthetic component of Japanese classical culture and fill in the existing fact gaps in the research of the spiritual culture of Japan. The research methodology is based on the principle of historical reliability and comprehensiveness, an art studies and cultural approach and a set of research methods. In particular, the descriptive and cultural-historical method focuses on the formation and development of the ancient ritual-canonised action of tea drinking, and logical-analytical, problem-chronological and practical research methods are to create a scientific framework of this phenomenon as an integral socio-cultural phenomenon of Japanese society. The scientific novelty of the results is based on the introduction into scientific circulation of a detailed history of the tea ceremony in Japan as a component of its classical culture and the identification of its specific features obtained under scientific research. Taking into account a retrospective review of this phenomenon of traditional national culture, the authors have tried to analyse the process of centuries-old preservation of ancient traditions and their cultivation in the spiritual sphere of modern Japanese society comprehensively. The very aspect is a vivid example of our centuriesold national culture. Conclusions. Japan’s cultural uniqueness is that not a single sprout of ancient national art that sprouted on this soil dies but continues to live forever, bringing up unique simplicity and naturalness in people, and therefore is carefully passed on to future generations. In Japan, the ancient and contemporary coexist peacefully, not interfering with each other, but only feeding the common cultural soil with their juices. As we were able to see, this miracle of Japanese civilisation is fully reflected in such a phenomenon of national culture as the traditional tea ceremony.