Tag: way of tea

Letter to My Nephew

By:
Tea (Chado)

Dear Nephew

You grew up in Japan and I grew up in other parts of the world. I grew up in different societies where individualistic self-expression is far more valued than working with others and conforming to what everyone thinks. Nowadays I think the value is shifting in that direction in Japan also.

When I was your age, I felt that Japanese tea, chanoyu, symbolized everything that was suffocating about my Japanese identity. Wearing a kimono made me feel overly feminine, for example. Sharing tea with others under rules seemed silly and in conflict with my individualism, so I tried to stay as far away from these “traditions” as possible.

Now, 30 years later, I know that I was wrong. The Japanese Way of Tea is profound and revealing because it is actually an active exchange of independence and togetherness. Through Tea, I discovered that our true colors appear more clearly when we work with others. It sounds paradoxical but, ultimately, you can’t be a good guest or host in Tea if you’re not creative or individualistic. You have to become part of the sustaining whole, while staying individualistic.

So Thank you for your tea today. I will never forget this day.
I know that you may not be able to continue practicing, being a college student and learning the way of life, on top of all the opportunities and distractions that you encounter.

But you don’t ever have to quit. Go back in whenever you want to. The tearoom is always open to you.

May 2024
Kanazawa Ai

Myoju Tanagokoro ni Ari 明珠在掌 on the scroll which means, “Your treasure is already in your hand”.

Every Bowl Like Your First: The First Kettle of 2020 in San Diego

By:
Topics Tea (Chado)

Happy New Year! Thank you for your support of Entoten in 2019 through visiting my website, offering comments, interacting through the blog and SNS, and purchasing work at my gallery and online shop. I would like to ask for your continued support in 2020, so that I can keep on sharing the work and stories of the people who have dedicated their lives to carry on the tradition of handmade craft for use.

For this first blog post of 2020, I would like to share the story of my first tea demonstration that was mortifying and uplifting at the same time.

Table decoration for the Hatsugama with bamboo, camellia, pine, and nandina berries.

My new year began by taking part in the Hatsugama, which literally means the first kettle, for San Diego Urasenke Tea School’s annual tea event. This year’s preparation for the event was a little more stressful than usual because I was instructed to prepare tea in front of about 120 guests.

I was required to follow the procedure called Misonodana, a way of serving tea using tables and chairs. This style of tea preparation is called ryurei, and was first introduced to the world by Gengensai, the 11th head of Urasenke for the 1872 International Exposition in Kyoto so that Western visitors could be served tea while comfortably sitting in chairs in a non-traditional Japanese setting.

Misonodana and scooping the hot water with a shaking hishaku

In most matcha preparations, the water is scooped and poured with a bamboo ladle called hishaku, which is one of the most difficult utensils ever invented to master the use in chanoyu. It is very easy to spill, drip, or dribble water while using the hishaku. But when the utensil is used masterfully, it is beautiful to watch and the sound of the water poured from a hishaku is one of the highlights of the tea preparation.

The other issue with the hishaku that I discovered when preparing this year’s tea is that when I’m nervous, it is very difficult to stop it from shaking. The more I tried to stop, the more my hands trembled. It was devastating.

The hishaku, one of the most difficult utensils ever invented to master the use in chanoyu

After I finished my demonstration I told my sensei that because I was so nervous, I could not stop the hishaku from shaking and it was very difficult to prepare the tea. Her response was unexpected. She laughed and said, “that’s perfect. That’s the attitude you should always have when you prepare a bowl of tea. Prepare every bowl, like you did today.”

I wanted to prepare tea smoothly and elegantly because, after learning chanoyu for 6 years, I naively believed that I should have been able to carry out the procedure without any problem. But after hearing what sensei said, I realized that my desire missed the point of tea completely. I also felt a little better that I was able to make a good bowl of tea for the guests.

I hope that 2020 will be a year full of eye-opening discoveries like this for you too.