Kaiseki - Origin

Origin

The kanji characters 懐石 used to write kaiseki literally mean "stone in the bosom". These kanji are thought to have been incorporated by Sen no Rikyū (1522–91), to indicate the frugal meal served in the austere style of chanoyu (Japanese tea ceremony). The idea came from the practice where Zen monks would ward off hunger by putting warm stones into the front folds of their robes, near their bellies. Before these kanji started to be used, the kanji for writing the word were simply ones indicating that the cuisine was for a get-together (会席料理). Both sets of kanji remain in use today to write the word; the authoritative Japanese dictionary Kōjien describes the "cuisine for a get-together" as a banquet meal where the main beverage is sake (Japanese rice wine), and the "bosom-stone" cuisine as the simple meal served in chanoyu. To distinguish between the two in speech and if necessary in writing, the chanoyu meal may be referred to as "tea" kaiseki, or cha-kaiseki.