Page 7 – Chanoyu Decoded

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

Tanabata and Taoism

by Tanya Valentine, guest contributor “True observers of nature, although they may think differently, will still agree that everything that is, everything that is observable as a phenomenon, can only exhibit itself in one of two ways. It is either a primal polarity that is able to unify, or it is a primal unity that is able to divide. The operation of nature consists of splitting the united or uniting the divided; this is the eternal movement of systole and diastole of the heartbeat, the inhalation and exhalation of the world in which we live, act, and exist.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Tanabata, 七夕, seven-night, which...

Kamashiki and Kamasue

In Chanoyu, the kama, 釜, kettle, is rested one of several utensils depending on the circumstances. There are three supports for the kama called kama–shiki, 釜敷, kettle-spread, which act like hot-pads: kami kama-shiki, 紙釜敷, paper kettle-spread; kumi kama-shiki, 組釜敷, braid kettle-spread, and ita kama-shiki, 板釜敷, wood kettle-spread. When building the charcoal fire, sumi de-mae, 炭手前, charcoal hand-fore, the kama is placed temporarily on a pack of papers, kami kama-shiki, 紙釜敷, paper kettle-spread. For a simple sho-zumi, 初炭, first-charcoal, presentation in the presence of the guests, the kami kamashiki is held in the futokoro, 懐, the front folding of the kimono, and removed when needed. The...