My First Chakai

I'd like to introduce to you a guest blogger, Stephanie.  She is a student and has been studying for more than 2 1/2 years.  Earlier this year, she put on her first chakai:

Earlier this year I hosted my first chakai (tea gathering) for a fellow student who was returning to Japan. It was fitting that she be shokyakyu (first guest) and I teishu (host) since we had studied together for several months. My senpai (senior students) helped me plan and even agreed to be hanto (serving the tea in the tea room) and mizuya-cho (preparing everything outside of the tea room). One of my senpai painted the artistic work on the front of the invitation! I am so fortunate that Margie sensei encourages us to host chakai and for generous senpai!

 

Margie Sensei and Honored Guest

One of the best things about planning a chakai is that it's an integrative learning experience. It allowed me to take the individual learnings from my lessons and bring them together in a whole. Part of the learning, for me, was figuring out what needed to be done and when. For example, I needed to decide upon the guest list; select a theme; make and send the invitations; purchase fresh tea, whisk and chakin (linen cloth for purification); select the utensils and appropriate poetic names; write up the kaiki (a list of the utensils with names); decide upon and make/procure sweets and much more.

 

Tea Bowl Name: Haru Gasumi, Spring Mist, named by First Guest

I also wanted to honor my friend and teachers by doing my best at making tea and so I practiced the temae (tea procedure) many times at home, until I could more or less complete it without egregious error. I aspired to a place of familiarity so that I could also speak during the tea-making. This can be a challenge, but an important one as much of the theme is revealed through the stories told. I believe that practice is always a worthy path and it has paid off for me in multiples, as my comfort with the basic procedure has grown tremendously through the experience.

The day of the chakai, my senpai and I arrived early. They were so wonderful, I can't say thanks enough! They helped me clean, wipe the tatami, hang the scroll, arrange the flowers, set up the utensils, etc. We even had time for a dry run which helped me feel much more at ease. One of my senpai dressed me in kimono (so that it would go faster than my 2.5 hour process!), and then the guests arrived. 

 

Stephanie (host, center) and Senpai

From this point onward, things unfolded in their natural order and I believe the experience was meaningful to everyone involved. My hands shook visibly as I placed the chashaku (tea scoop) onto the natsume (tea container) and I forgot to open the lid to the mizusashi (cold water jar) at the right time, among numerous other minor blunders. Margie sensei had trained me well to make my mistakes as beautifully as possible and carry on. My heart was filled with warmth to honor my friend and the other guests. The tea was made and served, the stories were told and the conversations were lovely, making for a once-in-a-lifetime tea gathering.

Furo, Ro ash preparation

I'd like to introduce a guest blogger, Randy from Salt Lake City. Randy came to visit me just before New Year's and we had a fine chakai and shared tea and many stories from our time at Midorikai.  He was inspired to prepare ash for his furo.


I was looking at the blog on the Issoan tea site and it jogged my memory about a part of tea that is rarely thought of, or worked with...shimeshibai. The art of washing and preparing the ash -Shimeshibai- is done yearly at Konnichi-an. I started to look for more information online and found one entry that was made by an astute practitioner of tea named Drew Hanson in Philadelphia. Some of my memories were fragmented, so with the help of Soya Sensei of Portland Issoan tea school, and Drew's article, I was able to fill in the missing pieces. Since I was in need of a good ash cleaning I decided to do it 'off season' in March. But here is what I remember of what happened at Konnichi-an.

     During the hottest part of the summer, the Gyotei and other high ranking students would gather all of the ash (furo and ro combined) and dump it all in large buckets and huge barrels. They would add water and start stirring. Meanwhile, some students would beg Midori-kai members and gakuen-sei members to come and help. But they always caught us in our kimono, or as we were off to teach English. Soon they would be skimming off all of the debris that had floated to the top. I knew that they spiced the clean ash somehow and spread the muddy mixture out onto large reed mats to dry in the hot sun. All of this took place behind the high walls of the inner confines of Urasenke. After the ash was processed it was used for the Ro first by being stored in air tight containers kept in a shady area. Other ash seemed to be sectioned out to be used for the furo. Some of the Gakuen sei were roped into helping and had told me some of the things that they had done to prepare the ash but my Japanese was horrid so some of the information was lost in translation.

     One day, I was helping in the mizuya preparing for class and I wasn't too happy about it since one of the upper class men was mizuya cho and he was hard to deal with. Fresh ash must have been laid in the hearths because one of the rooms was due for Sumi temae. Shitabi had been set in the hearth and the heat let loose the spices that the ash had steeped in. The room filled with the most delightful scent. It was as if ko was not needed. It altered my mood and I immediately found one of the gakuen sei who I remember had helped wash the ash. I thanked him very much and informed him how wonderful the smell was. He had 'suffered honorably' and I think that he appreciated the recognition. Later I found one of the advanced students and thanked him also for his efforts.

 For my own part, I have found it a bit messy but kind of fun to wash the ash. I followed the instructions that I garnered and did it in a large plastic bucket.

1. I emptied all of my ash into the bucket. Then added water and stirred, stirred, stirred. As foam and other stuff floated to the top I would skim it off and throw it away but Drew says that it might be good for plants...it is worth a try.

2. I let the ash sit for a day or two. Then I poured off the clear water and added more. More Stirring, skimming, and waiting.

3. After I poured off the second batch of clear water, I scooped it all out onto cookies sheets lined with tinfoil. I waited for it to dry; seeing as how this was all done in an off month (January/February- not July), and I live in an apartment, I decided to bake my mud filled cookies sheets at 150 degrees until it was dry enough to sift through my metal colander. After it was all sifted I put it into air tight containers to use when necessary

4. Since I only have furos (those who have Ro's are very lucky), I treat my ash differently. I sift the heck out of it with as fine of a metal colander as I could get. I have a big rubbermaid box for all of my ash stuff, tools, etc.. Once the ash is sifted, clean and fresh I put it into large plastic containers that can be sealed air tight. If you have a Ro then the ash will be sifted and rubbed with rubber gloved hands to the consistency of corn meal-then stored.

    This is done yearly at Konnichi-an. It is a labour of love and a test of the resolve of the students and Gyo tei that teach and study at this amazing place. Their stores of spiced ash are vast and bountiful, my ash store is small, but I am thinking of going to local public fire pits and friend's BBQers for ash. It will have to go through the same process but ash is ash no matter where it comes from. It is valuable and stunning when haigata is carved into it. I guess that it is like getting the 'canvas' ready for a work of art carved by spoons, and brushes into mountains, valleys, and peaks inside the most beautiful fire pit ever seen.

Hatsugama preparations

We are lucky this time of year to be able to participate in Hatsugama, the first kettle of the year.  It is one of the biggest events of the year, and I have been preparing for this since early November.   I have developed over the years a countdown checklist that starts about 2 months out from the event.  In planning, I have tried to take into consideration everything for my guests.  What they see on the day of the chakai or chaji is effortless ease, but experienced chajin know what is involved.

We are getting down to it as Hatsugama is this Saturday, and the menu and shopping for the meal is done.  As is planning the toriawase, selection of utensils.  The tea has been ordered, the house cleaned (although in my checklist, I will be cleaning at least twice more).  The cooking won’t happen until Friday evening, and Saturday morning.  Sweets will be made Friday night and a thousand of things need to be done.

I have a fellow teacher helping me this year, and have planned for her to help students dress in kimono.  The anticipation is building and I hope the guests will appreciate wha

t I have planned for them.

The joy of tea

Today I had the lucky opportunity of hosting a chakai for people that I had never met.  However these two people had traveled many thousands of miles from North and East of here to be my guests.   They were graduates of the Midorikai program in Kyoto and attended about 5 years before I had gone myself.

One of  my guests had not done tea for about 20 years and the other one had kept in practice even though there were few tea people to share tea where he lived. 

I started preparations earlier in the week cleaning my house top to bottom.  I cleaned, swept and vacuumed. I dusted, wiped and washed.  This morning in the quiet, I zokined the tatami and put the fresh kettle on.  As it heated, I prepared my utensils:  Unrolled the scroll and hung it carefully.  I sifted the tea and rinsed and dried the teabowl, mizusashi, and kensui. I soaked the new chakin and opened a new chasen. I arranged the utensils just outside the tea room.

Then I went to make the sweets:  White kinton with green interior.  Gomei - yukima no kusa

I cleaned the toilet, put out the tsukubai, picked and arranged the flowers.  Then I filled the natsume, arranged the sweets and went to put on my kimono. As I dressed, I thought how lucky I was to be able to host two experienced tea people who were hungry for the experience!

I went to check the kettle and it was beginning to sing.   My student came to assist, and he once more zokined the tea room,. put on his kimono and went out to wait for the guests.  He greeted them outside and assisted them inside to take off their shoes and hang up their outer garments.

Surprise, one guest wore his kimono!  Up in the tea room, the incense was lit and wafted down to greet the guests. They entered the tea room and we made them comfortable.  What a joy to make tea for these guests who appreciated everything and noticed the smallest details.  The conversation was easy and natural, the tea was made and drank.   They even had two bowls of tea each.

After everyone got feeling back in their feet we sat just outside the tea room and visited, but like very good guests, they didn't stay long because they knew we had things to do.

My student and I had a bowl of tea  and then cleaned up, closed the tea room and said goodbye. It was a very satisfying and fulfilling experience.   This is why we study the way of tea.

Next year's Sakura mochi

The delicious sweet we have in April called Sakura mochi is composed of a bean paste and sweet sticky rice wrapped with a pickled cherry leaf.   We enjoy it while the Sakura cherry trees are blooming.  The interesting thing is that the Sakura blooms before there are leaves on the tree.  After the petals have all fallen, the leaves then come out.  So for next year's Sakura mochi, pick the leaves now and preserve them using this recipe:

How to pickle Sakura leaves:

Choose the double blossom cherry trees.  Make sure that they are not sprayed with chemicals.
Pick leaves in the Spring when tender but large enough to wrap sweets (about  4-6 inches long).  Most of the leaves come out after the blossoms have fallen. Don’t wait until they are too tough.

Wash leaves in cold water and remove stems.  Arrange in a single layer and steam for about a minute.  (it smells heavenly).  Rinse leaves in cold water to cool.  Put a layer of kosher salt in the bottom of container (plastic or ceramic). Do not use aluminum.  Over the salt put a layer of leaves, then salt, then leaves. End up with salt.  Pour hot water over the stack until leaves are submerges.  Put plastic wrap over and put a weight on top. 

Let pickle for 3-7 days.  Remove weight and layer leaves together in plastic wrap Do not wash.  Wrap and  put in freezer bag and freeze for next year.

Working together

I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge one of my huge supporters, Barbara Walker.  Barbara and I have shared our love for the way of tea  for more than 30 years. She and I studied with Minako sensei for 20 years, before she passed away. We help each other with Chado presentations, classes and she is my substitute teacher when I am out of town. And she is an excellent Shokyaku. 

Working with Barbara is like having someone who can read my mind.  I'll tell you a story:   We put on a chakai for Minako-sensei's seven year memorial.   The first seki was supposed to be at 10:00. We were going to meet at 8:00 am to prepare the tea house.  Barbara was bringing most of the special utensils we had picked for the occasion.  She also was bringing the sweets.

I arrived at the Japanese Garden tea house a little after 8:00 am and started cleaning.  I put on the hot water, swept, mopped and wiped down the mats. 8:30 no Barbara.   I hung the scroll and arranged the flowers.  I put out the tsukubai and watered the garden.  9:00, still no Barbara.  I unpacked the furo, and filled the kettle with hot water, 9:15 and no Barbara.  I wiped down the koshikake machiai.  Guests were due to arrive in 20 minutes.

Finally at 9:30 Barbara arrived with the utensils and the sweets.  The two of us got to work unpacking, arranging, filling,  preparing and had everything else ready for the chakai in time to greet our first guests.  Not a word was spoken  between the time she arrived and the final "Yoroshiku onegai itashimasu"  before she opened the door to the tea house and stepped into the garden.


This wonderful lady with a true tea heart, donated to Issoan Tea School kaiseki dogu that had previously  belonged to Minako-sensei.   She wanted my students to be able to use these things and pass on to them some part of Minako-sensei.   Thank you Barbara, we all appreciate everything you do.  We will use these things and think of both you and Minako-sensei.  She would be proud to know how well we work together and support each other.

Yuto and ladle for the burnt rice course

Two black lacquer serving trays

Cedar hassun tray for serving food from the mountain and food from the sea.

Unlacquered hana ita, flower board for unglazed vases in the tokonoma.

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.

Hatsugama - The Year of the Dragon

We just concluded Hatsugama for 2012.   These events take considerable planning, but it does make it one of the most spectacular tea events of the year.  Everyone dressed in their finest kimono and brought their most harmonious attitude.  Here are a few photos from the event:

Just unpacking and washing the utensils needed for the event seemed like a lot of work.  Plus cleaning and sweeping, cooking and cleaning, arranging and cleaning and finally cleaning and once final cleaning.  

In the display area

The knotted willow and scroll that reads "Yume" or dream

Tea room before guests arrive

Kama by the famous Keitan Takahashi

Temaeza with Yamazato dana, Oimatsu natsume, and mizusashi by Rob Fornell

Here is the Kaiki (tea record for Hatsugama)

Machiai – Seasonal New Year Display
Ko: Kyo no ume, plum of Kyoto
Kogo: Celedon Plumeria by John Nakai
Kamakamishiki: White Hoshogami
Scroll:  Yume “Dream” by  Tajima Soko Daisojo of Koyasan Temple, Japan
Traditional knotted willow

Seasonal New Years food
Fuchidaka: Black kakiawase
Sweet: White kinton with gold flakes "Yukima no kusa" (spouts under the snow)
Tana: Yamazato dana: Mountain Village stand
Mizusashi:  Rob Fornell, Seattle Potter
Kama: Kashiwa (oak leaf) ubaguchi (hag’s mouth) by Keitan Takahashi
Okiro: Mulberry wood
Kensui: Bronze efugo style
Futaoki: Kakehashi – four bridges, four directions, four decades by Richard Milgrim
Koicha: Ha muro no mukashi by Yamamasa Koyamaen
Chaire: Daikai from Seto
Shifuku: Rikyubai shoha donsu
Chashaku: “Michi” gift from Minako Sensei
Chawan: Red Raku with silver lining from Shimadai set by Waraku

Natsume:  Oimatsu with hinged lid. Lacquer by Soetsu
Omojawan: “Aibukai,” the caressing shore by Tacy Apostolik
Higashi: Oike senbei and yuzu peel
Higashi bon:  Orange lacquer from Urasenke made by Zohiko
Mizutsugi: Blue and White Sometsuke
Usucha:  Kirisame by Aoi tea company

Tea Shop Grand Opening

My good friends Chuck and Heather have opened their tea shop in Portland, Oregon.   They have been in business for a number of years as wholesale tea merchants but now  have opened a retail tea shop at 724 NE 22nd Ave. Portland, OR.  

 There is a "tea island" full of samples where you can see and smell the different kind of teas they offer and a wonderful tea bar where they'll cheerfully brew up any number of teas you care to taste.  All the teas they sell are loose leaf or cakes and they'll give you advice on the best way to brew, store and sample the wonderful, wide world of teas.

In the shop part of the store they sell all kinds of tea pots, storage canisters, brewing devices, empty teabags tea bowls and more.  Stop by and sample their selection of fine loose leaf tea: white, green, black, oolong, flavored, pu-erh. 

For those of you not in Portland, they have an online website:  The Jasmine Pearl and tell your favorite retailer that they need to stock tea from The Jasmine Pearl.

Charcoal heat vs. Electric Heat

There are pros and cons about using an electric burner while making tea. It's nice not having to worry about flying embers setting the tea room on fire, spilt water extinguishing your coals or carbon monoxide poisoning. It may be faster to adjust the temperature of the water with a twist of a nob. But in my humble opinion – in the age of the electric burner – tea practitioners are losing something unique to the experience of chado.

I say this because yesterday during class I made tea using live charcoal for the first time. I had no idea how different it was! The sound and behavior of the water in the kama is completely different. You have to be more attuned to the singing, like the particular pitch of the kama when the fire is dying down. This signals the guests that the chaji is almost completed. It's too bad it can be difficult to obtain and use charcoal outside of Japan. I think it really adds something to the overall aesthetic of the way of tea.

What differences have you observed in regards to charcoal heat vs. electric heat?

Caring for your kama

Kama hitotsu areba chanoyu wa naru mono o kazu no dogu omotsu wa orokana.
Having one kettle you can make tea; it is foolish to possess many utensils.  ~ from Rikyu's hundred poems

If you have only one kettle or kama, you had better take good care of it.  Ordinarily you would fill the kama with cold water and put it over a charcoal fire to heat.  For class we fill it with hot water to save time. Never touch the outside of the kama with your bare hands.  The oils in your hands will leave permanent hand and finger prints on the cast iron.

First rinse the kettle with cold water. Then fill the kettle 1/3rd with cold water.  Don't pour boiling water directly into the kama.  Pour the water into a hishaku placed inside the mouth of the kama so that the water overflows and fills the kama.  Ladle out hot water and rinse the outside of the kama until the kettle is one cup below the top of the mouth.  Take one more scoop of hot water and put the lid on the kama and rinse the lid with the last scoop. 

Lift the kama with the kan (rings) and set it on a towel to blot the bottom of the kama.  You can now place it on the gotoku (trivet) in the tea room.  The kan always travel together.  Hold them properly side to side with the openings to the bottom.  Put them in the lugs of the kama by holding them in front of you and taking one in each hand.  Put the tail of each kan in the lugs and twist the left one towards you, the right away from you.  Turn them only a quarter turn so that the openings will not come out of the lugs.  Then rest the rings against the kama and pick them up from the top. 

A kama full of hot water is heavy and dangerous so be careful carrying it so no hot water spills out of it.  Carry it closer to your body to keep control of it.  It is best to sit down first before attempting to put the kama down. Once the kama is situated and level on the gotoku take the kan out of the lugs by twisting them the opposite way you put them in. Open the lid slightly to let the steam out. Put the rings together to carry them back to the mizuya.

To empty the kama after class, put the kan into the lugs and lift the kama off the fire.  Then stand and carry it to the mizuya.  Place the kama on it's wood stand in the sink. Take off the lid and dry the underside.  Ladle out hot water to rinse all around the outside.  Reserve a scoop or two of hot water and then take two towels and turn the kama upside down, emptying all the hot water out.  Use the hot water to rinse the bottom of the kama.  If you have a kama brush use it to lightly brush the bottom in a circle and rinse one more time.  Turn the kama over again (use towels) and gently blot the bottom inside.  Be careful not to touch the sides as they are very hot.  Put the kan in and pick up the empty kama, rest it on a towel to blot the bottom and return the kama to the gotoku to dry over the heat.  Make sure that there is no more steam coming from the kama (if my glasses don't get fogged, it is dry) then turn off the heat and let the kama cool before putting it away.

If you care for your kama, it will last you a lifetime, and you will only need one.

Filling the natsume

One of the most important tasks to prepare for tea is to fill the natsume with the powdered tea.   Depending on the shape of the container, the tea inside will have different shapes.  When you are using a Rikyu style natsume the tea will be scooped into the container with the chashaku.   A soft mound of tea like a hill is formed with the top of the hill coming approximately to the top of the open container and the bottom of the hill coming to the bottom of the line where the lid fits on.   I have been taught various ways of doing this, and you will have to choose the one that works for you. 

One way is to turn the natsume in your left hand as you scoop tea with the right, turning the natsume to get an even symmetrical hill.  You can scoop the tea in without turning the natsume (my preferred method).  With a full scoop of tea, gently lay it in the natsume and let it fall sideways off the tea scoop so that it stays soft and fluffy.

When you have a hira or flat natsume the hill of tea is shallower (see picture)  and if you have a nakatsugi (middle cut) you make a sharp cone with the tea.

Some people then take a tissue or other tool and break up the clumps of tea on top, so that it is smooth.  I don't like to do this, I just scoop the tea in and if I have done it right, there won't be clumps of tea on top. If you have dropped tea around the outside or on the lip that holds the lid, carefully wipe it off with a tissue.  Try not to wipe the tissue inside the natsume.

It takes practice to fill the natsume correctly and beautifully.   Remember, when you put the natsume out for haiken, the guests will be looking at how well you mounded the tea and how carefully you scooped tea and left the hill intact.

Tea and Music

I had an excellent comment from a reader of the blog regarding the similarities of Chado and music.  It was brought more into focus for me this week when I had Gregg from Seattle visit Issoan Tea room.   Gregg is the chajin who gave the April Fool's chakai.  Gregg's partner is an accomplished  viola gamba musician and we had a long and interesting discussion comparing chado and music.

It started with the scroll, "ichigo ichie" that was hanging in the tea room as I made tea for them.  He said like chanoyu, every time you play a piece of music, it is different and that no two performances are exactly alike.  He also commented that sometimes while playing everything comes together in a natural flow without conscious effort, but to get there takes years of practice and playing with other people.

I was wondering if the analogy held up between tea and music.  Much of it does. The constant practice, the training, preparation, timing and working together with others, the striving to follow procedure, and allowance for creative expression within a rigid structure.

What about you?  Do you think the analogy between tea and music holds up?  In what ways?

Tea utensils that will last 400 years

There are many examples of tea utensils from the 16th century and earlier because they were so well taken care of.  Tea utensils were made to be used rather than put away in the closet, never to see the light of day.  So get out your tea utensils (dogu) and use them, but take care of them as if you want them to last 400 years.

I remember my sensei teaching me how to care for the iron kettle after class, how to wash and dry teabowls, and care for lacquer with gloves.  There is a certain way to tie the boxes that dogu come in so that you can stack them. Paying attention to detail with thoughtfulness and carefulness shows respect for the dogu, but also for yourself. The attention to detail in taking care of your dogu shows more about your character and state of mind than how perfect your temae is. 

Taking care of your dogu doesn't just apply to tea utensils, it is how you treat everything in your life. Like the famous baseball player Ichiro:

The man whose first name has come to symbolize greatness in hitting might also be the most meticulous player when it comes to caring for the tools of his trade. He rubs the soles of his feet every day with a rounded wooden stick. He cleans his own spikes and glove after games. And he prefers to carry his own bats, which are cut from Japanese ash wood called aodamo and custom made from specs chosen by Ichiro on a tour of the Mizuno factory in Japan in 1992. "I've never seen anybody that I've played with take care of their equipment with just carefulness, thoughtfulness. Most guys throw their gloves around. Not him," he said. "He told me that when he cleans his glove up after the game, that means he's already thought about the game that day and while he's wiping it off he is wiping off the game that day."

Want more detailed information on how to care for your tea utensils?  Here's a post written by Gary-sensei.

Okeiko guidelines

As we change to the furo season it is always good to be reminded of okeiko guidelines.  Yes, I do remember going over these when I first started tea class, but  here they are again:

For every class:

• Remove shoes and put on white socks. Put your shoes away neatly in the shoe cupboard or line them up under the shoe bench.
• Store your bags and other things in the place provided.
• Use tsukubai or wash hands first. Bring your own handkerchief to wipe your hands.
• Always bring your fukusabasami with fukusa, fan, and kaishi.
• When entering the tea room, enter on your knees unless carrying something.
• Always look at the scroll and the flower arrangement when entering the tea room for the first time.
• Sit quietly until the sensei enters the room.
• All classes start and end with aisatsu

During class time:

• Always clean up after yourself. Wash your bowl, chakin, whisk, and put away. Help with clean up after class and to do the mizuya work, unless the mizuya cho dismisses you.
• The mizuya cho is in charge of the mizuya. You will follow instructions without argument. If there is a dispute, call a meeting with the cho after class.
• Watch senior students and learn from them; from temae to tea room behavior to clean up chores. If you don’t know how to do something, ASK.
• Never pass any tea utensils hand to hand. Put it down in front of the other person and let them pick it up.
• Don’t take notes in the tea room. Wait until after you leave the room to write anything down. Train your mind to remember.
• Wait until an appropriate time to ask questions. Distracting the teacher takes away from fellow students teaching and you would want the sensei’s attention on you for your lesson.
• No teaching commentary from the side. There is only one teacher in the room. Respect the sensei to teach what is necessary.
• Sitting seiza can be painful. Ask for a cushion, or stool. Changing position is helpful, but don’t make a production of it. Don’t get up and walk if your feet are numb.
• Try not to call too much attention to yourself in the tea room. The sensei notices everything.
• Working together is necessary for tea to work. Cooperation is valued.
• Read, research, look things up on your own. There is the library and books and the internet. You are in charge of your learning and it is not up to the teacher to make sure you progress.
• Everyone is your teacher. You can learn something from everybody.

Training in chado is hard and we must study and train diligently.  It is also a good reminder for me.

Mizuya Guidelines

When I left my sensei to begin teaching, she gave me a list of guidelines to help me set up my own school.  One of the most important was the mizuya (preparation room) guidelines:

In the preparation room silence is the rule. Idle chatter is distracting. Clean utensils immediately and maintain the mizuya in a state of readiness. Never leave personal items in the mizuya. At the end of class, ready utensils for the next day’s activities.

And Sensei says: the mizuya should be kept clean and orderly at all times. No excuses.
Often the preparation room is a small confined space that people need to share and work efficiently in.   The tea house in Seattle has a small, sit down mizuya that is only one mat (3 feet by six feet). If everyone is working together and efficient, then 3 people can work in this space and produce a hundred bowls of tea.

It is very tempting to hang out in the mizuya because that is where a lot of the action is before and after class.   But loiterers get in the way and working around someone who just chatting interrupts the work flow and is distracting.  I don't know how many times I have been kicked out of the mizuya by the cho (head of the mizuya) for chatting more than working. My sempai once told me that if he didn't see my hands working more than my mouth I was to take myself out until I could control myself. 

When I was the cho, I myself have kicked people out of the mizuya.  If you are not working, get out of the mizuya.  It is a place to work, not socialize.

If you first come to class and see that there are things to be cleaned, just do it.  It doesn't matter if you made the mess or if it someone else's responsibility.  If you see it, it is assumed that YOU are responsible.  Clean it up immediately.

After your lesson, you MUST clean up all of your utensils immediately after the aisatsu (thanking the sensei for the lesson).  Rinse your bowl and put away, clean your chasen, rinse all the tea off your chakin.  Clean the stickiness off any sweets tray, wipe the chashaku with a tissue, and refill the natsume for the next student.  Put away all of your utensils in their proper places.

When class is finished, everyone helps to clean up.  If there is no cho assigned, the most experienced student becomes the cho and must ensure that all of the cleaning is done properly, and utensils put in their proper place.  If there are less experienced students hanging about not knowing what to do, it is your responsibility to show them the proper way to clean, prepare and work in the mizuya.  Notice I said show them, not tell them.

" In the preparation room off the Totsutotsusai tea room at Urasenke in Kyoto there hangs a plaque in the hand of the thirteenth generation Grand Tea Master, Ennosai, listing the rules for the mizuya.  In addition to a chart showing the storage places for the utensils, there is written: 'This is a training ground for the tea room .  Recently it has not been kept in order and has become quite unsightly. I have drawn a chart; henceforth, people who finish practicing must place all utensils back where they found them.'  Precisely because the preparation room is not seen by the guests, it must be kept cleaner than the tea room itself." ~ from The Spririt of Tea by Sen Soshitsu XV.