April is the month for Tea

Sunday April 1
Japanese Tea Ceremony
The Lavender Tea House
Sherwood, OR

Cherry Blossom Festival
Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony by Issoan Tea
Come celebrate the blooming cherry blossom's like they are in Japan by joining us for a traditional Japanese Ceremony Tea. Tea & Japanese pastries provided. Sun, April 1st, 2pm, $25 Reservations required.



The Lavender Tea House
16227 SW 1st Street
Sherwood, OR 97140
503-625-4479
LavenderTeaHouse@yahoo.com

Saturday, April 7 
Japanese Tea Ceremony
The Jasmine Pearl Tea Merchants, Portland, OR


Japanese Tea Ceremony Presentation by Issoan Tea.  Saturday, April 7 from 10 am to 11 am.  Observe the ceremony followed by matcha and authentic Japanese Tea sweets made by Yume Confections will be served.  Reservations required.


The Jasmine Pearl
724 NE 22nd Ave.
Portland, Oregon 97232
mail@thejasminepearl.com
503-236-3539

Meditation Moments
Tea Ceramics by Richard Milgrim
Paintings by Hiroshi Senju

April 6 – 29, 2012
Garden Hours in the Pavilion

Included with Garden Admission
Tea demonstrations weekends at 1 and 2 p.m.
For centuries, the remarkable healing properties of tea have been recognized in Eastern medicine. An infusion of tea leaves brought alertness and energy to Buddhist monks who needed to stay awake during the long hours of meditation that were required in their spiritual practices. Rich in vitamin C, green tea is recognized today as an anti-oxidant, perhaps effective in preventing cancer. Shared eagerly among friends in cultures around the world, a cup of hot tea is considered a true luxury today as it has been for nearly two thousand years.

In Japan, the custom of tea drinking was elevated to an art form. For Zen Buddhist priests and sophisticated laymen of the 15th century, the practice of Chado, the Way of Tea, involved a deep commitment to a spiritual path to attaining harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility in daily life. Performing what has been referred to as the “tea ceremony,” while based originally on the simplest act of sipping a bowl of tea with friends, has evolved more complex aesthetic and spiritual implications.
Chanoyu, the practice of preparing tea in this manner, requires a tranquil setting and meticulous attention to detail. A long history of creating exquisite environments in which to conduct these events resulted in the production of marvelous crafts—tea bowls, scoops, whisks, jars, containers, and braziers—as well as fine hanging scroll paintings and calligraphy.

Richard Milgrim is one of the rare non-Japanese potters who has reached the heights of recognition not only in the U.S. but also in Japan, where his work is highly sought after. Milgrim’s work has been lauded by the grand master of the prestigious Urasenke School of Tea in Kyoto. This exhibition of his tea ceramics is part of the 2012 Art in the Garden series that explores the theme of Healing Garden with exhibitions and lectures that focus on the Japanese approach to health and well-being.

To complement Mr. Milgrim’s tea utensils, we are most honored to show a selection of hanging scrolls by the internationally acclaimed painter Hiroshi Senju, whose famous waterfall paintings hang in many of the great museums around the world. Mr Senju divides his time between his studio in New York and his work as President of the Kyoto University of Art and Design.


Saturdays and Sundays
April 7, 8, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28, and 29
1 p.m. & 2 p.m.
Free with admission/$5 matcha tea
In conjunction with the exhibition Meditative Moments: Tea Ceramics by Richard Milgrim and Paintings by Hiroshi Senju, the Garden will offer two tea presentations of the Way of Tea each Saturday and Sunday in the Pavilion Gallery. These will take place at 1 & 2 p.m. and will be prepared by members of Kashintei Kai, the tea society associated with the Garden’s Kashintei Tea House. Visitors who wish to try a bowl of the frothy matcha tea may purchase a $5 ticket at the Admission Gate.

Book Review: Kitcho

I recently hosted a good friend of mine for the weekend and as a thank you he ordered this beautiful book: Kitcho, Japan's Ultimate Dining Experience, by Kunio Tokuoka. Hardbound  ISBN 978-4-7700-3122-8

This is book is the story of Kitcho, a kaiseki restaraunt with a premier reputation in Japan.   Chef Tokuoka relates how is grandfather began serving meals based on historical records of tea ceremonies given by Matsudaira Fumai. Kaiseki was typically not available unless you were invited to a tea ceremony.  Today, thanks to Kitcho's founder, Teiichi Yuki, the principals of seasonality, simple preparation and beautiful presentation of the kaiseki meal is firmly planted in the mainstream of Japanese haute cuisine.

The book is divided into five sections:  Spring Kaiseki, Summer Kaiseki, Fall Kaiseki, Winter Kaiseki and The Kaiseki Kitchen.  The seasonal sections feature exquisite food photography of different seasonal dishes.  The text combines commentary by chef Tokuoka and historical and cultural asides; from Rimpa style painting to court poetry that has inspired the menu. The last section is a look behind the scenes at Kitcho in the kitchen.  This section also includes a recipes for dashi and sauces, food notes to the seasonal dishes presented and a glossary of food terms.

The photographs in the book are outstanding.  Not only are there photos of the kaiseki dishes, but also elements of tea such as chabana, the tokonoma, teabowls, calligraphy, and sweets.  You will enjoy this book as inspiriation for your next chaji, and perhaps learn a little more about the history and culture of Japan.

The season for Udon

Cold and rainy weather make it an ideal time for udon noodles.  When I lived in Kyoto, ankake udon was one of my favorite winter time dishes.  Ankake udon soup is thickened with starch and grated ginger adds a zing and warmth.  I love the big fat noodles and you can add your own garnishes to suit your own taste.

We recently had a meeting to re-start our Japanese tea garden project at Ryokusuido.  Part of the meeting was making and eating udon.

Below is a recipe for ankake udon from one of my former students, Ikuko.  Thank you for teaching us.


Ankake Udon (recipe for 2 people)
Make dashi soup stock. You can do this one of three ways:

1. From scratch:  for each 2 1/2 cups of water use a piece of dried konbu (kelp seaweed) 2" x 1". Wipe konbu with a clean damp cloth and place in pot of cold water. Bring to boil.  Just before water boils, remove and discard konbu.  Add 1/2 cup of katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) and remove from heat.  Strain any foam that forms on the surface.  Let bonito flakes settle to the bottom.  Let steep for a few minutes then strain through several layers of cheesecloth. 
2. Use dashi powder (hon-dashi or dashi-no-moto) following package directions.  Try to find one without MSG.
3. Use a combination of konbu and dashi powder.

Make Udon soup:
For every 2 1/2 cups of dashi stock add:
2T sake
2T mirin
2T shoyu (soy sauce)
1/2 t salt
Adjust the combination above to your own taste.

Then mix a paste of
2 1/2 T of katakuriko (potato starch) or cornstarch
4T of water
Stir slowly and gently into the heated stock. The soup will begin to thicken, allow to simmer gently for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Cook udon noodles in boiling salted water until done (approx. 8-10 minutes). Drain.

To serve, put Udon noodles in a bowl, add soup and garnish with 1/2 to 1 t. of fresh grated ginger, 2T of finely sliced green onions, and shichimi (blended hot peppers) to taste. Sliced shiitake mushrooms cooked in dashi, and/or fried tofu squares may be added.  Other vegetables (also cooked in dashi) can be added for additional garnish.

Enjoy!

November preparations

The rain has started here in the Pacific Northwest and preparations are underway for Robiraki, one of the big tea events of the year.   We will be changing from the summer furo season to the winter hearth of the ro season. 

Usually it is around the first of November when we open the ro, but Rikyu said to open the ro when the yuzu turns yellow.  Yuzu is on of my favorite fruits, not for the fruit, but for the flavor and fragrance of the skin.   These smallish citrus ripen about this time of year and the skin is used to flavor sweets and garnish meals.  Unfortunately, we cannot get these fruits here.  I have a young yuzu tree, but it will be many years before it bears fruit. 

For tea people, Robiraki is the new year of tea.  Up until the opening of the chatsubo, we have been using last year's tea.  So the tea that was harvested in May has been aging in the chatsubo and will be taken out, ground and used for the first time in November.  The ceremony for this is called Kuchikiri and it often times will be done in conjunction with the opening of the ro at Robiraki. 

This opening of the ro and opening of the chatsubo also can be a spiritual opening, so quite often the scroll in the tokonoma will the the character "kan"  閑 for barrier or gate.  What ever difficulties you are having, what is stopping you from having what you want is a barrier.  But this kanji character also means gate.  It is the way through a barrier to the other side.

That lingering feeling

It is that time of year again, when the days are getting shorter and you feel the chill in the morning. I just heard the first flock of geese honking and flying overhead yesterday.   For some people it is a rather sad time of year because summer has ended, but for some people, it is the best time of year.  Crisp fall days, abundant harvest, and the coming winter to look forward to are all part of the changing season.

In chanoyu, October is a transitional month from furo to ro season.  It is when the tea leaf jar from last year is getting down to the bottom and all that are left are broken leaves.  The furo moves closer to the guests to the center of the tatami mat in anticipation of the ro season.  There is a nostalgic lingering feeling of farewell.that the a Japanese call nagori.

October is also called the most wabi month and it is the time we see the cracked and broken utensils that have been lovingly repaired.  Images of frost, wind, colored leaves, chestnuts, autumn grasses, wild mushrooms and mountain paths are good seasonal themes to use for gomei and chakai.

And one of my favorite little tidbits about this season is the Japanese folk tale kimamori or the guardian persimmon.  That is, one last fruit is left on the tree as a talisman to ensure that the harvest for next year is abundant.

Moonviewing at the Portland Japanese Garden

Hello Blog fans,

I apologize for not blogging these last few months.  The summer got busy and I just got out of the habit of sitting down and adding to this blog.  

Last week we had a beautiful moonviewing at the Portland Japanese Garden.   It was a beautiful yellow moon, and it was the equinox, and Jupiter was visible along with the moon. 

I and my students made tea by candle light and answered questions about Chado.

I do promise to post more often.  In the meantime, here's a review of some other articles on the blog:


One year ago  The microcosm of the tea room, Thoughts on gomei, Shin gyo so

Two years ago It's not about the numbers , Excuses, excuses,  From the left hand

Three years ago The nature of chanoyu, Sensei Says..., Temae

Summer gomei

Summer is hot, so choosing gomei for your chashaku at class should make the guests feel cool.

Here are a few suggestions:

shimizu-- pure flowing water
koke shimizu - moss by the stream
natsugasumi - summer mist
kunpu - fragrant breeze
shigure -sudden shower
himuro - ice store room
suzu kaze - cool breeze
sei ryu - pure flow
haku un - white clouds
taki -waterfall
sei fu- pure breeze
ko un -floating clouds
niji -rainbow
ukiha - floating lotus leaves
yugao - moon flower or white gourd flower
hotaru - firefly
tombo - dtragonfly
kawa semi - kingfisher
semi shigure - cicada whose call sounds like falling rain

Please add your suggestions in the comments.  I'll be returning from Hawaii and live blog posts on the 24th.

Issoan summer intensive starts Monday July 26.  Contact me for details.

Iced matcha

The summer months of July and August are the most challenging for tea people.  Asa chaji held in the early morning to beat the heat for this time of year is considerate of guests.  Images of water, waterfalls, rivers, streams and water dripping on moss project coolness.  A larger room with reeds instead of shoji to let in any cool breeze can be used.  Sunlight in the tea room is to be avoided, so a darker room will seem cooler. White flowers, unfinished wood utensils and images of water birds also add to the illusion of coolness.

I have also made iced matcha tea in the tea room at this time of year. When bringing in kensui, also bring in a chawan of ice cubes with a porcelain spoon.  Put the bowl of ice near the wall with your left hand. Make tea as usual but use a little less water.  Before putting out the teabowl for the guest, take the bowl of ice in your left hand and with your right hand scoop one or two ice cubes and gently float them in the matcha.  The hot water will melt the ice, and the tea will be cooled without disturbing the foam on the top.

I'll be in Hawaii for the next two weeks, family business and then I'll be attending the Midorikai reunion and the Hawaii Chado Seminar.  In the meantime, Karla will be posting and I have a few things that will  show up from time to time. When I get back I'll have a lot to blog about.