Directory: Chasen


Chasen, Chabana, and Buddhism

Chasen, Chabana, and Buddhism

Cha-no-yu, 茶の湯, Tea-’s-hot water, is sharing tea with others. In its early days, tea was a medicine used for many purposes. Tea came in many forms, and in Buddhism, tea was drunk before meditation, to keep awake. When offered to the Buddha and other revered spirits, procedure and protocol was established. Flowers are an essential offering to the Buddha, and the most important flower is the lotus, hasu, 蓮. When Zen Buddhism was brought to Japan it  came together with a way of preparing and drinking tea. Tea became inseparable from Zen. (a) The kake-mono, 掛物, hang-thing, shiki-shi, 色紙, color-paper, paperboard with calligraphy ‘‘Cha Zen Ichi Mi’, 茶禅一味,...

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Chasen and Sensu

Chasen and Sensu

In the realm of Chanoyu, there are two objects that are essential, a cha-sen, 茶筅, tea-whisk, and a sen-su, 扇子, fan-of. The tei-shu, 亭主, house-master, must have a cha-sen, 茶筅, tea-whisk, to blend together the cha, 茶, tea, and the yu, 湯, hot water. Both the teishu and the kyaku, 客, guest, and must have a folding sen-su, 扇子, fan-of. The essential utensil for the kyaku is the sensu, and the essential utensil for the teishu is the chasen. The sensu and the chasen are not to be used at the same time. The guest should not use the sensu for cooling oneself. The guest lays the...

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