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.

Summer chakai

The students from Issoan Tea put on their summer chakai last weekend.  I am going to post photos and kaiki.  It was a playful twist to the theme.

Here is a photo of the invitation:

"Stretches for light years,

Satellites transmitting

A mass of pitch black."

by James, published by NASA's Going to Mars Campaign 2013,
collected for the MAVEN Spacecraft launch

Front artwork by Michelle Kottwitz

MAKE IT SO

To celebrate friendship and a sci-fi classic, please join us for a light snack, usucha and sweets

Issoan Tea school

Sunday, August 24th

RSVP to Karla Tomanka or Margie Yap

Kimono not required. Being a trekkie not required.

Scroll

Flowers

Temaeza

Snack

Sake

Haiken 

Natsume

Futaoki

Chawan

Edited to add sweets, Tribbles made of an, communicators made of yokan

Star Trek Chakai 2014 Kaiki

Osayu:  Earl Grey tea, hot
Meal:  Three dish rice, miso and raw dish
Scroll: Shikishi "Engage" by Margie Yap
Hana: Seasonal
Hanaire: Bizen hyotan hanging vase
Temae: Arai jakin
Mizusashi:  Found object, metal box
Chashaku: "Live long and prosper"  carved metal family heirloom by George Takei, named by Leonard Nimoy
Futaoki: Cactus skeleton, by Randy Burks
Kensui: Hammered copper
Chamei: "Far point"  local blend
Sweets: Tribbles made of an, communicators made of yokan
Natsume: Black lacquer Rikyu-gata, medium size with stars
Chawan: Glass bowl "Amanogawa" (The Milky Way) by Kunihiko Hirohata
Kaejawan: Gold leaf bowl "Snow storm" by Hirota
Gift: Fish tile

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.

Issoan Tea School News and Events

We have a lot of events coming up this fall, in addition to the busy summer.  I promise that I will get back onto a schedule of regular blogging, as the blog posts requested and ones I want to write are piling up.

For the immediate future, please see the calendar below, and if you are interested in attending any of the events or workshops, please contact me.

September 18th, Wedesday 6:30 pm -- Moonviewing at the Portland Japanese Garden.  Regular Wednesday class will be held at the Japanese Garden.
September 29-30, Sunday- Monday, 10 am- 5 pm -- Soujuan Kimono visit, The Wine & Spirit Archive, 828 SE Ash St #204, Portland OR, 97214.  We are lucky to have Mr. Nomura return to Portland with his collection of art kimono and, kimono accessories and kimono dressing lessons.  Please join us.
Octpber 5-6. Saturday -Sunday, Northwest Tea Festival, Seattle, WA.
October 13-14, Sunday -Monday, Christy-sensei intensive seminar. Konarai on Sunday, Kagetsu in the evenings.  Shikaden study on Monday morning, Okuden afternoon, advanced Kagetsu Monday evening.  Contact Margie for more information.
November 2-3, Saturday, Sunday 10 am.  Tea gathering for the opening of the winter hearth.
November 10, Sunday 10am -12 pm, Kumihimo workshop. Learn the basics of Japanese braiding techniques.
Coming soon - Kintsugi workshop, repairing ceramics with gold

The seven types of chaji

As my classes are preparing to host a chakai this summer, I thought that I would talk a little about tea gatherings.  

Chakai are rather informal tea gatherings.  Sweets and usucha are usually served, and usually no meal is served at a chakai.  I have been to chakai in Japan where there were hundreds of participants.  Everyone was seated in a very large tatami room.  In one corner, near the first guest the temaeza is set up and a few bowls of tea are made.  Then the rest of the guests are served tatedashi, from the kitchen.  There is an efficiency and order to this type of gathering.  I have worked in the mizuya whisking tea. -- with 3 people, we whisked 300 bowls of tea for a chakai one time. 

Chaji are a more formal type of gathering and there are 7 types of chaji.  There are 3 timed chaji

1. Shojo no chaji - this is the most formal and the standard type of chaji.  It can be held in the ro or the furo season.  The start time is 11 or 12 o'clock. The order for shogo no chaji is shozumi, full kaiseki, nakadachi, koicha, gozumi and usucha.  This is the most difficult to pull off and challenging for the guests to sit through.
2. Asa chaji - takes place in the morning at 5-6 am. Furo season only. It is short and quick and ends by 7 or 8 . It is a way to beat the heat in the summer time, so tsuzukiusucha (usucha following directly after koicha) no gozumi, an abbreviated kaiseki.  No raw fish or yakimono (grilled dish).
3. Yobanashi chaji -  takes place in the evening about 4-5 pm and in the ro season only.  Serve tsuzukiusucha, and abbreviated kaiseki.  No gozumi, but  tomezumi or tachizumi (charcoal at the end).  No raw fish or yakimono.  Plan to use lights (candles and lanterns) and heat sources such as teaburi (handwarmers) and hibachi.
4. Hango chaji -- takes place after meal times.  10 am or 2 pm or 7 pm, can take place in furo or ro season.  VERY abbreviated kaiseki to no kaiseki - the food can be tenshin (one plate meal) noodles or snack, or just nimono, and hassun.  The order is lay sumi, food, serve sweet, break, and koicha.  Usucha can be skipped. This is a good chaji for less dogu or time.
5.  Rinji chaji -- emergency or spontaneous, unexpected. Contains the basics of rice, soup charcoal sweets and tea.  Can do tsuzukiusucha.  Other than that, no real rules, no set times.  Because it is so informal, it should have a very formal feeling.
6. Atomi chaji-- viewing the remains.  This takes place after another chaji.  The host's very best friends basically invite themselves to view the utensils.  The host will rehang the scroll and move the flowers to the floor.  Order, food, koicha tsuzukiusucha. no nakadachi.   Food is something different for than what was served for the first chaji guests, may even be just noodles or rice soup.(I always thought this was rather rude to invite yourself over and make the host do double duty when the first chaji was probably exhausting enough).
7. Akatsuki chaji - Dawn chaji. This is the expert's tea. It starts at 4 am and always in the ro season.  You need a ceiling window.  The illumination turns to sunlight in the tea room as it  moves from dark to light.  There is a bit of drama as the windows open and light streams in just at the hassun is served.  (timing is critical here).  Oil lamps or candles naturally guttter out as the light comes in.  Sumi first, food is variable, hassun must be served, sweets, koicha tsuzukiusucha.

Here is hoping that you will be hosting a chaji soon.

Tanabata Chakai

A wonderful day of tea Saturday at the Issoan Tea School.  Students celebrated the Star Festival with a chakai put on the advanced class who invited the new students who had never attended a chakai before.

We went through the planning process from choosing a theme, utensils, poetic names, hand made invitations to making sweets.

Students arrived at the school very early to clean everything, top to bottom tea room, mizuya, machiai and walkway outside.

They washed and dried all the utensils and trays and bowls for the light meal.  We cooked the food and arranged the trays.

The tea room and mizuya were then set up and we rehearsed the order of the gathering.

Then everyone changed into kimono and the guests began to arrive.  Even though it was a lot of work, I think everyone had a good time.

Thank you guests and thank you hosts for a wonderful tea day.

May showers may bring flowers

I can't believe it is May already.  It seems like we haven't started spring yet here on the upper left coast of America.   The forecast for today:  rain and drizzle, showers, rain possible followed by rain and clouds.  This morning the forecast read like a horoscope:   You can't rule out a possibility of rain.

The cherry blossoms are just falling now, but the iris are small yet, the peonies have just little buds, azaleas are just beginning to bloom.  No sign really of wisteria and other May flowers, and forecast calls for continued cool rainy weather.

 

When I was in Los Angeles April 12-13 for the 60th Anniversary and deidcaiton of Seifu-an, a new tea house in the Huntington Gardens, it rained all day for the chakai.  And while the rain brings the lush, green gardens, it is difficult to conduct a large scale chakai.  I was prepared with my raincoat, and umbrella of course, but many others were not.   I gave away my umbrella to a lady in a silk kimono that was getting soaked.

It was not without good humor, though as the men in hakama, tucked them up to keep their hems from dragging and getting wet.

 

One of the most interesting temae was the koicha seki which was held in the library of the Huntington.  I loved the venue with tapestries on the wall and the ryurei table was set in front of the ornate fireplace almost like a painting itself:

 

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

Expert Tea Master

Someone referred to me recently as a tea master, and I was embarrassed enough to correct them by saying I was still a student of tea.  In truth I still feel like such a novice on this path; there is still so much to learn. 

They say that it takes about 10,000 hours to become an expert at something. By that definition, if you went to keiko for an hour and a half once a week, it would take a little more than 128 years for you to become an expert at chado, at least 2 lifetimes and perhaps more if you don't count formative years.

We could take a single aspect of the way of tea,  tea ceramics, for example, and say you spent 40 hours a week just immersed in it, it would still take you nearly 5 years to become an expert.  Yet you could spend 30 years studying tea ceramics and still not know all there was to know about it.  Take that and multiply it by the many other aspects of the way of tea: flower arranging, gardening, architecture, calligraphy, cooking, sweet making, literature, poetry, history, etiquette, kimono, wood working, lacquer, Zen, and those years add up very quickly.  Not to mention studying  the hundreds of tea procedures, tea utensils and types of  tea gatherings.

When people are first exposed to chanoyu, it seems so deceptively simple that anyone can do it.  What they don't know is that it has taken years of practice to make it look simple.  But even people just coming upon it can tell the difference between a beginner and a more experienced tea person.  Why is that?

I believe that watching an experienced tea person, you are not just seeing the procedure for making tea.  You are experiencing the heart of chanoyu.  The experienced practitioner imbues the temae with his or her heart and consideration for others.  When you and your body know the procedure by heart, you don't need to think about what comes next.  You can free your mind to concentrate on the guest.  There is no room for stage fright, or making mistakes.  The movements flow and awareness and feelings fill the room.  When the guest is experienced too, there is a magic that happens as host and guest become one.  Both are of the same mind and both contribute to creating an almost transcendent experience, often without a word being spoken.

This has happened to me just a few times in my years of study, when everything comes together.  I do hope that all tea students out there are willing to put in the hard work to be prepared for something like this.  Is it mastery?  I don't know.  It is the way of tea.

Hanabira mochi sweets for New Year

I know for many of you sweets are one of the reasons that you come to class to drink tea.   I hope you have all appreciated my poor attempts at home made wagashi. This sweet is called hanabira mochi.  It is the traditional New years' sweet of Urasenke.  I love the taste of this sweet for it mix of sweet and salty flavors.

For those of you in Seattle, there is now a professional tea sweet maker called Tokara.

Tokara is a Seattle-based confectionery that prepares only freshly made Japanese sweets known as wagashi. These traditional Kyoto-style confections are crafted to reflect the seasonal changes and the beauty of nature in color, shape, and taste. Handmade by Chef Tokara, a selection of wagashi echoing the current season of the year – be it spring, summer, fall, or winter – are offered monthly.

Chef Tokara prepares wagashi using the centuries-old Kyoto method and carefully selects only the best and freshest ingredients to ensure her confections are of the highest quality. Her dedication and meticulous attention to craft and technique produces sweets that are visually stunning and exquisitely flavorful. And for Chef Tokara, taste is most important. “It must be delicious!”

Order your sweets from  Tokara Japanese Confectionary

You can also have a bowl of sweets at the Seattle Urasenke Branch.  Contact them to schedule a visit.

You can also sample Chef Tokara's creations at
Panama Hotel Tea and Coffee
605 S. Main St., Seattle, WA 98104
              206-223-9242     

FUJI BAKERY, Inc. (Friday and Saturday only)
1502 145th PL. SE, Bellevue, WA 98007
(425) 641-3889

Fresh Flours
6015 Phinney Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98103
206-297-3300

CafeWeekend
851 Hiawatha Pl. S. Seattle, WA 98144

Tougo Coffee
1410 18th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122

Hatsugama Kaiki

Thank you to the guests who attended Issoan Tea School Hatusgama.

I enjoyed hosting you so much that I want to do it all over again.  Here are the photos from the event.

Hatsugama 2011 Kaiki

Year of the Rabbit, January 9, 2011

Machiai 

Rabbit bell from Minako-sensei

Kumidashi – yari ume stoneware

Honseki

Tokonoma:  “Yume” Dream by Soko Daisoji, the 488^th abbot of Koyasan temple at Seihoin wajo in Japan, New year display mandarin oranges, charcoal, rice

Hana: camellia

Hanaire:  shigaraki tabi makura hanging vase

Tana: “Yamazato dana” Mountain Village from the poem: 

Hana o nomi                  For those who wait

matsunan hito ni            only for flowers

yamazato no                   show them the sprig

yukima no kusa mo        of grass under the snow

Haru o misebaya            in a mountain village

Mizusashi:  Wood fire LA from Tad Kamiya

Kama:  Kashiwa ubaguchi (oakleaf design on old lady mouth shape) by Keitan Takahashi National Treasure

Kogo:  Hagi style usagi (rabbit) by Jennifer Anderson

Omogashi: Traditional Hanabira mochi

Koicha

Chaire: Seto shiribukura

Shifuku: ikat made from my kimono sleeve by sempai Robert Macrae

Chashaku:  “Cha jo cha shin” Tea feeling, tea heart given to me by Jan Waldman sensei when I left for midorikai

Chawan:  Black raku “Issei”  first voice. Gift of Gary sensei named by Onozawa Kankai of Daitokuji temple in Kyoto Head abbot of Jukoin, the Sen family temple. Made by Sasaki Shoraku

Futaoki: Four seasons, four directions, four bridges, 40 years of Midorikai by Richard Milgrim

Koicha: Sayaka no mukashi from Ippodo

Usucha

Natsume: Rikyu gata chu natsume, Gold leaf

Chawan: Minako sensei’s Hagi chawan

Chawan: Shino unknown artist

Usucha:  Seijo no shiro, Zabosai konomi Koyamaen

Sweet:  Wasanbon gift from Kay Snell

Issoan Tea Robiraki 2010

Scroll:  Kan za matsu kaze o kiku “Sit and listen to the wind in the pines”

Chatsubo:  Iga with net bag

Flower container:  single cut bamboo with seasonal flowers

Kama: Uba guchi, kashiwa oak leaf ro kama by
 Keitan Takahashi, National Treasure

Ro:  Oki ro made of  kuwa, mulberry wood

Tana: Kokodana: two shelf black lacquer with red edges

Mizusahshi:  Hitoeguchi with persimmon glaze

Mizutsugi:  Yakan with lidded spout

Chaire:  Spring bulb, made in Kyoto by Scott Mortensen
 shifuku: ginran kobotan higashiyama gire

Chashaku:  Kan, by Genko Blackman

Omochawan: Black raku by Kugyo

Futaoki:  Bronze ikkanjin

Chamei – Koicha: Zuisen no shiro, Hounsai Daisosho konomi; Usucha: JoRaku from Nishuraen

Sweets:  Zenzai with mochi

Natsume:  Tofuku natsume, Gengensai konomi by Shuho Kumagai

Chawan:  Tora no kaze by Wako, Minako sensei’s pink Hagi

Higashi:  Hato pigeon and mushroom

Tenshin meal served on chisoku style trays

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.

Hotarubi no chakai

One of the most memorable chakai that I attended when I lived in Kyoto was the Hotarubi no chakai at Shimogamo shrine. The tea gathering that is held in June amidst the glow of live fireflies at Kyoto’s Shimogamo Shrine (also known as Kamomiya Shrine). “Hotaru” means “firefly”; “bi” means “fire “or “glow”. One of its aims is the preservation of Tadasu no Mori, “The Forest of Justice,” which surrounds Shimogamo Shrine. About 600 fireflies are released over a stream called Mitarashigawa as invitees to the tea ceremony enjoy their tea.

Shimogamo is one of the oldest shrines in Japan, and is located just to the north of the confluence of the Kamo and Takase Rivers in north-central Kyoto. The history of this shrine dates back to prehistoric periods. The earliest reference to the shrine is a repair of the fence in 2 BC, suggesting that the shrine had existed even before that time. Since then, the shrine has played a central role in the religious lives of the people of Kyoto, and has served as a guardian of Japan and Kyoto. The importance of the shrine was especially significant in the Heian period, since prayers for the success of the capital were held there. This shrine has often been described in literature, including an appearance in the Tale of Genji. Today, Shimgamo Shrine has been registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The shrine contains 53 buildings that are all recognized as Important Cultural Properties.

Hotarubi no chakai is usually held in the beginning of June. The connection between the shrine and tea began in the Kansho period (1441-1446) and tea ceremonies with fireflies were common until the Meiji period (1868 - 1912). In later days, however, those events ceased as the shrine was nationalized, and the fireflies became extinct in the surrounding forest because of pollution in the 1940s. But people recently started to clean up the area and release firefly larvae. Consequently, the number of fireflies began to increase in the forest, and so the tea ceremony was revived in 1991, after about 100 years of absence.

The fireflies are released over the Mitarashigawa. A cage holding fireflies was placed on a small pier at around 8pm (the big cage and some other smaller ones were on display in other places on the shrine grounds until the awaited time). We attended the festivities starting at about 5 pm. Then we went to the chakai and after we had tea and sweets, it was dark and they released the fireflies. As they flew out of the boxes, it looked almost like fireworks, yet they still glowed afterwards in the bushes and grasses around the river.

Poetry and Tea

I have added a link to my good friend Maggie Chula's blog.  She is an internationally published haiku poet and has just posted an excellent essay comparing renga and chaji. 

Citing many famous tea masters and their poetry, Maggie deftly weaves the two disciplines of Chado and Renga together in their principles and aesthetics.   In fact, many tea masters were accomplished poets.

Please go check it out and welcome her on her blog with your comments. 

The taste of tea shines through

In 1872 the Urasenke 11th generation Grand Tea Master, Gengensai, submitted a formal letter of protest to the Meiji government, the Chado no Gen’i (the  basic idea of the way of tea), objecting to the government’s move to classify chanoyu as a mere “pastime” or “entertainment.”

The original intent of the Way of Tea is to instill loyalty, filial piety, and the Five Constant Virtues (benevolence, sincerity, righteousness, wisdom and trust),  to uphold modesty, propriety and frugality; to encourage the unflagging fulfillment of one’s allotted role in family affairs; to promote service toward peace and well-being of the realm; to have people treat one another with no distinctions of closeness or distance, wealth or poverty; and revere divine providence for the sake of the health and longevity of generations to come.  Because tea is a path with these tenets, strictly and formally regulated, tea gatherings must be recognized as the sincerest form of activity that can be performed without harming the five parts of the body.  The import of all these ideas is present within even the humblest thin-tea service.

Not in clothing, food, or shelter,
Nor in utensils or gardens –
No excess of any kind,
So that by sincere practice
The taste of tea shines through.

This statement won chanoyu official recognition as a true discipline and paved the way for Chado in the modern era.

After a tea gathering

"After host and guest have expressed their feelings of regret and after the final farewells have been said, the guests depart through the roji (garden).  They do not call out in loud voices, but turn silently for one last look.   The host, moved, watches them until they are gone from sight.  It would not do for him to rush about closing the naka-kuguri, the sarudo, and the other doors, for this would make the day's entertainment meaningless.  Even though it is not possible to see the guests returning to their homes, the host should not put things in order quickly.  Rather, he should return quietly to the setting of the tea gathering and, crawling through the nijiguchi, seat himself before the hearth.  Wishing to speak longer with his guests, he must wonder how far they have gotten on their ways home.  This "one time, one meeting" has come to an end, and the host reflects upon the fact that it can never be repeated.  The highest point of a tea meeting is, in fact, to have a cup of tea alone at this time.  All is quiet, and the host can talk to no one but the kettle.  This is a state in which nothing else exists, a state that cannot be known unless one has attained it oneself."
~ from Chanoyu Ichie Shu by Ii Naosuke

April Fool's for Tea

I have a tea friend in Seattle who has been collecting whimsical things to use for an April Fool's Day chakai.  I love his sense of humor and creativity in putting together found objects for the utensils for this chakai.

Take a look at some of these:

 Sorry for the cut off image, but if you look closely at this scroll, it is mounted and hanging sideways.

 Dandelions in a pickle jar with a chicken clock for an incense container

Here is a rather formal nagaita (long board) set up with the whimsical utensils. An onion tureen for mizusashi, large cup for kensui, mixer for a whisk, medicine bottle for tea caddy, steel ladle for hishaku and teaspoon for a chashaku.

Peeps for okashi!

 I wonder if it was just as shocking or whimsical in the late 1500s when Rikyu put his flowers in a bamboo vase, and used a teabowl made by a roof tile maker?