What is Cha in Shogun?

The concept of Cha in Shogun is derived from the traditional Japanese culture of presenting and making tea for the honored guest in one's house.

Shogun is the famous American Japanese drama series that was released in 2024 and is the adaptation of the book that goes by the same name. Directed by Jonathan van Tulleken, the story revolves around an English sailor John Blackthorne, who after a shipwreck, reaches his desired destination, Japan, where he wanted to start a trade business. While the lords of Japan took him in as a barbarian, John quickly made good relations with various characters as his story continued.

The story brings in an assembly of characters including Hiroyuki Sanada as Lord Yoshii Toranaga, Cosmo Jarvis as Pilot Major John Blackthorne, Anna Sawai as Toda Mariko, Tadanobu Asano as Kashigi Yabushige, Takehiro Hira as Ishido Kazunari Tommy Bastow as Father Martin Alvito, and Fumi Nikaido as Ochiba no Kata among many others.

What is Cha in Shogun?

The tradition or offering of Cha in Shogun is basically the art of making tea with elegance for the respected guests who have visited their homes. In Japanese culture, the tradition of Cha is kept in high regard and is one of the key things to learn to become a well-respected gentleman or lady. According to Shogun’s producer Eriko Miyagawa, "Tea ceremony was very important for the life of samurai for them to be able to calm down, find peace, and reflect on themselves. So it is a very important element of the lives of the characters that we're portraying in Shogun."

One such instance that can be suggested to be the most accurate iteration of the tea ceremony was during the conversation between Buntaro and his wife Lady Mariko in Shogun. While things were quite heated between the two, the samurai warrior offered his wife tea portraying his care and love towards her. The scene ahead captures Buntaro creating the tea in perfection and offering it to his wife. Accepting the tea, Lady Mariko appreciated Buntaro for his efforts and his technique of making the tea.

Is Cha still practiced in Japan?

While it is an old tradition, the culture of Cha is still active in some parts of Japan. According to ABC’s News 7, there is an individual who has kept the tradition of making Cha quite active in this new era. Fuyuko Kobori who is a 17th-generation tea master, based in Tokyo, tries to keep the tradition alive as much as possible at her end. It is known that Fuyuko’s ancestors had the fortune of serving the Tokugawa shogunate, which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1867.

Upon noticing the Cha tradition brought to life in the Shogun series, Fuyuko was quite pleased with the makers. She explained "The purpose of tea is to create a rich emotional exchange between host and guest through making a cup of tea," Continuing "I feel very happy and pleased to see tea being featured in such a proper way. I hope that more and more people will learn about it, experience it, and become interested in it."

Also read: Where was Shogun filmed?