Directory: Kannon

Bodhisattva

Incense and Chanoyu

Ki-men bu-ro, 鬼面風炉, Demon-face wind-hearth, with loose rings, bronze, with kama, 釜, kettle, iron, and a ceramic kō-ro, 香合, incense-hearth, elaborately decorated ceramic, with dragon motif handles and lid knob, Satsu-ma–yaki, 薩摩焼, Salvation-polish-fired, Kyūshū. The kama has taken the place of the lid of the kōro which is usually perforated to allow the fragrance and smoke to be released. The furo can be seen primarily as a large incense burner that likely came from a Buddhist temple. Incense, o-kō, お香, hon.-incense, has been greatly appreciated in Japan since ancient times. Dedication and practice is called Kō-dō, 香道, Incense-way. According to custom, one does not ‘smell’ incense, but...

Hakobi Tenmae: Carry Water

Ga-ran-dō, 伽蘭洞, Attend-orchid-cave, Tearoom set for naka-oki, 中置, middle-place, hakobi ten-mae, 運點前, carry offer-fore, Tea presentation. Toko-no-ma, 床の間, floor-’s-room, kake-mono, 掛物, hang-thing, with calligraphy, ‘Hon-rai mu ichi butsu’, 本来無一物, Origin-from not one thing. Kake hana-ire, 掛花入, hang flower-receptacle, take, 竹, bamboo, by Nishi-kawa Bai-gen, 西川楳玄, West-river Prunus-mystery, Kyōto. Ko-ma kō-gō, 独楽香合, solitary-pleasure incense-gather, red-lacquered wood, on a pack of kami kama-shiki, 紙釜敷, paper kettle-spread. Ki-men bu-ro, 鬼面風炉, demon-face wind-hearth, iron and bronze. Only the furo is displayed in the Tearoom in the center of the tatami for the hakobi naka-oki presentation. All of the other Tea utensils will be carried into the room, for a hakobi ten-mae,...

Futaoki

The height of Rikyū’s take futa-oki, 竹蓋置, bamboo lid-rest, measures 1.8 sun kane-jaku, 1.8 寸曲尺, ‘inch’ bend-span: also 18 bu (分) kane-jaku, 180 rin (厘) kane-jaku. The 1.8 sun kane-jaku measurement equals 1.44 sun kujira-jaku. Ideally, the bamboo lidrest is made of freshly cut green bamboo: ao-dake, 青竹, green-bamboo, hiki-kiri, 引切, draw-cut (sawn), futa-oki. Is the origin of the aodake futaoki a sakazuki made of aodake, and perhaps for drinking o-mi-ki , お神酒, hon.-sacred sake, at a Shintō ritual? The green bamboo cup at the right, ao-dake sakazuki, 青竹盃, green-bamboo sake cup, h. 2” – 1.7 sun kane-jaku. The height of the green bamboo futaoki used by...