Japanese Tea: The Ritual, The Aesthetics, The Way; An Ethnographic Companion to The Film 'The Path'.

"The Path" is a film of a Japanese tea ritual, and the first reaction of most viewers is a sense of the anxiety and frustration of being submerged in a culture which one does not understand. This companion paper, together with repeated viewings and discussions, is designed to foster understanding of Japanese culture, particularly psychology and aesthetics. The second part of the paper describes the making of "The Path" in some detail, including a detailed description of the film that links the photography and sound recording to the film-makers intention and ethnographic notations. (RH)