Page 9 – Chanoyu Decoded

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...

Chanoyu and August in Japan

August, Hachi-gatsu, 八月, Eight-month; the old name for the Eighth month is Ha-zuki, 葉月, Leaf-month. August in Japan is filled with festivals and religious activities. Many events that were originally held on dates according to the old lunar calendar, kyū-reki, 旧暦, old-calendar, are held on the same dates, but in the solar calendar. The most important event of the ‘summer’ is O-bon, お盆, Hon.-tray, which is traditionally held on the fifteen day of the seventh month in accord with the full moon. The seventh lunar month is also called Ki-zuki, 鬼月, Demon-moon, which in China is translated into English as ‘Ghost Month’. In modern times, Obon is...

Tea in August

In long-held tradition in Chanoyu, the tanzaku is not regarded as the most appropriate for display in the tokonoma for a Tea gathering. However, a tanzaku is often displayed in the machi-ai, 待合, wait-gather, where the guests gather before entering the Tearoom. A treasured tanzaku may be mounted as a kake-jiku, 掛軸, hang-scroll. Tan-zaku kake, 短冊掛, small-volume hanger, made of sugi, 杉, cedar, and details of go-ma dake, 胡麻竹, foreign-flax bamboo, with openwork sukashi, 透かし, openwork, of sasa, 笹, bamboo grass, L. 18 x 3 sun kane-jaku. The bamboo grass motif relates to the tanzaku that are attached for Tanabata. Note the significance of the number 18,...