From the haigata workshop

It has been a long time since I have blogged, but we have been busy at Issoan Tea School.

Last month we had a haigata workshop, the forming of the ash for burning charcoal.  The whole class was able to use the ash spoons to smooth the ash and do part of the form.  Then we layed the charcoal, heated the water,  had our sweets and made tea.

I’d like to take the opportunity to thank Mr. Tom Ward who made the charcoal that we burned.  He has come the closest I have seen to making domestic charcoal for tea ceremony..

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Issoan Tea School News and Events

Saturday, July 20, 1 and 2 pm
Chanoyu demonstration at Kashintei, the teahouse at the Portland Japanese Garden

Sunday July 21st
Seichuki at Kashintei, the Portland Japanese Garden teahouse

Friday, August 2; 5-8 pm Chehalem Cultural Center August ArtWalk celebrates the world of woodfire ceramics with our exhibition of master ceramicists from around the region: “West Coast Woodfire: A Legacy of Innovation and Influence.” 6:00 pm: Margie Yap will be here to demonstrate a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, highlighting the woodfired tea bowls featured in the exhibit.

Saturday August 3, Oregon Buddhist Temple’s Obonfest 2013 from 3:00 pm to 9:00pm. Join us for food, gifts, entertainment and dancing. This year’s Obonfest features — Food items: yakisoba, yakiniku, yakitori, shave ice, manju, chirashi sushi, beer garden, soft drinks, Spam musubi
Program: Tanuki Taiko, Portland Taiko*, Martial Arts Demonstration, Temple Talks, Bon Odori (public dance)
Vendors: Michiko Selby (Oshie art using chiyogami paper), Miwa McCree (massage), Kaori Oya (Shiatsu massage), Hiroshi Ogawa (Japanese Pottery), Margie Yap from Sweet Persimmon (handmade purses and meditation products), Karen Fullerton (notecards and art), Kinokuniya Bookstore (Japanese books, music, misc items) Others: Omiyage shop, T-shirt sale, children’s corner, raffle

Sunday August 11, Chashaku/Bamboo Hanire Workshop. 10 am -noon at Issoan Tea Room. Fee is $35.
Bamboo chashaku, tea scoop carving and flower vase workshop. Bamboo materials, saws, chisels and knives provided, if you have your own carving knife, or utility knife please bring it. Demonstration of techniques, but mostly hands-on working the bamboo. Space limited to 6. Sign up and reserve your space via Paypal at right. THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL. CONTACT ME TO GET ON THE WAITING LIST.

Regular classes at Issoan Tea Room:

Wednesdays 7-9 pm – Intermediate studies

Thursdays 7-9 pm – Beginning Chado

Saturdays 1-3 pm – Beginning Chado

Saturdays 3-5 pm – Intermediate Studies

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Haigata Workshop

sumi-shitabiA reminder to all students: Haigata workshop is Sunday July 7th at 10 am.  Fee is $25.  Next week in fact. Please let me know by Friday July 5. We will be learning about the different kinds of furo and their formality; about the different kinds of ash, how to prepare the furo: leveling the kama, and the different kinds of haigata(ash forms) How to use the ash spoons to sculpt beautiful forms that still breathe and allow the fire to burn.

Bring what you have: furo, kama, mae gawara, (front tile), gotoku (stand), hai (ash), haisagi (ashspoons).

If we have time, we will go over charcoal, and how to arrange it in the furo to make sure it burns nice and hot, rather than go out.

Haigata workshop:
Sunday, July 7, 10 am – noon
Issoan Tea Room – outside, too.
Fee: $25
Reserve now only 3 spots left

You can register and pay for the class by Paypal at the right

Or contact me (503) 645-7058  to register and pay at the time of the workshop

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Paring back to the essential

Temae, the procedure for making tea, to our American eyes, may seem overly complicated and rigid with rules.   But these procedures have been refined for more than 400 years to be able to make a bowl of tea in the most efficient and beautiful way.

When we start to study temae, we start with the simplist form called ryakubon, or tray style and progress to more and more complicated procedures.   But as we study higher and higher temae, we are actually going back in time to procedures that were done at the beginning of the codefied tea ceremony.   What has happened over the years is that things have been pared away so that as we get closer to modern day, things get simpler.

Now that is not to say that procedures get easier.  Simpler does not mean easier.  In fact, simpler becomes harder because it exposes more and more of the person doing the procedure.  Just like Mark Twain said that he wrote you a long letter because he didn’t have time to write you  a short one, doing a simple temae and making it look natual and beautiful takes a lot of training.

I did a chanoyu demonstration once for a post-graduate  course of theater majors on movement.  After the demonstration we had a discussion of the procedure and one student said that it didn’t look all that hard to do.  But he failed to notice that I always entered the room with the right foot and exited with my left.  He also failed to notice that  when I folded my  fukusa all the folds and corners lined up, every single time.  He also failed to notice that everything was in its place, and not a centimeter off in a ten foot square space. “It looks so natural,” he said, “and simple to do.”

Part of living in these times, is that we have very complicated lives.  It takes a conscious effort to pare back the things in our lives to essentials.  That means we have to take time to decide what is essential to us.  What is a want and what is a need?  Indeed, Rikyu said, “There is shelter enough if it keeps the rain off, and food enough when it staves off hunger. We draw water, gather firewood, boil the water and make tea.”

I have a couple of students, and some friends in Seattle who do not own a car.  They have made the decision that a car is not essential to their lifestyle.  This eliminates car payments, insurance, gasoline, and maintenance.

What can you eliminate from your complicated life?

 

 

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The seven types of chaji

P9040033As my classes are preparing to host a chakai this summer, I thought that I would talk a little about tea gatherings.

Chakai are rather informal tea gatherings.  Sweets and usucha are usually served, and usually no meal is served at a chakai.  I have been to chakai in Japan where there were hundreds of participants.  Everyone was seated in a very large tatami room.  In one corner, near the first guest the temaeza is set up and a few bowls of tea are made.  Then the rest of the guests are served tatedashi, from the kitchen.  There is an efficiency and order to this type of gathering.  I have worked in the mizuya whisking tea. — with 3 people, we whisked 300 bowls of tea for a chakai one time.

Chaji are a more formal type of gathering and there are 7 types of chaji.  There are 3 timed chaji

  1. Shojo no chaji – this is the most formal and the standard type of chaji.  It can be held in the ro or the furo season.  The start time is 11 or 12 o’clock. The order for shogo no chaji is shozumi, full kaiseki, nakadachi, koicha, gozumi and usucha.  This is the most difficult to pull off and challenging for the guests to sit through.
  2. Asa chaji – takes place in the morning at 5-6 am. Furo season only. It is short and quick and ends by 7 or 8 . It is a way to beat the heat in the summer time, so tsuzukiusucha (usucha following directly after koicha) no gozumi, an abbreviated kaiseki.  No raw fish or yakimono (grilled dish).
  3. Yobanashi chaji –  takes place in the evening about 4-5 pm and in the ro season only.  Serve tsuzukiusucha, and abbreviated kaiseki.  No gozumi, but  tomezumi or tachizumi (charcoal at the end).  No raw fish or yakimono.  Plan to use lights (candles and lanterns) and heat sources such as teaburi (handwarmers) and hibachi.
  4. Hango chaji — takes place after meal times.  10 am or 2 pm or 7 pm, can take place in furo or ro season.  VERY abbreviated kaiseki to no kaiseki – the food can be tenshin (one plate meal) noodles or snack, or just nimono, and hassun.  The order is lay sumi, food, serve sweet, break, and koicha.  Usucha can be skipped. This is a good chaji for less dogu or time.
  5.  Rinji chaji — emergency or spontaneous, unexpected. Contains the basics of rice, soup charcoal sweets and tea.  Can do tsuzukiusucha.  Other than that, no real rules, no set times.  Because it is so informal, it should have a very formal feeling.
  6. Atomi chaji— viewing the remains.  This takes place after another chaji.  The host’s very best friends basically invite themselves to view the utensils.  The host will rehang the scroll and move the flowers to the floor.  Order, food, koicha tsuzukiusucha. no nakadachi.   Food is something different for than what was served for the first chaji guests, may even be just noodles or rice soup.(I always thought this was rather rude to invite yourself over and make the host do double duty when the first chaji was probably exhausting enough).
  7. Akatsuki chaji – Dawn chaji. This is the expert’s tea. It starts at 4 am and always in the ro season.  You need a ceiling window.  The illumination turns to sunlight in the tea room as it  moves from dark to light.  There is a bit of drama as the windows open and light streams in just at the hassun is served.  (timing is critical here).  Oil lamps or candles naturally guttter out as the light comes in.  Sumi first, food is variable, hassun must be served, sweets, koicha tsuzukiusucha.

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