Six poets gather on New Year’s Day

On New Year’s Day, six poets gathered at Issoan Tea Room to compose linked verse poetry, share incense, food, sweets, tea, and fellowship. This year’s poem below.

Gathering of friends
Tea, food, incense
Fellowship
Fresh year
Hatsu uta (first poem)

Hatsu uta
breathless silence
birds welcome the new day
horizon faintly glows
life begins anew

life begins anew
from shadows creeping
to rays over the horizon
stepping out to face the sun
in the distance, a rising landscape

in the distance, a rising landscape
rolling peaks, mujinso, (limitless) darkness recedes,
revealing verdant evergreen
snow sparkles, a shimmering blanket
a pale glow waiting to burst forth

a pale glow waiting to burst forth
pink reflected in the pond
trees turning from black to green
like life returning with the day
squirrels and birds begin to stir

squirrels and birds begin to stir
honks of multiple flocks
crisscross above
while passing the chashitsu
at New Year’s first light 

at New Year’s first light
frost covers the grass
I see my breath
the Kan-botan (cold peony)is back lit
by the rising warmth

By the rising warmth
drawn to explore
gloves and mittens on
wrapped in layers
prepared to venture out

Prepared to venture out
I pause in the doorway
to check my watch
time has no meaning
I step out into the wild 

I step out into the wild
crisp air prickles against my cheeks
my breaths fog before me
I glance at the clear sky
ice blue stretches above me

Ice blue stretches above me
sparkling off of the snow
the cloudless sky
brought to earth in the pond
in winters’ cold embrace

In winters’ cold embrace
floating snowflakes
captured by outstretched limbs
yuki-ore (snow on branches) spreads throughout
the small pine grove 

the small pine grove
suddenly quiet
then the drama of
a scolding squirrel
a dripping bough

A dripping bough
in the shadows
icy glimmers on the snow
crack of breaking ice
green shoots break through 

Green shoots break through
sap rises in the trunks
pushing up and out
as the spring warms
buds spilling wildly along the branch 

buds spilling wildly along the branch
color overtakes the trees
a chill breeze rustles the branches
white petals float and dance
drifting among the celebration of rebirth

drifting among the celebration of rebirth
walking among the trees
new growth a vibrant green
ringing with joy
laughter abounds

Laughter abounds
freshly cut fields
cradles my body
dancing clouds and scent of umami (flavor)
with springs breath

With springs breath
I shed my heavy coat
and head to the river
to see what’s new
and flowing 

And flowing
willow branches bend
and touch the water
a curtain of green
fluttering leaves 

Fluttering leaves
dance in the spring breeze
signaling more growth to come
the warming earth
gives rise to hidden depths

Gives rise to hidden depths
for carpets of green
buds begin to emerge
sweet frangrance wafts on the breeze
transforming into colorful brocades

Transforming into colorful brocades
leaving patterns on the hills
picking flowers for chabana
my arms overflow
and the fragrance scents my sleeves

And the fragrance scents my sleeves
running away
from the sound of sleeves, footsteps and shadows
with exhaustion I settle in the shade
and lose them all

And losing them all
I slip off my sandals
my feet sink in the clover
I close my eyes
and seek quiet

And seek quiet
the sounds of the world fade
my awareness shifts
the humming of wings
drenched in sunlight

Drenched in sunlight
I lay on my back
fluffy white clouds
pass by unconcerned
over the green hills

Over the green hills
clouds collect and darken
swollen, the sky bursts
I hide under the eves
painting the world in saturated color

Painting the world in saturated color
green fields glow
new life shines forth
sunlight nourishes and
water feeds the growth 

And water feeds the growth
salmon’s passage
slapping stones and popping bubbles
leap over
trunks fall

Trunks fall
so the cycle renews
day to night
the year
returns home

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Happy New Year

Happy New Year as we head into 2026, the year of the Fire Horse!

A fire horse year signifies a rare, powerful period of rapid change, passion, and bold action, combining the Horse’s natural energy (speed, freedom, ambition) with the Fire element’s intensity, leading to innovation, personal growth, but requiring balanced ambition to avoid burnout. It’s a time for taking risks and transformation, moving from the introspective previous year (Wood Snake) into dynamic, fast-paced opportunities for breakthroughs.

At Issoan,we are starting the year with a whirlwind of activities:  New Year’s Poetry Gathering,  a new 10 week Introduction to Chado class, Hatsugama, traveling to Seattle to celebrate East-West Chanoyu Hatsugama, Kashintei Kai at Portland Japanese Garden Hatsugama, a new Chado masterclass teacher traing class, and the Tankokai Hatsu Chakai.

I have many ambitious plans for the rest of the year.  Stay tuned, it could be a wild ride!

Be kind, share tea, spread peace.

 

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Winter Solstice 2025

After a spectacularly busy summer and autumn, I decided to take some time off to recover and care for my brother who needs care following the loss of his wife and suffering a stroke.

But here we are at the turn of the year, one of my favorite times, the winter solstice.  They call this the return to the light, but it is also the darkest time of year.   In the Pacific NW, the sun doesn’t rise until nearly 8 am (if you can see the sun through the cloud cover) and sets before 4:30 pm.   With the atmospheric rivers raining down on us the past week, the skies are dark until about lunch time and we turn on the lights in the afternoon about 3 pm.

The rain lashing the roof and windows make me want to stay indoors, drink big pots of dark tea and do art projects.  I am fortunate to have a heated kotatsu table with cosy down blanket over it to keep the heat in.  The garden is also in a time of rest and renewal, though the sasanqua camellia are blooming all over my bushes in the yard.  I didn’t have time this fall to tend to the garden so it is in a rather neglected state, but the first dry date, I will be out there to trim and clean up the yard.

I am happy to report that the Portland International Tea Gathering was a big success.  I have to hand it to all the students and volunteers who made me look good.  There were many connections made and we all bonded over the activities, many bowls of tea and sharing our love and passion for the way of tea.

In the New Year it will be the year of the fire horse. The Fire Horse embodies swiftness, strength, and passion, often associated with the color red.  I am planning many ambitious activities for the new year and I think it will be a wild ride.

For now,  I am enjoying the pause before the new year, planning and drinking my tea under the kotatsu.

In the meantime, be kind, share tea, spread peace.

 

Permanent link to this article: https://issoantea.com/winter-solstice-2025/

Making tea

Those shelves full of things
for making tea for your guests
one bowl at a time

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Tea training under the sturgeon moon

 

Students from Issoan Tea traveled to Vashon Island in the Puget Sound to spend a weekend intensive at the Tea House of the Winter moon.  It was also the weekend of the sturgeon moon.  The sturgeon is a prehistoric freshwater/saltwater fish that the indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest harvested during the full moon of August.  These fish can reach 8 ft (2.5 m) and can live 60-100 years.  They are good eating because they do not have bones.  Their skeleton is cartilage and have rows of plates for protection rather than scales.

The sturgeon moon is associated with the themes of the harvest and abundance, but also resilience, endurance, trust and renewal. It is also a time to reconnect with intuition and release what no longer serves them.  This year’s sturgeon moon encourages, innovation, and unconventional thinking, with a focus on collectives well-being. The perfect theme for an intensive study of chado.

We gathered on Friday night to share a meal and discuss the coming weekend.  There was a mix of experienced students to someone who had not studied tea, but was interested in starting tea lessons. Every morning started with zazen, then cleaning and preparing the tea room and garden for the day’s lesson.  The focus for the weekend would be the roji, how to enter the tea room, haigata or ash forms, sumi demae, culminating with a chakai at the end of the weekend.

Hai gata or ash forms are difficult because each pass of the ash tool packs down the ash more and more.  You want an ashform that is soft and light and fluffy so that air coming through the ash can feed the fire.  Each student was able to make an ash form, but were limited to about 35-40 minutes. After that the ash gets too compact.  As my sensei says, “better an ugly haigata that breathes, than a perfect one that is too tight.”  Lessons here in letting go and stopping even if it isn’t perfect.

We also took time to talk and experience the roji with a little history and appreciation for all the work that has gone into the roji at the Winter Moon Teahouse.  From the koshikake machiai (waiting bench) to the tsukubai (hand rinsing basin) to the nijiriguchi (tea room crawling in entrance), we practiced moving through the roji and using that experience to prepare us to enter the tea room.  Interesting is that dealing with removing and stacking shoes was  a good lesson for all us.

Practicing seki ire, going in, reminds us how to work together.  Placement of the tokonoma, temaeza and navigating footwork within the tea room made us conscious how the dance of people moving in the room can be bonding, and even satisfying.

The afternoon was taken up with learning how to lay the charcoal in the furo (brazier).  With live coals it can be intimidating. But we also had time to show gozumi or the second building of the fire, which we don’t often get to see.  It can be challenging because we don’t know exactly how the fire will burn down.  We need to look and respond in the moment to how much charcoal we will need for the usucha to come.

The highlight of the weekend was Saturday night. After pot luck dinner, we gathered on the beach facing directly where the full moon would rise.  We spread out blankets and had chabako tea while we waited for the moon rise.  I am sure saké enhanced the whole experience.

On Sunday we had a chakai to put together what we learned during the weekend.  Five guests, each had two bowls of tea.  After the clean up we had lunch and had a discussion and reflection of the weekend learning.

 

 

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