Chanoyu Decoded

Shakutate: Ladle Stand in Chanoyu

Utensils used for many Tea presentations are a kama, 釜, kettle, a heat source such as a portable fu-ro, 風炉, wind-hearth, or a sunken ro, 炉, hearth. In addition: a mizu-sashi, 水指, water-indicate, a ken-sui, 建水, build-water, and a futa-oki, 蓋置, lid-place, for the lid of the kettle. More elaborate Tea presentations include a shaku-tate, 杓立, ladle-stand, holds upright the hi-shaku, 柄杓, handle-ladle, handles water, and hi-bashi, 火箸, fire-rods, handles fire. These utensils, excluding the ro, may be displayed on a formal stand, dai-su, 台子, support-of, or a simple naga-ita, 長板, long-board. The utensils displayed on the jiita are from the left are the furo that contains a...

Gotoku: Trivet in Tea and Beyond

In Chanoyu, the kama, 釜, kettle, is supported in the sunken ro, 炉, hearth, on a trivet-like iron go-toku, 五德, five-virtues. The gotoku is a wa, 輪, ring, with three ashi, 足, legs, ending in triangular tsume, 爪, talons. The ring is buried in the ash bed, so that only the legs and the talons are visible. There are essentially two positions for the gotoku. The most formal arrangement has a tsume pointed toward the host, tei-shu, 亭主, house-master, with two tsume at the front. The other more common placement has the tsume on the right side pointing directly left, toward the place where a lamp,...

Tea for the New Year of the Snake

Ga-ran-dō, 伽蘭洞, Help-orchid-cave; with utensils for the New Year 2025, Mi-doshi, 巳年, Snake-year. The traditional lunar New Year of the Snake begins on January 29, 2025. Toko-no-ma, 床の間, floor’s-room; kake-mono, 掛物, hang-thing, tan-zaku, 短冊, short-volume, kake hana-ire, 掛花入れ, hang flower-receptacle, ni-jū-giri, 二重切, two-tier-cut, ka-gura suzu, 神楽鈴, god-music bells, and san-bō, 三方, three-directions. Cha-dō-gu, 茶道具, tea-way-tools: naga-ita, 長板, long-board, walnut, by Thomas Hucker, New Jersey; mizu-sashi, 水指, water-indicate, stoneware with ‘Shi-no’, 志野, Aspire-field, orange to white glaze, American pottery, with black-lacquered lid; ceramic shaku-tate, 杓立, ladle-stand, with openwork of ‘tsubo–tsubo’, ツボツボ, jar-jar, Sen family design, with green glaze, stamped ‘Raku’, 楽, Pleasure; H. 5.5 sun kane-jaku. The...

Ro and Hai: Hearth and Ash

The ro, 炉, (sunken) hearth, is set in the floor of a room designated for the presentation of Cha-no-yu, 茶の湯, Tea’s Hot water. According to Sen no Rikyū, 千利休, Thousand Rich-quit, the opening of the ro is 14 sun kane-jaku, 寸曲尺, square. The housing of the ro is the ro-dan, 炉壇, hearth-foundation, and the opening of the rodan is one shaku kane-jaku square. In several circumstances, measurements for the ro are made with kujira-jaku, 鯨尺, whale-measure, so that the opening of the rodan may be determined as 8 sun kujira-jaku square. The ro, like the portable fu-ro, 風炉, wind-hearth, is filled with hai, 灰, (wood) ash, which...

Robiraki: Boar and Rat – a preview

Ro-biraki, 炉開, hearth-open, is traditionally celebrated on the first day of Boar after Ri-ttō, 立冬, Start-winter. This is one of the 24 seasonal divisions of the solar calendar, and occurs around November 7. However, it may be tradition has changed the original intention. If the ro is opened on the first Boar Day, it may have been preparation for an observance on the following day, which is the Ne-no-hi, 子の日, Rat’s-day Robiraki may be akin to New Year’s Eve for the Day of the Rat, Ne-no-hi, 子の日, Rat’s-day, which is the Asian zodiac sign of Sen-ju Kan-non Bo-satsu, 千手観音菩薩, Thousand-hand See-sound Grass-buddha. The Kanji for ne, 子,...

Ro Tenmae: Host and Guest

Tea presentation with the ro, 炉, hearth, as seen from the vantage of the shō-kyaku, 正客, correct-guest, in a yo-jo-han, 四畳半, four-mat-half Tearoom. The cha-dōgu, 茶道具, tea-tool-way, arrangement with fire in the ro on the left, and water in the mizu-sashi, 水指, water-indicate, on right. The cha-dō-gu, 茶道具, tea-way-tools include an Amida-dō kama, a large ceramic mizusashi by Makoto Yabe, with a black-lacquered tray as a lid, displayed on an ōita, cut from the board for using the ro, a Hagi chawan, and Korean porcelain futaoki for the kettle lid. The flower is displayed in a bamboo hanaire hung from a moveable hook in a cedar wood...

Furo Ashes, Kobukusa, and Buddist Kesa

Chanoyu can be presented throughout the year. During the cold winter half of the year, the kama, 釜, kettle, for heating water, the sunken hearth, ro, 炉, is used, and in the hot summer half of the year, the portable fu-ro, 風炉, wind-hearth, is used. However, the furo can be used at any time and almost anywhere. Traditionally, the ro is opened on the first I-no-hi, 亥の日, Boar’s-day, in November, the 11th month. The 10th month, which is called Kan-na-zuki, 神無月, God-no-month, because the Shintō deities gather at Izumo Tai-sha, 出雲大社, Out-cloud Great-shrine. Therefore, the preparation for the last furo of the season may have the influence...

Nakaoki: Kama and Incense

Tokonoma with utensils for a Daruma Memorial Tea. Kake-jiku, 掛軸, hang-scroll, with brushed picture of Daru-ma, 達磨, Attain-polish. Kō-ro, 香炉, incense-hearth, Kara-ji-shi, 唐獅子, Tang-lion-of, Shino-yaki, 志野焼, Aspire-field-fired. Flower in ceramic hana-tate, 花立, flower-stand, ceramic sake bottle, from Kami-ga-mo Jin-ja, 上賀茂神社, Upper-joyous-luxuriant God-shrine. Polished brass hi-tate, 火立, fire-stand, candlestick. Daru-ma, 達磨, Attain-polish, as Bodhidharma is known in Japan, was the founder of Chan Buddhism in China. He sat meditating in a cave for nine years. Bodhidharma was the 28th founder of Zen Buddhism, counting from Gautama Buddha, who is also regarded as the 28th Buddha. The monthly en-nichi, 縁日, edge-day, for Fu-dō Myō-ō, 不動明王, No-move Bright-king, a wrothful...

Chanoyu and Zen Landscapes Part 2

Humans have been attracted to mountains, or at least high places, from their beginnings. The higher the better. Kids play king of the mountain when they are strong enough to wrest it from others. Buildings soar above clouds. Every higher place beckons the climber. The view is never wider. Even in space. What is above or beyond. Japan’s Fujisan has been worshiped from the time of human habitation. It is climbed to see the sunrise, especially on New Year’s morning. Some mountains are too sacred to trespass upon. The Kanji, hachi, 八, is essentially a triangle, and the triangle with a single point upward is a symbol...

Chasen and Kuromoji

Removing the skin or bark from a plant is called kawa-nuki, 皮抜き, skin-peel. The length of the chasen is 3 sun kujira-jaku (11.4 cm). The bamboo cha-sen, 茶筅, tea-whisk, has the thin surface skin of the tine-end removed to a length of 1.33 sun kujira-jaku. The length of the remainder of the tines and handle end that has the skin intact is 1.65 sun kujira-jaku. The ratio between lengths of 1.33 and 1.65 is 8:10. The inner ring of the tines of the chasen comes to a point, or ten, 點, point, the handle end is a contrasting circle. The length of the tines from the thread...