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

New Class Introduction to Chanoyu, The Japanese Tea Ceremony

Introduction to 

Chanoyu, the Japanese Tea Ceremony

Harmony, purity, respect and tranquility.  These are the four principles of tea ceremony distilled from Japanese culture.  In this ten week class, students will be introduced to Chado, the way of tea. The arts of Japan will be examined through the ritual preparation and drinking of matcha, Japanese ceremonial tea.   

Students will participate in at least six tea ceremonies, an incense ceremony, and kimono dressing.  Japanese architecture, gardening,ceramics, flower arranging and calligraphy will also be covered. The final class will be a formal tea gathering for friends and family at the Portland Japanese Garden authentic tea house.

New Class: Starts Wednesday, Wednesday January 12  7:00 – 8:30 pm.

3826 NE Glisan St. 
Once a week for 10 weeks

Fee: $250, materials will be available for purchase at class.

www.issoantea.com for more information.

Space is limited, call 503-645-7058 to register

Marjorie Yap, Instructor, Urasenke Tradition of Tea

margie@isoantea.com

Hatsugama

December is also called the month of teachers running.  There are the year end preparations for Joyagama, the last tea gathering of the year as well as time to plan one of the biggest tea celebrations of the year, Hatsugama or New Year's tea gathering.

When I lived in Kyoto, I could not afford to return home for the Christmas and New Year's holidays, so I was invited to participate with the Urasenke Sen Family in Joyagama on New Year's eve.   It was a small gathering with just the family, and a few friends. We all fit into the Mushikiken tea room and Hounsai Daisosho himself served us hot water and made tea for us.  It was intimate and very special.

We will have Hatsugama this year on Sunday, January 9.  It is the year of the rabbit, and the chokudai, or poetic theme is "leaves".  

I wish all of you a Happy New Year, and thank you for reading.

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!

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