We have just concluded Issoan’s 2024 Intensive at the Oregon Coast. Six students spent 4 days of training, study and discussion. The weather cooperated and for three mornings we got up to do chabako tea on the beach between the waning full moon and glorious sun rise kissing the day.
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After tea we sat Zazen, made breakfast, cleaned the kitchen and set up the tea room and mizuya for study. We don’t often get to study in an 8 mat room, but with the space and portable tatami we had instant tea room.
Besides tea temae training, and kagetsu, we featured sweets making. We made shiro a from scratch, and then went on to finish making nerikiri. Each student got to take home 350 gr of shiro an, and 350 gr of nerikiri to make sweets at home. Luckily, they both freeze well.
We also made a two layer tsubo an/yuzu and rice kanten sweet named miru nami, after the sea plant motif found on dogu like the mizutsugi.
One of the students ordered 500 gr of wasanbon, so we used kashigata molds to make higashi to take home as well.
We teamed up to cook and share meals
Not all time was spent in training or cleaning. There were intense discussions after dinner that ran late into the night as well.
Thank you to all the students for an intensive training weekend.
