Robiraki 2014

Marujoku Tana

On November 9, 2014 Issoan Tea School celebrated the opening of the winter hearth with Robiraki. There were 3 seki of 4 people each.  A real charcoal fire was laid to heat the water.  Because charcoal is so hard to import from Japan, and is so very expensive, we seldom get to see the fire laid.

Everyone got a chance to come close to see how the fire was built

Cold wet kettle is put on when the guests arrive

Shitabi the starter charcoals

First Seki

Second Seki

Third Seki

And then a light meal was served.

After the meal, the traditional sweet, zenzai (bean soup) was served.  Guests then took a break before koicha and usucha were served. 

Tsukubai

Meal Preparation

Mizuya

Kan ryu seki jo isshu no matsu

Chatsubo and Sumitori display

Seasonal flowers in a ceramic bamboo vase

Nicely burning fire

Robiraki 2014 Kaiki

 秋たつや川瀬にまじにる風の音

Aki tatsu ya kawase ni majiru kaze no oto
Autumn has begun;
the sound of the wind
mingles with the river shallows
~Dakotsu

Scroll:

寒流石上一種の松

kan ryu seki jo isshu no matsu

Chill flowing water, above the rock a single pine stands, by Harada Shodo Roshi
Tana: Marujoku, Sotan konomi
Sumitori: Gourd and pine needle by local Seattle artist
Haboki: Black crane feathers
Kan: Iron
Haiki: Unge by Kyoto artist
Hibashi: Kuwa (mulberry)
Kama: Kashiwa (oak leaf) uba guchi (hag mouth) by Keitan Takahashi
Kogo: Hakuji, white celadon, Kotaro Ono
Ko: Umegaka by Shoyeido

Kaiseki: Seasonal foods
Sweets: Zenzai with mochi

Chaire: Daikai, with Rikyubai kando shoha donsu
Chashaku: Gift from Minako Sensei, gomei “michi” the way
Chawan: Black Raku. Sasaki Shoraku, gomei “issei” one voice
Mizusashi- Korean Celadon, by Renkyu Ri
Kensui: Bronze efugo, hawk feeding bag
Futaoki: Bridge to four directions, by Richard Milgrim
Tea: Matsukaze no mukashi from Kambayashi
Natsume: Black Hakeme (brush stroke) lacquer with red maple leaves, by Nakamura Shokka
Omojawan: Red raku, “Kengyo” utsushi, copy of Chojiro's referring to high ranking blind priest
Kaejawan: Shino clay with rice straw glaze from the Imperial Palace grounds, by Tacy Apostolik, gomei “Aibukai” the caressing sea.
Tea: Hana no shiro from Kambayashi
Sweets tray: by Zohiko, gift from Mori sensei
Higashi: Oike Senbei, gift from Sean Toyooka

Winter intensive

The day after Christmas, December 26th we had our first Winter intensive at Issoan Tea School.  For my students it was their first intensive.  We started at 3 pm and ended at 9:30 pm.  In between we sat zazen, practiced warigeiko, reviewed movement in the tearoom,  did five teamae, laid the charcoal shozumi and rebuilt the charcoal fire gozumi.  One student brought a sushi platter and I made ankake udon for everyone.  It was such a success, that we plan to make it an annual event.

Shozumi and Gozumi, laying the initial fire and reubuilding the fire were particular highlights.  We don't often get to do these procedures, and especially gozumi so it was a special treat.  The charcoal is kind of like your timing device to keep your tea gathering on track. The charcoal is made from special wood and cut into specific size and shape to burn for a specified length of time.   It is amazing to hear the singing of the kettle suddenly go silent (and it does seem to be sudden) all at once.  It is also a clue to the guests that it is time to take their leave.

Of the two, gozumi is more difficult because you never know what the fire is going to look like as it burns down.  Many factors contribute to how the fire burns, from the haigata (ash form), to how the initial fire was laid, to shape of the kettle, how big the furo, how deep the ro,  to how long the fire has burned. 

So as a host, the first thing you do when you remove the kettle replenish it is to observe how the fire has burned.  How much charcoal is left?  Did the center collapse?  How much of the dozumi (large front charcoal) has burned?  Then you rearrange the coals to make room for fresh charcoal and lay them in the fire.  You have to use your own judgement whether to use all the charcoal in the basket or only use part of them.

It was a nice fire the students built.  And within 30 seconds of returning the kettle to the fire, we once again heard the matsukaze, the sound of the wind in the pines and the murmuring of the kettle.

The ash is important to the charcoal

This summer we have been fortunate to be able to burn charcoal and do sumidemae.  We can't make tea if the charcoal doesn't boil the water.  For some reason, the water boiled with charcoal tastes better, sounds better and the steam is more consistently fluffy and pretty.

Of course, it all begins with the haigata or ash form. The first time I saw the ash form, I thought it was some kind of cardboard, and I stuck my finger in the front of it and spoiled the look of it. Making the haigata takes patience and practice. 

When I was at Midorikai we got to burn sumi everyday, and that means one of the chores after dinner was to do the haigata for the next day.  Fortunately for me, I like to do it, and my fellow students didn't, so I did many ash forms during the furo season as I could.  When we switched to the ro season, I bought a furo, ash, gotoku and practiced  in my room just about every night.

I think we got one lesson on ash forms and the rest of the year we were left to discover for ourselves how to do it by practice and experience. Sometimes one of the teachers would come up to the mizuya after dinner and drop the haisaji (ash spooon) in the middle of the haigata.   If the spoon stood upright in the ash, it was too hard packed and the fire couldn't breathe.  If the spoon fell over in the ash, it was soft enough for the fire to burn.  Of course, either way, you had to do it over again.

A few things I learned about doing haigata: 

1. Don't spend more than 45 minutes playing with the ash.  The more you work it, the more it gets packed down.  Torigai-sensei used to say, "Better an ugly haigata that breathes, than a beautiful one that is too packed down."
2. There are three main tools to form the ash. The wide flat tool, the curved tool and the spear point tool. I use the wide flat tool for maybe 75-80%  of the time.
3. Let the ash tool do most of the work.  You really are not pushing down on the ash spoon to smooth it out.  Just lay the tool down gently on the ash and drag it across the surface of the ash.  You will get a beautiful smooth surface without it getting too packed down.
4. I usually start smoothing the front, then the back then the U shaped valley in the center.  Make sure the valley is deep enough to accommodate the height of the charcoal, plus the width of the kudazumi and edazumi so it won't get crushed when you put the kettle on the gotoku.
5. Sometimes the angle of what you want to do is very awkward.  Learn to use your left hand to work the right side of the form.   You may have to re-grip the tool in  a different place to get the angle you want.
6. The only place that is okay to pack down the ash is right behind the maegawara (front tile).  This helps hold the mae gawara in place.
7. Pay special attention to the corners and the points of the mountains.   It takes practice to make these smooth and sharp.
8. Smoothing and cutting around the gotoku and maegawara are the trickiest.  The mountain in the front should look like there is no interruption in the line and it looks like it goes right through the gotoku.

If you get a chance to work the ash, it becomes very meditative and sometimes addicting.  Relax and it will show in the final product.  Good luck.