Writing – Page 2 – Chanoyu Decoded

Chanoyu and Zen Landscapes

In the realm of Chanoyu, an essential component of a Tea gathering, is a kake-jiku, 掛軸, hang-scroll, that is displayed in the tokonoma. The kakejiku may have calligraphy or a picture in sumi, 墨, ink, drawn with a fude, 筆, brush, on haku-shi, 白紙, white-paper. Calligraphy, sho-dō, 書道, write-way, is preferred, especially when written by a Zen Buddhist priest, whose writings are called boku-seki, 墨跡, ink-traces. The calligraphy is often Zen words or phrases. The Iemoto of families dedicated to Chanoyu are usually ordained Buddhist lay priests, and their calligraphy is deemed equal to that of priests. For a Cha-ji, 茶事, Tea-matter, in which a meal and...

Kakejiku: Three Forms

Kake-mono, 掛物, hang-thing; calligraphy, En–sō, 円相, Circle-aspect, ‘Byō-jō-shin Kore-dō’, 平常心是道, Level-ever-mind/heart is way. Calligraphy by Yama-da Hō-in, 山田法胤 Mountain-field Law-descendant, abbot of Yaku-shi-ji, 薬師寺, Medicine-master-temple, Na–ra, 奈良, What-good: L. 5.5 shaku kane-jaku. The phrase beneath the ensō is inspired by the Zen teaching story wherein the monk, Jō-shū, 趙州, Hasten-state, asked priest, Nan-sen, 南泉, South-spring, how to attain enlightenment, Nansen replied ‘Ordinary heart is the way’. A hanging scroll, kake-jiku, 掛軸, is attached to a half-round wooden dowel, hyō-moku, 表木, surface-wood, which has the shape described as either han-getsu, 半月, half-moon, or ha-ssō, 八双, eight-pair. Prior to the middle Edo period, the hyōmoku was often triangular,...

Furo and Kama Changes

Ki-men bu-ro, 鬼面風炉, demon-face wind-hearth, Kara-kane, with metal rings held by ‘dragon’ head kan-tsuki, 鐶付, metal ring-attachment, 唐銅, Tang-copper, bronze, with shin-nari kama, 真形釜, true-form kettle, tetsu, 鉄, iron, with ki-men kan-tsuki, 鬼面鐶付, demon-face metal ring-attach, by Kana-mori Jō-ei, 金森浄栄, Gold-woods Pure-splendor, Taka-oka-shi, 高岡市, High-hill-city, To-yama-ken, 富山県, Wealth-mountain-prefecture. Supported on a shin-nuri, 真塗, true-lacquer, shiki-ita, 敷板, spread-board. Mayu bu-ro, 眉風炉, eyebrow wind-hearth, with oblong hi-mado, 火窓, fire-window, black lacquered ceramic, shin kuro, 真黒, true-black, (this furo is also classified as a do-bu-ro, 土風炉, earth-wind-hearth) by Yama-moto Sō-un, 山本崇雲, Mountain-origin Revere-cloud. Choice of Sen Rikyū. Supported on a shin-nuri, 真塗, true-lacquer, shiki-ita, 敷板, spread-board; the doburo is...

Eight-Ten: Gotoku Lid Rest

Futa-oki, 蓋置, lid-place, go-toku, 五徳, five-virtues, Kara-kane, 唐銅, Tang-copper, bronze, with dark patina; h. 1.2 sun kane-jaku, diam. 2 sun kane-jaku. The gotoku is a ring of rectangular-section with three triangular posts or legs, and is used to support a kama no futa, 釜の蓋, kettle’s lid when removed from the kettle. When the gotoku is displayed in the Tearoom, the posts/legs are upright with two posts at the front, shōmen, 正面, correct-face, as pictured above. When used to support the kama lid, the gotoku is turned over so that the ring is up, and with one post/leg forward. Being inverted, the posts are identified as ashi, 足,...

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,...

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...

Eight-Ten: Nijiri-guchi

Chanoyu is presented in Tea rooms, Cha-shitsu, 茶室, Tea-room, that vary greatly in size. There are standards that are based on the number and size of tatami, and with many variations. There are essentially two types of Tea rooms – hiro-ma and koma. A hiro–ma, 広間, wide-room, ranges from a yo-jō-han, 四畳半, four-tatami-half, to almost any greater number of tatami. A ko–ma, 小間, small-room, can be a yojōhan or any room with fewer tatami. A small hut for Tea is called a sō–an, 草庵, grass-hut, because they originally had thatched roofs. A small Tea hut usually has a small entrance that causes one to crouch down...

Eight-Ten: Fukusa

Fuku-sa, 帛紗, cloth-gauze, purple silk; 9 x 9.5 sun kane-jaku or 7.2 x 7.6 sun kujira-jaku. The fuku-sa, 帛紗, cloth-gauze, is a square of silk fabric that is used by the host, tei-shu, 亭主, house-master, to purify utensils. The piece is made of a rectangle 1 x 2 kane-shaku, that is folded in half and hemmed on three sides. When not being used, the fukusa is folded in half diagonally twice, and tucked under the obi, 帯, sash, to the side. Before purifying certain Tea utensils, the fukusa is examined and folded, which is called fukusa sabaki. There is an issue with the word sabaki, as there...

Opening the Furo: Shoburo

Photograph of a hypothetical arrangement of the relationship between the fu-ro, 風炉, wind-hearth, on the left, and the ro, 炉, hearth, on the right. This is to show the similarities and differences between them. The futa, 蓋, and the futa-oki, 蓋置, lid-place, for the furo, are to the left, whereas the futa and futaoki of the ro are to the right. This may be reflected in the ancient pair of Chinese lions that guard the entrance to the imperial palace, and other important places. The male, on the left, has his right paw on a decorative ball, and the female, on the right, has a playful baby...

Opening the Furo: Tsumami

In the realm of Chanoyu, water for tea is heated in a kama, 釜, kettle, placed over a fire. The fire is usually made with sumi, 炭, charcoal. According to Japanese domestic tradition, a fire is kept in an i-ro-ri, 囲炉裏, enclose-hearth-inner, which is a hearth set in the floor where a kettle of water is continually maintained. This confines the fire to a fixed place, making it impossible to prepare tea away from the fire. That issue is resolved by the use of an ancient, portable hearth, such as the familiar hi-bachi, 火鉢, fire-bowl, which is moved and placed anywhere heat is needed. The furo can...