Page 4 – Chanoyu Decoded

Kobukusa and Mandala Part 1

Left: Ten-moku Cha-wan, 天木茶碗, Heaven-eye Tea-bowl, by Oke-tani Tei-ichi, 桶谷定一, on a ko-buku-sa, 古帛紗, old-cloth-gauze, raised on a black-lacquered dai, 台, support. Right: white ceramic cha-wan, 茶碗, tea-bowl, in the form of Ten-moku, 天目, Heaven-eye, by Kasa-hara-yaki, 笠原焼, Umbrella-field-fired, Shi-no, 志野, Aspire-field. Supported on a ko-buku-sa, 古帛紗, old-cloth-gauze. In the realm of Chanoyu, tea is prepared as koi-cha, 濃茶, thick-tea, and usu-cha, 薄茶, thin-tea. Koicha is the culmination of a Tea presentation, and is prepared in many different manners called ten-mae, 点前, offer-fore. The differences in the tenmae are because of the nature of the cha-dō-gu, 茶道具, tea-way-tools, and the manner in which they are handled. Tea-drinking...

Obon at Night

August 1stHa-ssaku, 八朔, eight-first day; the first day of August is called hassaku, which is actually a lunar event. Hassaku is also the name of a citrus fruit. The fruit is a hybrid of orange and grapefruit, and was discovered in the mid-19th century. It was declared by a Pure Land Buddhist priest that the fruit could be eaten on Hassaku, the first day of the eighth lunar month. The motivation seems obscure. In Japan, the most important family observance of the year is O-bon, お盆, Hon.-tray, when departed spirits leave paradise, and return to their ancestral homes. Observances are held on various days and times....

August Seasonal Aspects

Tanabata, 七夕, Seven-night, is a great festive observance held on the 7th night of the 7th lunar month. The festivities are more popularly observed on July 7th, however, being a lunar event, it is traditionally held according to the lunar calendar, which occurs on September 22 in 2023. Tanabata is also called Hoshi Matsuri, 星祭, Star Festival, because stars are identified with the lovers Ori-hime, 織姫, Weave-princess and Hiko-boshi, Star-boy-star, a herder of cows. These stars are found in the Natsu no Dai-san-kaku, 夏の大三角, Summer ’s Great-three-corner, the great Summer Triangle. The Summer Triangle in Japanese is the Natsu no Dai–san-kaku, 夏の大三角, Summer’s Great-three-corner. At the top...

August Tea Presentation

Ga-ran-dō, 伽蘭洞, Attend-orchid-cave, tokonoma. Kake-mono, 掛物, hang-thing, tan-zaku, 短冊, short-volume, temporarily mounted on paper and fabric hanging scroll, tan-zaku kake, 短冊掛, short-volume hang. Tsuri-hana-ire, 釣花入, suspend-flower-receptacle, in the form of a bird. Kō-gō, 香合, incense-gather, displayed on a pack of kami kama-shiki, 紙釜敷, paper-kettle-spread. The toko-bashira, 床柱, floor-post, is the trunk of a katsura tree, 桂, Cercidiphyllum magnificum, with the bark intact. Left: tan-zaku, 短冊, short-volume, decorative pasteboard with calligraphy: karoyaka ni take no ha ni otsu ni tanabata u, 軽やかに竹の葉に落ち七夕雨, lightly on bamboo leaves falls Seven Night rain; 2 x 12 sun kane-jaku. Right: tan-zaku-kake, 短冊掛, short-volume-hanger, paper and fabric scroll with threads at the...

Tea Mirroring Flowers

There are strong associations between a bowl of tea and a flower in a vase. Cha, 茶, tea Yu, 湯, hot water Cha-wan, 茶碗, tea-bowl Hana, 花, flower Mizu, 水, water Hana-ire, 花入, flower-receptacle Left: green bamboo hana–ire, 花入, flower-receptacle, containing a tsubaki, 椿, camellia. Center: ceramic cha-wan, 茶碗, tea-bowl, containing ma-tcha, 抹茶, powder-tea. Right: ceramic hanaire with tsubaki. Hana-ire, 花入, flower-receptacle, ao-dake, 青竹, green-bamboo, with side opening, ichi-jū-giri, 一重切, one-tier-cut. Sen no Rikyū is credited with being the first person to display a green bamboo hanaire in the tokonoma for a Tea gathering. Green bamboo is often associated with memorials. The bamboo was cut...

Time for Ume: Tea in July

July 18th is the start of the lunar 6th month, Tsuitachi, 朔, New moon, and bears the old name Mi-na-zuki, 水無月, Water-no-month, which refers to the dry period after the end of the rainy season, Tsuyu, 梅雨, Apricot-rain; the Kanji are also, and more literally, read Bai-u. Tsuyu, méiyǔ in China, refers to the season when the fruits of (ume) Prunus mume ripen. The word tsuyu has no connection with the reading of the Kanji for the words bai, ume, 梅, a kind of Japanese apricot, and u, ame, 雨, rain. The word tsuyu may be derived from the classical Japanese verb tsuyu, 熟ゆ, to become ripe,...

Chasen and Tea

In Chanoyu, ma-tcha, 抹茶, powder-tea, is mixed with yu, 湯, hot water, in a cha-wan, 茶碗, tea-bowl, using a bamboo cha-sen, 茶筅, tea-whisk. What is the reason for the specific structure of the chasen? It is a whisk, and therefore it has many tines for that purpose of blending the tea and hot water. Usucha made in the tradition of Urasenke, creates froth on the surface of the tea, while other Tea family traditions do not create foam. The number of tines on the whisk varies according to the purpose of its use, and personal choice, but there is a kind of standard between 80 and 100....

Uma no Tsuki: Horse Month

The seasonal division of the solar calendar called Bō-shu, 芒種, Grain beard-seed, is the start of the Uma-no-tsuki, 午の月, Horse-’s-month, which is protected by Sei-shi Bo-satsu, 勢至菩薩, Strength-attain Grass-buddha, the Buddha of Wisdom. Seishi Bosatsu and Kannon Bosatsu, the Buddha of Mercy, accompany A-mi-da Nyo-rai, 阿弥陀如来, Praise-increase-steep Like-become, the Buddha of Compassion. In the yo-jō-han, 四畳半, four-mat-half, cha-shitsu, 茶室, tea-room, Seishi is metaphorically located in the south, in the middle of the south wall, opposite Kannon in the north. Amida is guardian in the northwest corner of the room. Seishi’s monthly day of dedication, en-nichi, 縁日, edge-day, is observed on the 23rd day, which coincides with a...

Furo: Tea and Rice

Mid-May is still, in 2023, in a lunar ‘leap’ year, so that the first of May was the 22nd of the 3rd lunar month. In Japan, the month of May is called by its old name of Satsuki. Satsuki is identified with the lunar calendar. The word satsuki was derived from the old word sa, which means cultivating, and joined with tsuki, 月, month, and became satsuki as the month of rice cultivation. The kama used in Chanoyu has roots in the meshi-gama, 飯釜, rice-kettle. There are stories of people having only one kama, and using it to cook rice and boil water for tea. There are kama...

Kobukusa Origins

A ko-buku-sa, 古帛紗, old-cloth-gauze, is used to support a cha-wan, 茶碗, tea-bowl, and to display a fine object. As its name indicates, the kobukusa is an old fukusa, which is a larger square of silk fabric used by the teishu to purify certain Tea utensils. The kobukusa is not square, which is the same for the fukusa. What is the reason for this? A person at a Tea gathering ought to have their own kobukusa together with a fuku-sa, 帛紗, cloth-gauze, and kai-shi, 懐紙, heart-paper. It is closely associated with tatami, because the kobukusa is often placed on tatami. Perhaps there is a connection between the measurements of the...