Writing – Chanoyu Decoded

Setsubun: The Fortunes of Spring

Uchiwa, 団扇, round-fan, paper on split bamboo with calligraphy, Shichi-ten ha-kki, 七転八起, seven-fall down eight-get up, and images of roly-poly dolls of Daruma enrobed in white with the Kanji fuku, 福, fortune, and O-ta-fuku, お多福, Hon.-much-fortune, as Hime Daruma, 姫だるま, Princess Daruma, dressed in red with the Kanji for kotobuki, 寿, longevity. Daruma, said to be the founder of Chan/Zen Buddhism, is depicted with a te-nugi, 手拭い, hand-wipe, as a hachi-maki, 鉢巻, bowl-wrap, around his head, indicating his effort and spirit needed to achieve a goal. Otafuku is an image that is related to providing joy and good fortune. Depicting these two deities together combines aspects of...

Salt in Chanoyu and Chaji

Ga-ran-dō, 伽蘭洞, Attend-orchid-cave, toko-no-ma, 床の間, floor-’s-room, as it would be during the sho-za, 初座, first-seating of a Cha-ji, 茶事, Tea-matter, when the meal, kai-seki, 懐石, heart-stone, meal is served. The hanging scroll has a shiki-shi, 色紙, color-paper, pasteboard with calligraphy, ‘Cha Zen ichi mi’, 茶禅一味, Tea Zen One Taste, written by Yama–guchi En-dō, 山口円道, Mountain-opening Circle-way, abbot of Man-shu-in, 曼殊院, Wide-especially-temple, Kyōto. This imperial retreat was changed into a Buddhist temple, and has an important tea hut named, Ha-ssō-ken, 八窓軒, Eight-window-eave. Signed: Ha-ssō Cha-shitsu, Eight-window Tea-room, Man-shu Mon-shu En-dō, 曼殊門主円道, Wide-especially Gate-master Circle-way. With red ink stamps for the temple and author. While the phrase ‘Tea and...

Horse, Grasses, and Chanoyu

Ha-ssaku no Uma, 八朔の馬, eight-first day-of-horse, is a decorative straw horse given as good luck charms, especially to young boys on Hassaku (the first day of the eighth lunar month), which is some areas is considered to be a type of birthday celebration for boys. The Hassaku no Uma pictured above is from Ashi-ya, 芦屋, Reed-house, Kita-kyū-shū, 北九州, North-nine-states. The horse referred to as Hassaku no Uma is made of ‘white’ straw grass, or wood. One significant location that venerates the white horse is Kami-ga-mo Jin-ja,上賀茂上神社, Upper-joy-dense God-shrine. The shrine is more formally known as Ka-mo Wake-ika-zuchi Jin-ja, 賀茂別雷大神社, Joy-dense Divide-thunder Great-god Shrine, and is considered one of...

Horse Tale in Tea

Ga-ran-dō, 伽蘭洞, Help-orchid-cave, with utensils for the beginning of the Uma-doshi, 午年, Horse-year, 2026. January first, as it corresponds to the ‘old’ lunar calendar, is the 12th day of the 11th lunar month. The Gan-jitsu, 元日, Origin-day, of lunar New Year is February 17th. After Bodhidharma’s death, his body was embalmed and placed in a coffin according to Buddhist rituals. In the 12th month of the lunar calendar, he was solemnly reburied on Mount Xiong’er, and a stupa was built in his memory at Dinglin Temple in Shanxian County, Henan Province. This is one of the reasons why the hanging scroll with its image of Daruma tokonoma,...

Winter Solstice, the Tearoom Calendar, and the First Tea Harvest

The yo-jō-han, 四畳半, four-mat-half Tearoom, may be perceived as the center of the world, the world of Chanoyu, certainly. It can be a calendar and a map. When viewed as a map, the simplest division is its directions. In the ideally placed tearoom, this would be due north, south, east, and west. While the ideal placement is not always possible, the North is established by the presence of a toko-no-ma, 床の間, bed/floor’s-room. It is an alcove located toward the East. This is to protect against the harsh influences from the Northeast. The width of the tokonoma is half the width of the wall. This direction is called...

Tea and the Sōrin

One of the most visually distinct forms of architecture in Japan is the pagoda. Atop the structure is a nine-tiered spire called the sō-rin, 相輪, mutual-ring. The sōrin is rich with symbolic meaning both in Buddhism and Shintō. This symbolism is evoked in the Tea garden, the Tea house, and the tools used to present Tea. The spire, sō-rin, 相輪, together-ring, is a feature of the five-storied pagoda, go-jū-no-tō, 五重塔, five-tier-’s-tower, and san-jū-no- tō, 三重塔, three-tier-’s-tower. The sōrin is composed of many aspects, here, the upper-most component of the spire is the focus as it relates to architecture, philosophy and Tea. The hōju at the top...

Robiraki: Everyday Enlightenment

Garandō Tearoom with utensils for the Tea presentation of ‘Kasane Cha-wan’, 重ね茶碗, Stacked tea-bowls, for ‘Ro-biraki’, 炉開き, Hearth-opening, which is traditionally observed on November 26, 2025. Two bowls are often used to serve a large number of guests at a Tea gathering, and most often for the New Year’s ‘Hatsu Gama’, 初釜, First Kettle. The smaller of the two bowls is suitable for serving four guests, whereas the larger bowl is appropriate for eight guests. A greater number of guests are served directly from the preparation room, served by assistants for the tei-shu, 亭主, house-master, who presents the Tea bowls in the main Tea room. A large...

Nakaoki in Mid-October

Ga-ran-dō, 伽蘭洞, Attend-orchid-cave, utensils and arrangement for a Tea presentation called Naka-oki, 中置, Middle-place. The portable fu-ro, 風炉, wind-hearth, has been placed on the area above the sunken ro, 炉, hearth (ro-dan, , hearth-foundation). The kama, 釜, kettle, has been suspended by a kusari, 鎖, chain, dispensing with the trivet-like go-toku, 五徳, five-virtues, simulating the absence of the supporting collar, koshiki, 甑, ring support, of the yatsure bu-ro, 窶れ風炉, timeworn wind-hearth. Garandō tokonoma with a kake-mono, 掛物, hang-thing, with a painting of Ebisu, god of fishermen, and an attendant maiden. Fishing creel basket with seasonal flowers, and an incense container in the form of a treasure...

Edazumi

Sumi-bi, 炭火, charcoal-fire, set in a ki-men bu-ro, 鬼面風炉, demon-face wind-hearth, showing the placement of the white eda-zumi, 枝炭, branch-charcoal. Eda-zumi, 枝炭, branch-charcoal coated with go-fun, 胡紛, foreign-flax, kai no kona, 貝の粉, shell’s powder. Edazumi for fu-ro, 風炉, wind-hearth: L. 5 sun kane–jaku, 15 cm. begins with three pieces of edazumi in the sumi-tori, 炭斗, charcoal-measure, but only two pieces of edazumi are put into the furo. One piece remains in the sumitori. Edazumi for sunken ro, 炉, hearth: L. 5 sun kujira–jaku, 19 cm. begins with five pieces of edazumi in the sumi-tori, 炭斗, charcoal-measure, but only four pieces of edazumi are put into the ro....

Nakaoki Tea

In Japan, in October, the Shin-tō kami, 神道神, God-way gods, assemble at I-zumo Tai-sha, 出雲大社, Out-cloud Great-shrine. This event gives rise to the 10th month being called Kan-na-zuki, 神無月, God-less-month. This is true throughout Japan except in Izumo area when is called Kami-ari-zuki, 神在月, Gods-are-month. Carved figures of Dai-koku-ten, 大黒天, Great-black-heaven (Deva), and E-bi-su-te, 恵比寿天, 恵比寿, Bless-like-longevity-heaven (Deva), displayed in a (rice) masu, 升, box measure; souvenir of I-zumo Tai-sha, 出雲大社, Out-cloud Great-shrine, Izumo City. Ebisu is a god of wealth and fishermen. Both Daikoku and Ebisu are worshipped together at Izumo Taisha, especially by couples wishing for a happy wedding. Daikoku and Ebisu are two of...