Departments
茶坊主
CHA-BOOZU
"tea priest"
Cha is the Japanese word for “tea;” and a bōzu is a Buddhist priest. In feudal times, the cha-bōzu was a person of the samurai class who was given the task of serving tea in the court of a shogun or a high-ranking daimyo.
Although this was technically a menial job; the cha-bōzu was often privy to inside information as a result of his proximity to the high and mighty. As is often the case with those who serve the powerful, the lowly cha-bōzu sometimes became arrogant through association.
There are, of course, no longer any cha-bōzu in the literal sense of the term. Today the word refers to people who “suck up” to those in positions of authority, in the hopes of riding their coattails to higher status. The practice of currying favor is arguably an inevitable part of Japan’s hierarchical society, especially in the business world. But extreme examples are nonetheless likely to arouse the ire of one’s friends and colleagues.
