“From the age of 6 I had a mania for drawing the shapes of things. When I was 50 I had attained some reputation, but nothing before the age of 70 is worth bothering with. At seventy-three, I began to grasp the structures of birds and beasts, insects and fish, and of the way plants …
Permanent link to this article: https://issoantea.com/how-long-does-it-take/
I look back on my time at Midorikai and I thought about what I had learned there. Some of the lessons I learned there have nothing to do with tea and yet they have everything to with tea and life. I am still striving to put these into practice every single day.
Permanent link to this article: https://issoantea.com/10-things-i-learned-at-midorikai/
I have been having an extended discussion with a commenter about gomei. See this post and the comment thread.
For the guests, learning the gomei is of particular interest and in our discussion the commenter said,
“It sounds like the choice of a seasonal name is, at least partly, also the gift of …
Permanent link to this article: https://issoantea.com/gomei-discussion/
The day after Christmas, December 26th we had our first Winter intensive at Issoan Tea School. For my students it was their first intensive. We started at 3 pm and ended at 9:30 pm. In between we sat zazen, practiced warigeiko, reviewed movement in the tearoom, did five teamae, laid the charcoal shozumi and rebuilt …
Permanent link to this article: https://issoantea.com/winter-intensive/
One of the exercises we did while Machida Gyotei sensei was here was Ko-tauki kagetsu. I have never had the chance to do this one before, and it was something I was excited to participate in.
In regular kagetsu, there are 5 participants and 4 bowls of usucha are made. The roles of the players …
Permanent link to this article: https://issoantea.com/claiming-the-prize/
