Ippuku: A Bowl of Tea
Cha-no-yu, 茶の湯, Tea-’s-hot water, is many things centered on blending ma-tcha, 抹茶, powder-tea, and yu, 湯, hot-water. Matcha is traditionally prepared and drunk from a ceramic cha-wan, 茶碗, tea-bowl. There are two ways in which matcha is prepared: usu-cha, 薄茶, thin-tea, and koi-cha, 濃茶, thick-tea. The simplest way to prepare a bowl of tea is to warm the chawan, put in some tea, add hot water, and blend it with a bamboo cha-sen, 茶筅, tea-whisk.
A bowl of Tea is drunk in three sips, with an added audible sip to finish. An important feature of Chanoyu is how much tea is served to a single person. Outside of Chanoyu, one can prepare tea in any desired way, and in any amount. In the realm of Chanoyu, the amount of tea is prescribed, and when presenting usucha, it is called i-ppuku, 一服, one-dose. At the start of the presentation the host is at the door and says to the guest: “I-ppuku sashi-agemasu”, 一服差し上げる, one-dose give-up.
The term, i-ppuku, 一服, refers to one-dose, one-puff, one-smoke, lull, short rest, etc. The Kanji, fuku, 服, clothing , admit, obey, discharge, clothes; garment; mourning dress; etc. The Kanji, 服, is composed of tsuki, 月, moon, and fu, 𠬝, subdue (with right hand). The Kanji, 服, may be composed of niku, 肉, rather than moon, 月, as the Kanji is identified with the body. The most familiar translation of fuku, 服, refers to clothing, such as wa-fuku, 和服, harmony(Japan)-clothing.
From left: ten-moku cha-wan, 天目茶碗, heaven-eye, containing ‘sugar’ in lieu of koi-chi, 濃茶, thick-tea, powder for four persons. Kuro raku chawan, 黒楽茶碗, black-pleasure tea-bowl, containing ‘sugar’ tea for four persons. Small wooden cha-go, 茶合, tea-measure (gather), which contains enough koicha matcha for two persons. Hi-shaku, 柄杓, handle-ladle, bamboo, standard size can contain enough water for two bowls of koicha.
When preparing koicha, the amount of tea is measured with a small designated cup, cha-gō, 茶合, tea-gather, which holds tea for two persons. This little cup is the equivalent of two standard tablespoons, which establishes the amount of matcha used to make a single person’s koicha as one measured tablespoon. Ippuku refers specifically to usucha, and rarely for koicha. The implication of the word ippuku is ‘dose’, a certain amount. The amount of usucha matcha is determined somewhat by koicha amounts.
The cha-gō measures 2 tablespoons of tea. The Rikyū gata chū natsume holds 4 tablespoons of tea, the same for koicha for 4 guests and usucha. When making usucha, only half of the chū natsume can be used for making usucha for 8 bowls of usucha. Two tablespoons of tea are used for usucha, which means one tablespoon of tea for 4 bowls of usucha. Rikyū probably did not know grams.
In the time of Rikyū, koicha was measured using half the shell of a Korean walnut, 高麗胡桃, High-beauty foreign-peach. In Korean the walnut is known as hodu.
It is thought that walnuts were first planted in 1290, at Gwangdeok Temple, in Cheonon in Korea, which became widely famous, so much so that today nearly 50 percent of Korea’s walnuts are grown in this area.
Aside from the shell being used as a measure for powdered tea, the walnut shell has, for a long time, been ground to a fine powder, and combined with other ingredients to make a beneficial facial scrub. Walnuts have had a prominent role in culinary and medicinal fields for centuries. Walnuts, known in Korea as hodu, are said to have been first introduced into this country over a thousand years ago in the Silla Kingdom. It is not quite clear when or how the introduction took place, but it may have involved early Chinese and Arab traders.
Black walnuts in traditional Chinese medicine were regarded as a kidney tonic, and the bark, kernel and the shells were also used to eliminate various types of intestinal worms and parasites. Typical use of black walnut hull powder is most commonly ingested by mixing about 1 teaspoon with tea. It can also be encapsulated. It is recommended that one research the precise dosage for particular complaints. Black walnut tincture can be added to water or fruit juice and taken daily for no longer than two weeks or as directed by an herbal practitioner.
Sen no Rikyū mastered the way of Chanoyu, and used the walnut shell as the measure for filling a tea container. The measure has evolved into the chagō, yet the tea container preferred by Rikyū has remained the same. In Urasenke Chanoyu the preferred tea container is the Rikyū gata chū-natsume, 形中棗, style middle-jujube. It is a relatively small, covered, ovoid container made of turned wood and coated with shin-nuri, 真塗, true-lacquer, a mirror-finish, black lacquer. The Rikyū-gata chū-natsume is of such importance that it is used for preparing both koicha and usucha.
The natsume, 棗, jujube is a small deciduous tree of the buckthorn family, with fruit that is at times called a Chinese date. There are many varieties, but the preferred fruit is a large, ripe, ovoid with shiny black skin. The name, jujube, derives from its scientific name: Ziziphus jujuba. The Japanese name, natsume, comes from the fact that buds, me, 芽, appear in summer, natsu, 夏. ‘Natsume’ could be written with the Kanji, natsu-me, 夏芽, summer-bud.
Left: Rikyū-gata chu-natsume, 利休形中棗, containing 4 tablespoons of sugar in lieu of matcha. This amount is prepared for Tea for koicha for four persons.
Right: A Rikyū style chū-natsume fully filled holds 8 tablespoons of sugar/matcha. Koicha for 8 persons.
One standard tablespoon is equal to 3 teaspoons, just as an individual person’s amount of koicha is drunk in three sips. A sip of koicha is one teaspoonful of tea. When koicha powder is scooped into the chawan, three scoops are allotted for each guest. In a simple koicha presentation, according to the precepts of Rikyū, the koicha powder is scooped into the chawan, sho, chū, go, 初中後, first, middle, latter.
茶入れより茶を掬ふには心得て初中後すくへそれが秘事なり
Chai-re yori cha o kiku fu ni wa kokoroete sho chū go sukue sore ga hime-goto nari
Tea-receptacle from tea of scoop out to keep in mind first middle latter scoops that secret thing is.
– Rikyū Hyaku-shu, 利休百首, Rikyū Hundred-neck (counter for poems, etc.)
Three scoops of matcha are approximately the equivalent of three tea seeds.
Cha no mi, 茶の実, tea’s seed. It is also referred to as, Cha no shu-shi, 茶の種子, tea’s seed-of.
Tea seedpods containing three shu-shi, 種子, seed-of. The tea seedpod is about the size of an average adult thumb.
San-ben hō-ju, 三弁宝珠, three-leaf treasure-jewel, lotus petals, imply the orbs are lotus seeds. The hōju theoretically spin. Note that the petals have the same shape as the hōju.
The hō-ju, 宝珠, treasure-jewel, is a manifestation of un-differentiated In and Yō, 陰陽, Negative Positive, water and fire. The flames and turning of the hōju have various symbolism. Many living things, such as human beings, have heat, which, in the design of the three hōju, may indicate that they are alive. In Taoist and Traditional Chinese Medicine there is the concept of the three cauldrons, referred to as the upper, middle, and lower dan-tian, 丹田, elixir-fields, which are transformational areas in the human body. Fire is symbolic of life, therefore, living plants are symbolized by flames.
In Sanskrit, the treasure jewel is called Cinta-mani, thought-bead, a treasure that grants various wishes at will. In Buddhist scriptures, Nyo-i-rin Kan-non, 如意輪観音, Like-mind-wheel See-sound, the Goddess of Compassion, has a jewel in her hand. Hōju is said to have the power to grant various wishes, such as curing illness, preventing disaster, and illuminating darkness. There may be word play with cha no shu-shi, 茶の種子, tea’s seed-of; because in Buddhism, the Kanji, 種子, is also read shu-ji, which refers to the Sanskrit seed character representing a Buddha or Bodhisattva.
Tea flowers bloom from September to November. The flower is pollinated by insects, etc., and the seeds ripen and fall to the ground in autumn about a year later. Each fruit contains 1 to 5 seeds. They will germinate the following spring, but if the seeds are too dry, they will be difficult to germinate. After the seeds have fallen, they are easy to collect and sow directly (autumn sowing). Currently, tea is mostly propagated by cuttings. In former times, there were areas where oil was extracted from tea seeds and used for food and for washing hair.
Left: Rikyū-gata chū-natsume, 利休形中棗, Rikyū-style middle-jujube, wrapped in an Ō-tsu bukuro, 大津袋, Great-port bag. Right: Rikyū-gata chū-natsume wrapped in a fuku-sa, 帛紗, cloth-gauze, tsutsumi buku-sa, 包帛紗, wrap cloth-gauze.
When using a Rikyū-gata chu-natsume for preparing koicha, thick-tea, some families dedicated to Chanoyu use a shifuku, 仕覆, serve-cover, to wrap the Rikyū-gata chū-natsume, like a cha-ire, 茶入, tea-receptacle.
The natsume is also put into an Ō-tsu-bukuro, 大津袋, Great-port bag. The bag is traditionally made of murasaki chiri-men, 紫縮緬, purple wrinkle-thread, silk crepe. In lieu of the Ōtsu bukuro, a fuku-sa, 帛紗, cloth-gauze, can be used to wrap the natsume, this practice is called tsutsumi buku-sa, 包帛紗, wrap cloth-gauze. The color of the fukusa may be either murasaki, 紫, purple, for a male host, or aka, 赤, red, for a female host. Some colors have symbolism: the color purple is symbolic of In, 陰, negative, receptive, and the number 6, roku, 六, and the color red is symbolic of Yō, 陽, positive, penetrative, and the number 5, go, 五. Men are regarded as Yō, so that purple, In, is complementary, just as women are regarded as In, and red, Yō, is complementary.
A Rikyū-gata chū-natsume, 利休形中棗, Rich-quit middle-jujube, tea container is often picked up and put down holding it with the right hand, covering the right half of the lid, which is called han-getsu, 半月, half-moon. The thumb is placed on the shō-men, 正面, correct-face, front, and the middle finger at the center of the back of the natsume. The index finger is extended slightly, but does not touch the natsume.
Thumb: 土, tsuchi, do, earth. Also 母, ka, haha, mother.
Index/pointer: 木, moku, ki, wood, tree. Also 春, haru, shun, spring.
Middle finger: 火, ka, hi, fire. Also 夏, natsu, ka, summer.
Ring/medicine finger: 金, gon, kane, kin, metal, gold. Also秋, aki, shu, autumn.
Little finger; 水, mizu, sui, water. Also 冬, fuyu, tō, winter.
Palmistry has been known and practiced around the world, and according to Japanese palmistry, shu-sō-jitsu, 手相術, hand-phase-art, the fingers of the hand are variously identified:
The thumb, oya-yubi, 親指, parent-finger, is identified with parents.
The first finger, hito-sashi-yubi, 人差し指, person-indicate-finger, is identified with siblings,
The second finger, naka-yubi, 中指, middle-finger, with the self, and is also identified with the dragon.
The third finger, kusuri–yubi, 薬指, medicine-finger, with spouse.
The fourth little finger, ko-yubi, 小指, small-finger, is not part of this aspect. The fingers are also identified with the Go-gyō, 五行, Five-transitions, the five physical elements.
The first proximal phalange of the middle finger closest to the palm of the left hand is identified with the planet Saturn, Do-sei, 土星, Earth-star, and kin-ben, 勤勉, work-exert; diligent, industrious, serve, work, serve, conduct. This is approximately the location where the chawan is placed when drinking tea.
Rikyū gata chū-natsume, 利休型中棗. Rikyū-style middle-jujube, with lid removed and inverted containing same capacity of the compared to the tsuki-gata hi-shaku, 月形柄杓, moon-shape handle-ladle, and sashi-toshi hi-shaku, 差し通うし柄杓, between-pass handle-ladle, and gō, 合, cup, of natsume.
Shi-teki, 四滴, four-drippers, ceramic small jar intended as a cha-ki, 茶器, tea-containers with black to brown glaze and prominent glaze run; h. approximately sun kane-jaku, by Asa-mi Yoshi-zō,浅見与し三, Shallow-see Bestow-three; full height 3.4 sun kane-jaku. A single ivory lid is used with each of the four jars.
The origin of the shiteki is found in the suitability of a container that may be used to hold usu-cha, 薄茶, thin-tea. When assembling utensils for a Chaji, a Rikyū chūnatsume may be chosen for containing the koicha, rather than using the customary ceramic chaire. The choice of an usuki should differ from a natsume, so the four drippers were created for such a circumstance. However, before their creation, a jar with a certain feature, such as a spout or handle makes it unsuitable for koicha. Thus, a set of four such jars was made available as containers for usucha.
Over time, the set of four different ceramic wares became popular. From left: Se-to-yaki, 瀬戸焼, Rapids-gate-fired; Ki-se-to-yaki, 瀬戸焼, yellow-rapids-gate-fired; Ori-be-yaki, 織部焼, Weave-bureau-fired; Shi-no-yaki, 志野焼, Aspire-field-fired.
Te-game, 手瓶, handle-jar, ceramic jar with loop handle, brown glaze, and ivory lid; h. 2.2 sun kane-jaku. Ao-dake naka-bushi futa-oki, 青竹中節蓋置, green-bamboo middle-node lid-place; h. 1.8 sun kane-jaku.
The handle of the jar identifies the shō-men, 正面, true-face, front. The lowest level of the bamboo fushi is shōmen.
Sashi-toshi hi-shaku, 差し通し, difference-pass, handle passes through the cup of the ladle, gō, 合, measure/cup; h. 1.8 sun kane-jaku. Yu-nomi, 湯呑, hot water-drink, porcelain cup with transfer blue design; h. 2.25 sun kane-jaku, or 1.8 sun kujira-jaku.
Yu-nomi, 湯呑, hot water-drink, porcelain cup with blue transfer floral and geometric designs intended for offering tea and hot water to Buddhist or Shintō spirits. The cup’s approximate capacity of 100 ml, is equal to the standard gō, 合, cup of the hishaku used in Chanoyu. The water used for making a bowl of tea is equally as important as the amount of tea being offered.
For further study, see also: Rikyū Chū Natsume, Rikyū Gata Chū Natsume: Ippuku Sashi Agemasu, and Tobako Bon
