Sukigi Gamma

Suki-gi gama, 透木釜, pass through-wood kettle, tetsu, 鉄, iron, with wide flaring hane, 羽, wing, with overall pattern of shiki matsu-ba, 敷松葉, spread pine-leaves (needles). With lid of Kara-kane, 唐銅, Tang-copper, bronze, by Taka-hashi Kei-ten, 高橋敬典, High-bridge Respect-celebrate, Nin-gen Koku-hō, 人間国宝, Person-interval National-treasure. The diameter of the body of the kama is 8.5 sun kane-jaku, and the diameter of the hane is 8.5 sun kujira-jaku. The hane rests on sukigi, wooden blocks, placed on the copper ro-dan, 炉壇, hearth-foundation. The ro-buchi, 炉縁, hearth-frame, has a thinly applied black-lacquer finish called kaki-awase, 掻合, scrape-gather, which shows the wood grain beneath. Pairs of suki-gi, 透木, clear-wood, large planks for ro, sakura, 桜, cherry; L. 3.9 x .8 x .7 sun kane-jaku, shown with kujira mono-sashi, 鯨物差し, whale bend-span thing-distinction, ruler;...

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Tea Sweets and Offerings

This is a standard presentation of sweets to a guest, informally as well as at a formal cha-kai, 茶会, tea-gathering. The sweet and the pick are presented by the host, tei-shu, 亭主, house-master, and the guest, kyaku, 客, guest, uses her or his own kaishi. The kuromoji is a lasting souvenir.  In certain more ‘formal’ Tea presentations a greater number of o-ka-shi, お菓子, hon.-sweet-of, sweets are offered. Some presentations traditionally present two, three, five, and seven sweets. These are offered to guests in individual boxes called fuchi-daka, 縁高, edge-high, which are borrowed from Buddhist meal service. The types of sweets, of which there are an infinite variety...

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Kagami Biraki: Making and Breaking Mochi

Kagami mochi, 鏡餠, mirror mochi, with daidai, 橙, bitter orange, ura-jiro, 裏白, back-white, fern, shi-hō beni, 四方紅, four-directions red-edge paper square, displayed on stand san-bō, 三方,three-directions. The sanbō is made of wood and has eight sides, the gi-tchō, 毬杖, ball-hit,  is made of wood and has eight sides. The number eight in Japanese Kanji is hachi, 八, which is symbolic of Infinity in Space, radiating outward in all directions.  Kō-gō, 香合, incense-gather, called a buri-buri kō-gō, ぶりぶり香合, plump-plump incense-gather. It is made of wood, octagonal in cross-section, tapered at both ends, with a design motif of ‘Taka–sago’, 高砂, High-sand, shō-chiku-bai, 松竹梅, pine-bamboo-prunus, and a married couple, Uba...

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Dragon in Chanoyu Part 2

Ga-ran-dō, 伽蘭洞, Help-orchid-cave, set with utensils for March, when we have memorials for Sen no Rikyū. Kakemono picturing Rikyū by by Sen-gai Gi-bon, 仙厓義梵, Hermit-precipice Righteous-Sanskrit. . Tsuri-gama, 釣釜, suspend-kettle: the un-ryū gama, 雲龍釜, cloud-dragon kettle, is suspended over the ro from a kusari, 鎖, chain. There is no need of a go-toku, 五徳, five-virtue, trivet, to support the kama. The tsuri-gama is used by Urasenke in March, the third month. The third month is identified with the zodiac sign Tatsu, 辰, Dragon. The utensils pictured with the tsuri-gama are for Rikyū’s memorial Tea observed on March 28.   The Unryū gama features a raised design of a dragon,...

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Lunar New Year and Kagami Mochi

Ga-ran-dō, 伽蘭洞, Help-orchid-cave, set with utensils for the Lunar New Year of the Dragon, 2024. Kake-mono, 掛物, hang-thing, Ryū-hi Hō-bu, 龍飛鳳舞, Dragon-leap Phoenix-dance. Kake hana-ire, 掛花入, hang flower-receptacle, bamboo, by Nishi-kawa Bai-gen, 西川楳玄, West-river Prunus-mystery. Buri-buri kō-gō, ぶりぶり香合, full-full incense-gather. Kagami mochi, 鏡餅, mirror mochi. Ya-hazu gama, 矢筈釜, arrow-nock kettle. Ha-ssoku, 八足, eight-leg, hinoki, 桧, Japanese cypress, Shintō offering stand. Usu-ki, 薄器, tea-container, masu, 升, box measure, calligraphy by Hō-un-sai, 鵬雲斎, Phoenix-cloud-abstain. Mizu-sashi, 水指, water-indicate, ceramic, by Makoto Ya-be, 誠矢部, Truth Arrow-guild. Cha-wan, 茶碗, tea-bowl, ceramic with black glaze by Kuro-da Tatsu-aki, 黒田辰秋, Black-field Dragon-autumn. Japan follows both the solar and lunar calendars, and observes some events...

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Dragon in Chanoyu

Pictured above are: Kake hana-ire, 掛花入, hang flower-receptacle, bamboo ni-jū-giri, 二重切, two-tier-cut; L. 15 sun kane-jaku, by David Flanagan, Jamaica Plain, Mass.  Kō-gō, 香合, incense-gather, porcelain, design of ryū-hō, 龍鳳, dragon-‘phoenix’; diam. 2.1 sun kane-jaku: China, displayed on pack of folded paper, kami-kama-shiki, 紙釜敷, paper-kettle-spread. Kagami mochi, 鏡餅, mirror-mochi, on wooden san–bō, 三宝, three-treasures, H. 5 sun kane-jaku. Ro, 炉, hearth: ‘kashiwa-de gama’, 柏手釜, oak-hand kettle, by Taka-hashi Kei-ten, 高橋敬典, High-bridge Respect-law, Nin-gen Koku-hō, 人間国宝, Person-interval Country-treasure, Yama-gata, 山形, Mountain-form. Kai-gu, 皆具, all-tools; tobi sei-ji, 飛青磁, fly blue-porcelain, mizusashi, shakutate, hibashi, hishaku, kensui, futaoki, by Ishi-zaki Hide-haru, 石崎英治, Stone-cape Splendor-peace, Yo-kka-ichi, 四日市, Four-day-city. Cha-ire, 茶入, tea-receptacle, ceramic...

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Setsubun and Risshun

Setsu-bun, 節分, Season-divide, has a variable date from February 3 to February 4, and is the eve of Ri-sshun, 立春, Start-spring. On Setsubun, the image of O-ta-fuku, お多福, O-much-fortune, appears everywhere. She is a primal fertility deity who dispels the harsh winter winds which are deified as an oni, 鬼, demon. Otafuku welcomes the return of the spring sun. People call out “Oni wa soto Fuku wa uchi”, 鬼は外 福は内, Demon is out Fortune is in. Risshun is the first day of spring, and the start of the lunar Tora no Tsuki, 寅の月, Tiger’s Month. On this day, everyone celebrates the age they will become in the...

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Kuro: The Color Black in Chanoyu Part 2

In Chanoyu, according to Buddhist tradition, venerated objects are displayed on elevated stands and altars, which are customarily lacquered black. These pieces of furniture are frequently adorned with gold lacquer to reflect light. Black in the Asian tradition is the color of joy.   The nobility and aristocracy are deemed above the common mankind, hence are called ‘your highness’. Deities are regarded as celestial in heaven, and mountains being closer to heaven, are themselves deemed divine. Many sacred mountains identified as female are forbidden even to the devout clergy. Mount Kailash in Tibet is such a sacred place, that no one is allowed to climb her. It is...

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Sensu: Nine and Five

In my research, I have found numerous examples of utensils that manifest or suggest 9 and 5 together. For example, the length of the kazari hi-bashi, 飾火箸, is 9.5 sun kane-jaku. The length of the sensu, 扇子, fan-of, pictured above is 10 sun kujira-jaku. The length of the sensu sen-men, 扇面, fan-face, paper is 5.7 sun kujira, the length of the exposed part of the ribs is 4.2 sun kujira. When the both lengths are compared, the ratio is 8 to 10. The number 18, jū-hachi, 十八, ten-eight, is symbolic of Infinity in Space and Time, and when 18 is divided in half it equals 9.  This...

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Kuro: The Color Black in Chanoyu – Part 1

When preparing for a Tea presentation, there are many choices to be made. Considerations include the season, event, purpose, nature of the guest, style of formality, location, time, preference, and suitability of occasion. Assembling the utensils is called tori-awase, 取合せ, take-together, the selection of objects to be used together in a Chanoyu Tea presentation. Konomi, 好み, choice, like, favor, refers to the style, manner, color, form, etc. that is the selection according to one’s preferences of objects and procedures. Kata-mono, 型物, form-thing, is an acknowledged standard of objects.   Color is a major aspect when choosing utensils, as colors have emotional and symbolic connotations for personal choice,...

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