Earlier this year after doing a month of chabako for the transition from Ro to furo season, I gave the students an assignment to assemble their own chabako and fill it with found utensils. It was a fun assignment and I also put together a chabako set.
I didn’t want to spend much money for the assignment, but I wanted a functional set that could be used to serve tea to guests. I got a metal box from the dollar store, a cardboard tube for the chasen, a little metal hinged trinket box for the chakin, a plastic makeup jar for natsume and a little sample jelly jar for the furidashi. The usuita is a piece of cardboard covered in shelf contact paper and a small bowl fit perfectly inside the metal box. I cut a bamboo chashaku so it would fit as well.
I was impressed with the chabako that students put together. creative use of objects used for tea utensils, boxes made of wood, even a basket was used to carry the utensils.
For the Monday evening class we all sat around in a circle on the deck and simultaneously made tea for each other passing our bowls of tea to the right.
After tea, everyone got to tell the story of their chabako set and we could get up and haiken the utensils. Some were very clever, indeed. Ryan even made ice tea with his set!
Later we toasted with saké and wrote our wishes and hung them from the tree. What a beautiful night to celebrate Tanabata!
2 comments
What fun for everyone! Very creative, Sensei.
Miyo
I’m using a vodka glass as a chakin-zutsu.
I like the small jar as chasen-zutsu in a basket setup. Looks a little tight but workable.
Great idea.