Roji – Chanoyu Decoded

Chanoyu and Zen Landscapes Part 2

Humans have been attracted to mountains, or at least high places, from their beginnings. The higher the better. Kids play king of the mountain when they are strong enough to wrest it from others. Buildings soar above clouds. Every higher place beckons the climber. The view is never wider. Even in space. What is above or beyond. Japan’s Fujisan has been worshiped from the time of human habitation. It is climbed to see the sunrise, especially on New Year’s morning. Some mountains are too sacred to trespass upon. The Kanji, hachi, 八, is essentially a triangle, and the triangle with a single point upward is a symbol...

Kagami Biraki: Making and Breaking Mochi

Kagami mochi, 鏡餠, mirror mochi, with daidai, 橙, bitter orange, ura-jiro, 裏白, back-white, fern, shi-hō beni, 四方紅, four-directions red-edge paper square, displayed on stand san-bō, 三方,three-directions. The sanbō is made of wood and has eight sides, the gi-tchō, 毬杖, ball-hit, is made of wood and has eight sides. The number eight in Japanese Kanji is hachi, 八, which is symbolic of Infinity in Space, radiating outward in all directions. Kō-gō, 香合, incense-gather, called a buri-buri kō-gō, ぶりぶり香合, plump-plump incense-gather. It is made of wood, octagonal in cross-section, tapered at both ends, with a design motif of ‘Taka–sago’, 高砂, High-sand, shō-chiku-bai, 松竹梅, pine-bamboo-prunus, and a married couple, Uba...