Opening the Ro

Diagram of the yo-jō-han cha-shitsu, 四畳半茶室, four-mat-half tea-room, showing the lunar months and guardian Buddhist deities. Of special interest is the northwest corner and its associations with A-mi-da Nyo-rai, 阿弥陀如来, Praise-increase-steep Like-become, and Kan-non Bo-satsu, 観音菩薩, See-sound Grass-buddha, and the ro. The A-mi-da-dō gama, 阿弥陀堂釜, Amida-hall kettle, was one of Rikyū’s favorites. The influences of the eight Buddhist deities radiate from the center of the room and divide the space into eight sections.  The signs of the Amida and Kannon join within the half-tatami that is identified with Amida, so that the influence of Kannon in the 11th month is foreshadowed in the 10th month. The ro,...

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Inoshishi Robiraki

    Ro-biraki, 炉開, open-hearth, is enacted for use on the first day of the Inoshishi, 亥, Wild boar, in the month of the Inoshishi. The Kanji for the living wild boar animal is inoshishi, 猪. In 2022, the ro is opened on October 25, which is before the ‘official’ first Inoshishi day in the Inoshishi month, which occurs on November 18. The cause of this is that Ri-ttō, 立冬, Start-winter, and the start of the I no Tsuki, 亥の月, Boar’s Month occur on November 7, the day after the day of the Inoshishi on November 6.  Perhaps, because of this kind of calendar discrepancy, Rikyū was...

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October and Nakaoki

Naka-oki, 中置, middle-place, is an arrangement of utensils for a presentation in the month of October.  The fu-ro, 風炉, wind-hearth, is placed in the exact center of the ten-mae, 点前, offer-fore, tatami, regardless of the size of the tatami. The shiki-ita, 敷板, spread-board, regardless of its size is placed in the center of the tatami, therefore the mizusashi is placed halfway between the left edge of the shiki-ita and the inside of the heri binding.   The mizu-sashi, 水指, water-indicate, is placed to the left of the furo. A slender and somewhat taller, hoso mizu-sashi, 細水指, narrow water-handle, is used.  The center of the mizusashi aligns with the...

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Aspects of Nakaoki

The two Kanji together are read i-no-ko, 亥の子, Boar-’s-child, or i-ne, 亥子, boar-rat, which is a homonym for ine, 稲, rice plant. Opening the sunken hearth, ro-biraki, 炉開, hearth-opening, is officially presented on the first I-no-hi, 亥の日, Boar-’s-day, in the 10th month, which is followed by Ne-no-hi, 子の日, Rat-’s-day.  The reason is that starting something on the last day of the zodiac cycle continues unbroken to the start of the next cycle, hence Boar continues to the Rat.   There is an infinite variety of ways in which inoko mochi appear. The pictured sweets are perhaps close to the original look. There are whole beans on the...

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Tea in October

The writing is derived from the alleged incident of Daruma traveling in China, and crossing a river on a stalk of grass; ichi-i to-kō, 一葦渡江 , one-reed cross-inlet. The red ink stamp is a bit of a mystery, as it is a bit obscured. It appears to read, kake-maki, 掛巻, hang-wrap, which, if it is truly that reading, what does it mean? Was it destined to be made into a hanging scroll, and if so, how easily would it be to get rid of the red ink stamp? Often artists would paint a picture of Daruma, and have a Buddhist priest write something identified with the Zen...

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Chanoyu in Mid September

The asa-gao, 朝顔, morning-face, morning glory is one of the flowers that is not usually displayed for a Tea gathering because of its association with Sen no Rikyū. It was widely known that Rikyū had grown some fine morning glories, and Toyotomi Hideyoshi asked him for an invitation to enjoy some Tea and the morning glories. When Hideyoshi arrived, there were no morning glories to be seen in the garden. When Hideyoshi entered the Tearoom, he saw in the tokonoma a single morning-glory flower. There have been many stories about this incident, of which, some are without merit. In Japan, morning glories are grown in pots, as...

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Tea and Moon Viewing

Ku-gatsu, 九月, Nine-moon, is the time for the Japanese to enjoy looking at the full moon, tsuki-mi, 月見, moon-see, in September. The Kanji for the living rabbit is usagi, 兎, which means both rabbit and hare, whereas the Kanji for the Asian zodiac sign of the hare or rabbit is u, 卯. Susuki, 芒, eulalia, pampas grass flowers open and become fuzzy, and are held up to gaze at the moon through the grass. This effect may be called oboro-zuki, 朧月, hazy-moon, especially on a spring night. The Kanji, 朧, is composed of the Kanji niku, 肉, for flesh, or tsuki, 月, for moon, and the Kanji tatsu, 龍, dragon.  Configurations on the moon, and enhanced interpretation of a rabbit making mochi. Mochi-tsuki,...

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Chanoyu and September in Japan

Kyū Hachi-gatsu, 旧八月, Old Eight-moon. One of the old names for the ninth month is Naga-tsuki, 長月, Long-moon, as people spent a long time looking for and at the ‘harvest moon’. North: Ne, 子, Rat; winter solstice, Tō-ji, 冬閉じ込め, Winter-attain. South: Uma, 午, Horse, summer solstice, Ge-shi, 夏至, Summer-attain. East: U, 卯, Hare, vernal equinox, Shun-bun, 春分, Spring-divide. West: Tori, 酉, Rooster, autumnal equinox, Shu–bun, 秋分, Autumn-divide.    According to the kyu-reki, 旧暦, old-calendar, the lunar calendar, the second full moon is ideologically the same time as the vernal equinox, Shun-bun, 春分, Spring-divide. The lunar months have names which have been used for the solar months, even...

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Tea in September

The ten-mae dō-gu, 點前道具, offer-fore way-tools: fu-ro – kama, 風炉 釜, wind-hearth – kettle; ‘Yoshi-no dana’, 吉野棚, ‘Luck-field shelf’; mizu-sashi, 水指, water-indicate; on top of the stand, cha-ki, 茶器, tea-container; hi-shaku, 柄杓, handle-ladle; futa-oki, 蓋置, lid-place. On the floor is a mizu-tsugi, 水次, water-next, with cha-kin, 茶巾, tea-cloth.   Rikyū wrote that when having Tea for those who have been admiring cherry blossoms, there should be no objects or images of the cherry blossoms in the tearoom. Hence, no images of the moon in the tokonoma.             Kake-mono, 掛物, hang-thing, record of Cha-kabuki no ki, 茶カブキノ記, Tea-test’s record, for six participants judging...

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Jizō Bon

  The Buddhist deity, Ji-zō Bo-satsu, 地蔵菩薩, Earth-keep Grass-buddha, is Japanese for the Indian Buddhist deity, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Jizō is the guardian of the world until the coming of Maitreya, (Mi-roku Bo-satsu, 弥勒菩薩, Increase-rein Grass-buddha). Usually depicted as a monk with a halo around his shaved head, he carries a shaku-jō, 錫杖, tin-staff, to force open the gates of hell and a wish-fulfilling hō-ju, 宝珠, treasure-jewel, to light up the darkness. There are many variations in form and size of the shakujō, including a small hand-held implement used in prayer.  The origins of Ksitigarbha are vague, and may be a Chinese creation. It was written, that toward...

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