SweetPersimmon

I look back on my time at Midorikai and I thought about what I had learned there. Some of the lessons I learned there have nothing to do w...

I have been having an extended discussion with a commenter about gomei.  See t his post and the comment thread . For the guests, learnin...

The day after Christmas, December 26th we had our first Winter intensive at Issoan Tea School.  For my students it was their first intensive...

One of the exercises we did while Machida Gyotei sensei was here was Ko-tauki kagetsu.   I have never had the chance to do this one before...

It has been more than a week since we had an intensive workshop here in Portland with Machida Gyotei sensei and we are grateful to Urasenk...

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 t...

I have some new students and they were asking last week what is appropriate to wear to okeiko? What is appropriate to wear to a chakai? ...

Interestingly,  I talked about preaparing a new kama, but the last post didn't talk about caring for your kama when you use it.  So here...

In 1747, shichijishiki or seven training exercises were created through the joint efforts of Joshinsai (seventh iemoto of the Omotesenke sch...

I have a group of new students and some of them have told me that doing tea looks so simple that anyone can do it.  That is until we start w...

Recently, Bruce Hamana sensei in Kyoto asked recently, " Many people will devote themselves to mastering karate, shodo, and other disc...

Sometimes we stop going to class for different reasons.  Jobs change, moving, heatlth reasons,  family obligations.  And sometimes we just n...

Summer is hot, so choosing gomei for your chashaku at class should make the guests feel cool. Here are a few suggestions: shimizu-- pure...

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 summer months of July and August are the most challenging for tea people.  Asa chaji held in the early morning to beat the heat fo...

This post will be the 300th post on the SweetPersimmon blog.  Thank you all for reading, following and commenting.   I love to hear from rea...

I've had a request in the comments about how to tame your fukusa. So here is part 3 on your fukusa. Historical Note: The size of the f...

The fukusa is a silk cloth used for purification in chanoyu.  The fukusa is a symbol of the host.  Typically men's fukusa is a deep purp...

One of the most difficult things about studying tea is sitting seiza.   As I am getting older, it is getting more difficult for me to sit fo...

Trying to understand the wabi aesthetic of the tea ceremony is very difficult because it is difficult to quantify.  One of the principles of...