Sadō Samurai

茶碗　Chawan (Tea bowls)

2012-01-30T03:43:00.000-08:00

A great blog!

This is not written by me, I only translated it into English as it contains excellent, poignant information for the many English speakers enthusiastic about chanoyu.
The blog post comes from one of my favourite blogs: Avant-Garde Cha Kai by Kondo Shintaro.
Let me collaborate in the knowledge sharing! Orignal blog followed by my English.

茶碗　
お茶を点ててくださる「亭主」の想いを容れる器、客がいただく器が茶碗です。
そう考えると数ある茶道具の中で最も重要視される道具です。（茶席に入った誰もが
必ず手にするお道具です）

茶碗は大きく三つに分類されます。

Chawan (Tea bowls)
In a tea ceremony the host pours particular sincerity, heartfelt hospitality and creativity into the selection and use of the chawan (tea bowl). It is then from this chawan the guest partakes of tea, and the host's heartfelt sentiment. Thought of in this way, out of all the equipage used in the tea ceremony, the chawan takes centre stage. (All people that participate in a tea ceremony hold and view the chawan at one time.)

Chawans can be divided into three categories:

１．唐物
中国からの渡来品。
12世紀末期の宋代に喫茶の文化が渡ってきたタイミングに多くが渡来しました。
代表的なものに「天目」や「青磁」があり、江戸時代に入ってからは「染付」や
「赤絵」が登場します。

1. Karamono
Karamono are chawans imported from China. A large influx of karamono chawans came to Japan towards the end of the 12th century together with Song Dynasty (960~1279) tea drinking culture. Classic examples of this period are Tenmoku and Celadon Porcelain, and Sometsuki (blue and white porcelain) and Aka-e (red-painted ceramic) appeared during the Edo Period.

２．高麗物
朝鮮からの渡来品。
高麗茶碗は李氏朝鮮時代（李朝）の製品で、室町時代末期から茶席に登場します。
「井戸」や「伊羅保」が有名です。

2. Kōraimono
Kōraimono generally refers pottery imported from Korea. Kōrai chawans are vessels made during the Joseon Dynasty (1392~1910), and a large influx came to Japan towards the end of the Muromachi Period（1336~1573). Ido and Irabo styles are among the most famous.

３．和物（日本製）
千利休の時代に、唐物や高麗物の模倣ではない日本オリジナルの「瀬戸」や「楽」などが
創出されます。現在では『一楽二萩三唐津』と言われるように「楽焼」「萩焼」「唐津焼」が
珍重されています。
【参考文献】点前道具〈下〉扱いと心得 (茶道具百科)／淡交社編集局編

3. Wamono (Japanese)
Wamono are not Japanese imitations of Karamono and Kōraimono, rather they are original Japanese pottery styles that emerged during Rikyu’s lifetime. Famous names included Seto and Raku wares. Just as the saying goes ‘Raku number 1, Hagi 2 and Karatsu 3’ (ichi raku ni hagi san karatsu), Raku, Hagi and Karatsu wares are particularly prized among Wamono.

Reference for the above: Tea Ceremony Equipage (2nd half): Handling and the Thought Behind Each (Tea Equipage Encyclopedia) Tankosha Publishing Co., Ltd.

アバ茶流「茶碗」の解釈
いきなり何万もする茶碗を買うのは気が引けることでしょう。
それなら身近にある器で使えそうなものがないか探ってみるのは如何でしょうか？
毎日使っている「飯碗」。コーヒーがお好きな方は「カフェオレ・ボール」なんかも使い勝手
があってオススメです。これでなければいけない！という固定概念に捕らわれず自分好みに
お茶碗を見つけて見ましょう！
お茶の世界は、茶道具ではないものを茶道具として使うことを「見立て」と言います。
あの利休さまも様々な見立てをされて、今ではそれがすっかり茶道具として定着しているもの
まであります！
　・魚籠（びく）＝茶籠（お花を入れる道具）

Avant-Garde Cha Kai’s thoughts on chawans
Chawans can be very expensive. Most people are hesitant at jumping in to a big purchase, so before you do, how about looking through the ceramics you already own for items you can use as a chawan? For example, you could use your everyday rice bowl or coffee lovers might have a café au lait bowl. Don’t get stuck in stereotypes, find a chawan you like!
In the world of Tea, we call items not originally made for Tea but adapted for use in the tea ceremony ‘mitate’ (mi-tah-teh). Rikyu used many items as mitate in the tea ceremony, and many of these items are now standard items in the tea ceremony! For example, Rikyu used ‘biku’ fish baskets as flower vases. Now they are know better as flower baskets for the tea ceremony.

SadoSamurai：
お抹茶をいただく、それはただ単に茶を飲み、抹茶の味を楽しむということだけではありません。抹茶をいただくことで、心静かに、真の自分を見つめる、これぞ抹茶をいただく醍醐味であります。抹茶の他にこのような飲み物は存在しないでしょう。
（茶盌を購入する時、あるいは茶会の取り合わせの際、）茶盌を自ら選ぶその行為は、茶盌の形、作風、そして色を吟味すると同時に、それは自らが理想とする、また望んでいる自分自身の姿を反映する行為ではないでしょうか。
美しい茶盌を手に持ち、その抽象的な作品、土や釉薬の質感、そして落ち着いた色を鑑賞しながら、爽やかなお抹茶の香りと味を楽しみます。そして、自分自身がどのように、茶盌の色や形の中に表れているのか、また、茶盌の色や形が、自分自身にどのような影響を与えているか、そんな思いをはせながら理想的な自分自身を追求していきます。
茶道の美点の一つは、自分が選んだ、自分自信を反映する茶盌を通じ、お客様と共に、自分自身が理想とする自分と、その価値観と美意識を、一緒に分かち合うことが出来ることだと私は思います。

ウップした写真は私が気に入った二階堂明弘さんの「益楽」と「霧手（ミスト）」の作風です。

SadoSamurai’s spin on chawans
Matcha (powdered green tea) is prepared in the chawan, and matcha is the one beverage where the purpose of drinking is not just for the invigorating taste; the aspect of quietly reflecting on your true self is perhaps the most important. So choosing your chawan should be an activity of choosing a shape, style and colour that reflects something of the ideal self you wish to create. While holding a beautiful chawan in your hands, reflect on the abstract shapes, textures of the clay and glaze, and soft colours. While appreciating these points and enjoying the invigorating aroma and taste of the matcha cupped within, reflect on what these characteristics represent to you, and how you want to integrate them to make yourself a better person. The beauty of chanoyu is that in a tea gathering you get to share your selection of chawan with your guests, and by doing so you share something of the ideal self you are pursuing.

In this post are some chawan's I particularly like. Akihiro Nikaido's Mashira Raku, and Mist Chawan.

‘I welcome no layman to my abode’ 「門無俗士駕」

2012-01-03T22:16:00.000-08:00

I was baffled when I first came across this calligraphy work. It's by Ueda Sōko, the founder of my Tradition of Tea. It reads: 「門無俗士駕」(mon (ni) zokushi (no) ga nashi) or ‘I welcome no layman to my abode’.

It was early in my study of chanoyu, the 'romantic' period if you will, when everything was wabi, equality, heartfelt hospitality, and Zen ideals. At first sight this scroll seemed to negate the ideals of hospitality and warmth towards guests for which the Japanese tea ceremony is unrivalled.

Trying desperately to understand the meaning, this work fast-tracked my induction into the world of Samurai Tea (bukecha). It is no overstatement to say it also fast-tracked my induction into life as an adult in this ferociously competitive world.

I simply couldn't understand how the most famous calligraphy work of the founder of a Tea Tradition could be so ruthless, unforgiving, even cold. But the truly remarkable character of the person behind the work revealed itself as I pursued its meaning.

It took me years to finally feel confident in grasping its essence. I had to learn a lot of Samurai, Tea and Zen culture before I started get a taste for the spirit behind the words of Ueda Sōko.

To the best of my understanding the implication of the work is ‘Upon mastering oneself through arduous refinement, discipline and cultivating morality, those without such education, taste for the arts and good judgement naturally lose association with me and never show at my door’.

It continues to fascinate me, to guide me everyday as I strive down my own path, a path that I hope leads me to one day see the world from the eyes of refinement and enlightenment that composed this work.

To aid my focus on my own training in Tea and Zen, I commissioned my friend and calligrapher Shingo Nozao to compose his version of Sōko's famous work. I now hang Shingo's version in my tearoom and practice in its fierce aura every morning.
Below is a picture from New Year's morning, 1 January 2012.

Spring Sake! 春酒

2011-10-27T05:13:00.000-07:00

Tonight Lesley Kehoe Galleries held the event 'The Art of the Vessel & Spring Sake Tasting' 「うつわの美　春酒」. I went with my mate, breathtaking calligrapher Shingo Nozao. We both find it near impossible to knock back the opportunity to sip fine sake teamed with even finer vessels. These sake sipping vessels are termed 'guinomi' in Japanese.

Trevor of Lesley Kehoe Galleries is a sake fanatic - this being unashamedly clear in 'Trevour's Sake Corner' each edition of the Kehoe Galleries newsletter.

The night started off with the usual mingling while viewing art works. The staff brought around sparkling sake and the most gorgeous oysters I've tasted in Melbourne for . . . ever, possibly. Seriously. You could just recognise a whisper of lemon, and paired with the sparkling sake, my senses were aroused and open to adore an army of guinomi sake cups.

Lesley greeted guests and educated with unbridled passion: The guinomi is heavily influenced by the tea bowls used in the Way of Tea. They are miniature versions of the great pieces used in the tearoom. And for this reason they raise the act of drinking sake to a sensual experience in the realm of high art and connoisseurship.

Lesley spilled out her infectious passion for experiencing vessels: When you drink from a tea bowl you turn the front of the bowl to the side as an expression of respect to the host and the vessel. As you turn the tea bowl you feel the texture of the clay and the application of the glaze on your palm. You feel the decisions of the craftsperson to shape the vessel. And you appreciate the unfolding of the 'keshiki' 'scenery' of the glaze, purposeful contours, and natural texture of the clay.

Seated and briefed: go forth and select your vessel for sake imbibing!

The full-house rose to choose the guinomi sake cup most in tune with their aesthetic whim of the day. I chose this Bizen piece. I am so predictable. Give me a an elegant expression of power with course-carved lines, and I'm a taker. This vessel's creator Kakerezaki Ryuichi:

Let's pause here and applaud Lesley Kehoe Galleries for allowing patrons to enjoy art works hands-on, and tonight, enjoying guinomi lips-on. Just last month at a tea ceremony for the tsunami relief at LKG, guests were also allowed to select an exquisite tea bowl from which to drink steaming matcha. This hands-on experience happens at exhibitions in Japan. Everyone benefits. Lesley Kehoe understands. Bravo!

As we enjoyed a further four varieties of sake paired thoughtfully with fine modern Japanese morsels, Trevor explained everything from the process of making sake, through the common 'banana' scent of sake using koji #9, to his thoughts behind teaming the varieties to the night's dishes.

Sake should be enjoyed soon after bottling, keeps for a short time (up to two weeks) in the fridge after opening, and the complex flavours of sake are best enjoyed un-warmed.

Here's the two I took a particular liking to:

Koshino Hatsu-Ume Sarara, a Niigata Junmai sake; and Hatsumago Koshu Sanzai, a Miyagi Junmai sake.

Thank you Lesley Kehoe Galleries for a thoroughly enjoyable night of education, taste, hands-on enjoyment of art, and the opportunity to meet like-minded people in Melbourne.

To end, here's a song I can't help but sing in my head when I've sipped a sake more than my very, very low limit: George Kamikawa and Noriko Tadano with 'Sake, sake, sake!'

Sake kure!

Chashaku 茶杓

2011-10-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

A great blog!

This is not written by me, I only translated it into English as it contains excellent, poignant information for the many English speakers enthusiastic about chanoyu.

The blog post comes from one of my favourite blogs: Avant-Garde Cha Kai by Kondo Shintaro.

I can relate to Kondo-san is very much like me in that he works in IT and devotes every second outside work to collaborating with people towards a lively chanoyu community and culture.

Let me collaborate in the knowledge sharing! Orignal blog followed by my English.

茶杓

茶杓は、「抹茶」をすくって茶碗に入れるための道具です。

古くは「鼈甲」でできたものや「金属製」のものありました。
また、「象牙」や「木地」、「塗り」「蒔絵」を施したものもありますが
大半は「竹製」です。

茶杓は、中国から渡来した「薬用の象牙匙（薬匙）」が転用されたものと
考えられています。

【参考文献】点前道具〈下〉扱いと心得 (茶道具百科)／淡交社編集局編

アバ茶流「茶杓」の解釈

簡単に言ってしまうと「抹茶をすくうスプーン」です。笑
茶杓は茶人が自ら作れる数少ない道具です。本来は茶事ごとにもてなす
人（＝亭主）が毎回毎回削っていたそうです。（つまり、使い捨て！？）

先日、ある先生が僕の削った茶杓を見て

「茶杓にはそのときの自分が写る。
　この茶杓は、迷いがありますね。」

確かに。。。笑　自分の心のバロメーターを計る！
そんなつもりで茶杓一本、削ってみませんか？

Chashaku

A 'chashaku' is a tea implement for scooping matcha powdered tea and transferring it into a tea bowl.

In old times chashaku were made from tortoise shells and metal.

Chashaku are also made from ivory, wood, and there are also lacquer chashaku and chashaku with 'makie' pictures made with powdered colours set in place with lacquer. However, the overwhelming majority of chashaku are made from bamboo.

It is believed the origin of chashaku for the tea ceremony are ivory scoops from China used in the preparation and handling of medicine.

Reference for the above: Tea Ceremony Equipage (2nd half): Handling and the Thought Behind Each (Tea Equipage Encyclopedia) Ta

nkosha Publishing Co., Ltd.

Avant-Garde Cha Kai's thoughts on chashaku

To put it very simply, a chashaku is a spoon to scoop matcha (!)

A chashaku is one of the few equipage any teaist can make by themselves. Originally a unique chashaku was made for each tea gathering by the host. So you might say they were making disposable chashaku!

The other day a sensei looked at a chashaku I carved and said:

「茶杓にはそのときの自分が写る。

　この茶杓は、迷いがありますね。」

'A chashku reflects the maker's mind state at the time of crafting.

This chashaku reflects a state of indecision.'

And they were probably right!!! A chashaku is like a barometer of the soul!

For these reasons, why not try crafting a chashaku for yourself?

Back to the SadoSamurai now. Below is a photo of the very first chashaku I made. To the right are my next creations - two pieces of 'susudake' smoke-stained bamboo from the ceiling of an old house in Hiroshima. I brought them back with me from my last trip to Japan. Can't wait to get crafting . . .

Omoiyari 思いやり

2011-09-21T02:52:00.000-07:00

Omoiyari　
How sweet the scent of blossoms lacing the air! Imagine a bowl of matcha in hands, your eyes following the steam up to adore soft pink sakura, then peering through the blossoms to delight in a blue sky blurred by spring haze. Enjoying matcha in spring is just as delicious for your eyes.

This month I will be taking part in a research program nicknamed the 'Omoiyari Project'. The aim of the program is to deepen understanding of the characteristically Japanese value of omoiyari. Let me briefly explain my sense of the concept of omoiyari. The English words of ‘courtesy’, 'consideration' 'compassion' and 'humanity' start to paint the picture.

Since ancient times, Japanese have valued the concept of wa (harmony). For example, Prince Shōtoku (574 – 622) decreed to the Japanese people: ‘Harmony is of the highest value.’ Compassion for others and consideration for your surrounds - omoiyari - is the grounds for harmony. The crystallisation of the related values of 'compassion', 'consideration', 'courtesy', and 'humanity' into an overarching concept: omoiyari, is unique to the Japanese. Omoiyari influences the spiritual nature, aesthetics, and mannerisms of Japan.

I think the emergence of omoiyari is intimately linked to the environmental surrounds of the Japanese archipelago. Japan has a congenial climate with incredibly rich and diverse natural beauty. The people have grown warm and rich hearts to match. Yet as we saw with this year’s earthquake disaster, Japan's natural surrounds can be devastating beyond comprehension. The Japanese have forever lived with the possibility of these disasters in their consciousness. The fearful power, yet striking beauty of Japan's natural world has demanded an especial reverence of nature from the Japanese people, and demanded an acute sensibility to the subtle changes in nature just to live their daily lives. To ride the whims of nature, a spirit of mutual aid and cooperation is a must.

In a setting of breathtaking beauty yet ever-threatening calamity, going about your personal affairs requires due consideration to your environment, the needs of others, and emotional responses to your environment and others. Here you have the foundations for the human value of omoiyari.

I've devoted my life to chanoyu. Chanoyu embodies reverence for nature, and striving for wa (harmony) in all your interactions with nature and people. Harmony both in the tearoom and outside emerges very naturally when people have omoiyari.

思いやり

どこからともなく花の香りが漂うメルボルン、春の気配を感じる頃となりました。桜の淡いピンク、春空の霞掛かった柔らかい青、そして抹茶の鮮やかな緑、花を愛でながらの一服は、目にも美味しく格別なものです。

さて、今月末から日本にて「日本文化研修事業」の一環である「思いやりプロジェクト」に参加させていただき、「思いやり」を探求することになりました。この度は「思いやり」について、私なりの解釈を述べたいと思います。

古来より「和」を重視する日本人ですが、その根底にあるのが「思いやり」だと考えられます。「思いやり」の精神を実際に「和をもって貴しとなす」という言葉に表し、その理念を世に広めたのが聖徳太子だと思っています。「思いやり」は、日本人の精神性、美意識、礼儀作法等様々な要素が含有される日本独自の概念であり、西洋の文化にはこれと同じ概念は存在しません。

「思いやり」の精神は、日本の風土が深く関わり、形成されたのではないかと考えています。日本は美しい自然に囲まれた比較的温暖な環境にあり、そうした中で人々の性格も温和になったものと思われます。しかし、先の東北大震災のように豊かな自然は時に牙を剥く事があり、日本は古来より自然災害に悩まされて来ました。自然と共存する為には、自然の変化に敏感でなければなりません。また、廻りの人との助け合い無しでは自然災害には太刀打ち出来ないでしょう。

そんな中で、自分自身の事を考えると同時に、常に廻りの環境、廻りの人、そしてその人の気持ちを考え、行動するようになったのではないでしょうか。それが日本人の温厚な性質とミックスされ、今日の「思いやり」に繋がっているのだと思います。「思いやり」は長い年月をかけ、日本人の価値観にしっかりと根付き育てられてきた日本特有のものです。

私は茶道に人生を投じております。自然と、そして人と向き合い、「和」を重んじながら一瞬一瞬を大切にする茶道は「思いやり」の精神を芸術の中で体系化したものだと感じます。人間の世界は常に争いが耐えません。私は茶道を通じ、「思いやり」の精神を人々に伝えることで、人々に日本の心、「和」を育むことが出来ればと思っています。

Forget not the the beginner’s mind　　　　　　　初心忘るるべからず

2011-09-17T18:09:00.000-07:00

Zeami Motokiyo (世阿弥元清 c. 1363 – c. 1443 Japanese aesthetician, actor and playwright) established noh as a stand-alone art form and his formulation is continued to the present day. Zeami likens a noh actor to a flower. Zeami left the works ‘Fushikaden’ (The Treatise of the Flower through a Mastery of the Forms (noh theatre)), also called the ‘Kadenshyo’, and the ‘Kakyou’ which contain the aphorism ‘shyoshin wasureruru bekarazu’, ‘Never forget the beginner’s spirit’. This aphorism reveals a beautiful truth. To elucidate, the shoshin beginner’s mind is divided into three stages over a lifetime:

1. Forget not the the beginner’s mind of youth (zehi no shoshin o wasureruru bekarazu「是非の初心忘るるべからず」). When a teen or person of their 20s takes the noh stage for the first time, their wholehearted concentration is comparable to a blossoming flower. However, this impassioned concentration becomes stale at some point, the performer matures to a point and the blossoming flower of impassioned youth withers and disappears from the stage. So what should one do? Zeami continues:

2. Forget not the beginner’s mind of maturity (tokidoki no shoshin o wasureruru bekarazu 「時々の初心忘るるべからず」).
Now one must tread the stage while cultivating their original expression, and successfully executing their original ideas. When a person of their 30s or 40s is on stage, their sincere heart is comparable to a flower, a flower they must bud and make bloom themselves through the execution of their own original creation. Zeami’s time was a time when an average life was but 50 years, and passing from the beginner’s mind of youth and beginner’s mind of maturity, there was one more beginner’s mind:

3. Forget not the beginner’s mind of old age (ro no shoshin wasureruru bekarazu 「老の初心忘るるべからず」).
In their 50s, even by moving but one metre over the stage, the beauty of the spirit of a noh performer is comparable to a flower blossoming on an ancient wood. This is a very beautiful metaphor. And this is the metaphor one must carry to death; the blossoming flower of the performance withers and falls when the life-force has withered from and left the ancient root.
Zeami’s aphorism embodies the repetition of Dogen, the thought that through repetition humans continue to blossom throughout all stages of their life.

An excerpt from the lecture:
Samurai Tea and Hiroshima Culture - The Spirit and Modernity
「講演会『武家茶道と広島文化～その精神と現代性』」

Given by:
Speaker: Ueda Sōkei, 16th Grandmaster of the Ueda Sōko Tradition of Tea
ゲスト：茶道上田宗箇流第16代家元　上田宗冏氏

Quoted text:
世阿弥という人は能を大成した今日まで体系を立てた、大成をした人でございますけれども、世阿弥は、能役者のことを花にたとえます。『風姿花伝』だとか、『花伝書』といったり、あるいは花鏡と書いた『花鏡』という能の本があるんですけれども、そのなかで実は皆さんご存知の「初心忘るるべからず」というのはこの『花鏡』のなかに出てまいります。どういうことをいうかと申しますと、とてもいいことを申します。初心には3つある。

「是非の初心忘るるべからず」これにあらずですよね。是非の初心忘るるべからず、能役者が10代20代と初めて舞台に足を踏み入れたときに花にたとえるわけですから、その役者の舞台には花がある、それは無我夢中だ、一生懸命だという無我夢中さに花があるんだと。しかしそれはいずれ無我夢中というのは必ずマンネリ化してきて慣れが当然出るわけでありますから、その舞台は花がなくなってしまう。じゃあどうするか。そのとき世阿弥はこう申します。

「時々の初心忘るるべからず」と、こういうんであります。この次の舞台はどう踏もう、どう創意工夫していこうかという、次の常に舞台のことを自分なりに創意工夫していく、そういう能役者の舞台は花がある。30代40代の能役者がその人として花を咲かしていかなければならない。それを時々の初心忘るるべからずと、こう申すわけであります。人生50年といわれる時代ですから、是非の初心、時々の初心を経たうえで、最後の初心があるんだと。
その初心は、

「老の初心忘るるべからず」と、こういうんであります。是非の初心を経、時々の初心を経た能役者が50を過ぎて舞台に入っていったら、たとえ1ｍ動くだけで、古木に花が咲きたるよう、とてもいいことばですけれども、古木に花が咲きたるように、その能役者の舞台には花がある。そしてその花は、死ぬまで咲いていくんだという考えであります。これは、繰り返しを続けていけば、人間は無限に成長していくんだという、仏教の考えで特に禅の教えを大きく思います

Zeami picture from: Lady Han "Actor's Packet"

Tide of the seasons charges our expressive mood

2011-08-26T15:19:00.000-07:00

One of my students just shared this haiku with me. Sparked from the onset of spring(!) and the lengthening days:

".........spring slowly arriving, the plum blossom is bursting and the mist is hanging on the hills. The mornings are frosty but the afternoon only needs a t-shirt.........

the way things are--
through my worthless window
days grow longer

有がたや能なし窓の日も伸る
arigata ya / nô nashi mado no / hi mo nobiru
by Issa, 1816"

What a wonderful community, the Ueda Ryu Melbourne.

ハレの日とケの日 Hare Days, Ke days

2011-05-20T05:38:00.000-07:00

ある人の立ち居振る舞いの美しさ、調和の取れた身のこなしに心を引かれたことがありますか？上田宗箇流茶道の当代家元、上田宗冏（ウエダソウケイ）はそのように魅力あふれる人の姿を「凜として美しい」と表現しています。上田宗箇流では茶道を通じ、「凛とした美しさ」を追求しているのですが、この「凜とした美しさ」に達するためには、日々の暮らしの中で、「ハレ」と「ケ」のメリハリをつけることが大切になります。

A person with beautiful conduct and graceful manner captures attention. The current Grandmaster of the Ueda Sōko Tradition, Ueda Sōkei, describes this beautiful aura as rin toshita utsukushii or 'dignified beauty'. In the Ueda Sōko Tradition we aim to make this beauty our own through weekly practice, and by observing hare and ke days. You develop a character of dignity and grace when your lifestyle allows a variation of hare and ke days.

昔の日本人の暮らしでは、「ハレ」の日と、「ケ」の日という区別がはっきりしていました。祭りやお祝いの日など、特別に晴れやかなときを「ハレ」といい、よそ行きの服を着て、食べきれないほどのご馳走を作り、多くの人と交流し、にぎやかに過ごしたものです。それに対して、「ケ」の日には、質素で落ち着いた生活をし、心穏やかに過ごしました。

In old Japan there was a clear distinction between hare (auspicious) days and ke (inauspicious) days. Festival days, celebrations, and special events were regarded as hare days. On these days people would wear their best clothes, prepare lavish feasts and engage in festive activities. In contrast, ke days were observed in a more mundane fashion, making sure to be diligent, conscientious and frugal.

現代の生活では、「ハレ」と「ケ」の区別が殆ど無くなっています。普段からご馳走を食べ、いい服装をし、仕事や様々な事に追われる、常にストレスの高い状態で暮らしています。私達は毎日、「ハレ」の日のように生活していると言ってもいいかもしれません。

To state the obvious, our current lifestyles don't have regard for hare and ke days. It seems every day is a hare day. It's become a matter of course to enjoy lavish meals, dress our best and busy ourselves with work and projects every day.

そこで、私は毎週、「ケ」の日を作り、心を落ち着かせる工夫をしています。具体的には、週に一日断食し、茶道の稽古や勉強に没頭します。これによって「終わりのないハレ」から開放され、心のゆとりや自然に対する感謝の気持ちが生まれ、私自身の心が少しだけ強くなった気がします。「ケ」の日を作ることにより「ハレ」の日がより特別な、そして華やかな日となります。例えば、上田宗箇流メルボルンでは、茶道の世界で400年の歴史がある初釜（1年の最初の茶事です。）を先月行いました。その際、一番良い着物（晴れ着）に袖を通し、丁寧に作られたお料理や最高のお抹茶を、大切な仲間と楽しみながら素晴らしい時間を過ごし、今年１年の無病息災と繁栄とを願いました。

To reinstate the variation of hare and ke days, I allocate one ke day a week where I fast (abstain from food) while practicing the tea ceremony and studying. This change in my 'never-ending hare' has been significant for calmness of mind, strength of character, and affinity with Nature. By reinstating a ke day in my week, hare days also become more productive and vibrant. An example of hare days in the tea ceremony are celebrations of annual and seasonal events. In January we celebrate Hatsugama (New Year's tea gathering) where we wear our best kimono, share good food and high quality matcha tea while celebrating 400 year old traditions that invite a year's good health and prosperity.

皆さんも、暮らしに「ハレ」と「ケ」のメリハリをつけてみませんか。と言っても、私のように断食をしたり、茶事を催す必要はありません（笑）。1週間に1日でも、「ケ」を意識し、丁寧に家事を行ったり何かの勉強や、稽古ごと等に没頭し、日々の忙しさを忘れてみましょう。また、生活の中に「ハレ」の一部として、日本の美しい文化である、季節の移り変わりを祝う習慣を少し取り入れてみてはいかがでしょうか。幸い、メルボルンにも（一応？）四季がありますから、少しの工夫で「ハレ」がより有意義な時間となります。様々な花が咲く春に、お弁当を持ってお花見に出かけるのも良いですし、月が綺麗な秋の夜に、お団子を作ってお月見をするのも楽しいでしょう。

To bring back the variety of hare and ke days into your life, you don't have to fast one day a week! You might observe one ke day a week by simply spending a quiet day doing house work, studying, or practicing your art. And anyone can mark hare days by celebrating annual events and the seasons. Melbourne has four seasons like Japan, you can celebrate the transition with a festive hanami picnic with friends to admire the beautiful spring blossoms. And on an autumn evening when the moon is at its most brilliant for the year, you can get friends together for a lively gathering to admire the moon.

「ハレ」の日には、様々な行事を、心から、精一杯楽しみましょう！そして生活のバランス、心のバランスを上手に取るには、「ケ」の日も大切です。「ケ」の日の質素な落ち着いた暮らし、そして心がリラックスする時間があってこそ、「ハレ」の日が思い切り楽しい1日となるのです。

So celebrate hare days and exert your full potential! But balance them with quieter ke days. It's because of quiet conduct on ke days that hare days burst with vigour.　

現代の生活の中で、「ハレ」の日を作る事は比較的簡単かもしれませんね。しかし、仕事や様々な事に追われ、いつも忙しくしている状態で「ケ」の日を作るのは、そう簡単ではないかもしれません。また、強い意志が無ければ、心を静かに落ち着かせる時間を確保する事も出来ないでしょう。それだからこそ、「ハレ」の日と「ケ」の日をはっきりと区別して生活出来る人は、メリハリのある生き方が出来、心も強くなります。また、メリハリある生活を積み重ねる事で自然と心がリラックスし、心に余裕が生まれます。そして、その心の強さと心の余裕こそ、その人に「凛とした美しさ」をもたらす源なのです。

It's relatively easy to set hare days with our busy lifestyles, it's the ke days we have to work on reinstating. You need a strong will to reduce the hectic pace of your life and make time to relax and find calm. For this reason, distinguishing hare and ke days in your life gives you a strong character. And with a variety of hare and ke days, you increasingly become more relaxed and composed. A strong and composed character radiates dignified beauty ideal we pursue in the Ueda Sōko Tradition.

Tearoom / Chashitsu #1

2011-02-07T02:39:00.000-08:00

A little while ago I posted about the various building projects we've completed at the Ueda Sōko Ryū Melbourne. And one biggy, the grand daddy of them all, starting to gather momentum.

This project is building a tea house, or 'chashitsu'.

I'd always had the vision of making a raised floor so that we could use a proper sunken hearth in the winter months.
A sunken hearth is a charcoal fire in the floor just like in the photo below. For half the year the sunken hearth is used, and for the other half a brazier that sits on top of the tatami is used.

When the Ueda Sōko Ryū Melbourne went to the Tea and Zen exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), one of my students who is a retired architect got inspired by the tea house on display. It was one designed by Uchida Shigeru in 2002.

Bottom right is a photo of Fukuma-shihandai, one of the right hand men of the 16th Grandmaster of the Ueda Sōko Ryū using the same design of tea house during an event in Japan.

I shared my dream to raise the floor somehow or other so we can practice the full rage of ceremonies according to the time of year, and Paul questioned why not go further and just build the whole kit and caboodle.

Plans were drawn and now we're well into the initial stage of erecting the frame of the tea house. The tea house will be 4.5 tatami mats in size and will fit inside your average-sized bedroom in Melbourne's rental accommodation wonderland. So should the time to move come, the tea house can follow with ease.

Here's Dad finishing off the skeleton of the tea house before the first trial this week erecting inside the actual room.

I'll let you know how the first trial goes. Wish us luck!

Ōbukucha 大福茶

2011-01-17T01:05:00.000-08:00

Ōbukucha (oh-buku-cha) holds a special place in my green tea heart.

When I first started studying Sadō in Japan my sensei requested I write a letter each month about one thing from practice or tea gatherings that captured my fascination.

The letters built up over time, and out of the blue one day I received one in return from my sensei. In excruciatingly envious handwriting, like a cross-section of a flowing stream, the letter unfolded to tell the meaning behind the tradition of drinking a special tea called ‘ōbukucha’. Everyone drinks this tea at ‘Hatsugama’, the New Year’s Tea Gathering.

Sensei:
大福茶

平安朝のころ村上天皇が大病にかかられました。天皇は日頃、六波羅観世音を信仰しておられましたが、その時六波羅観音が夢枕に立たれ、こんなふうにしてお茶を飲めば病がなおるとお告げがありました。その通りにされると御病気はたちまち御快癒遊ばされたと言う故事にならい、以来神社とか寺院では元旦早々に王服茶を飲んで一年間の無病息災を祈ると言う儀式が始まり、今に伝えられています。王様が飲まれたから王服茶と言っていましたが、縁起を祝って大福茶と言うようになりました。
　流儀によって色々と違った大福茶があります。上田流では抹茶の中に梅干、黒豆、山椒の粉を入れる事になっています。

Picture of Emperor Murakami. Source here.

Translation:

“Emperor Murakami (926-967) was a devout worshipper of the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy (Rokuhara Kanzeon). At the time of serious illness, the Goddess appeared to the sick Emperor in a dream and directed him to drink a special tea to heal his illness. Emperor Murakami followed the Goddess’ message and he soon made a complete recovery.

“After this happening, shrines and temples began conducting a ceremony at New Year’s time of drinking ōbukucha tea for a year’s perfect health. This tradition continues today.

“Ōbukucha was originally written 王服茶 representing the fact the Emperor originally savoured the tonic (王 ‘ō’ = Emperor, 服 ‘fuku’ = to drink, 茶 ’cha’ = tea). Over time, the original charaters were exchanged with more auspicious characters with the same pronunciation 大福茶 (大 ‘ō’ = lots, big, wide, many, 福 ‘fuku’ = fortune, good luck 茶 ’cha’ = tea). (Note when putting the character ‘fuku’ after another character, the pronunciation of ‘f’ changes to a ‘b’.)

“The ingredients of ōbukucha vary between different traditions. In the Ueda Sōko Tradition the ingredients are: matcha powdered green tea (thin), umeboshi pickled plum, kuromame black bean, and sanshō.”

I kid you not, the brew tastes so delicious that you feel momentarily invincible in the afterglow of finishing your dose (!). The sour (umeboshi), sweet (kuromame), and hot (sanshō) make a brilliant symphony of flavours with the bitter matcha.

We continue this tradition in Melbourne, though with a bit of tweaking here and there as in Japan the ōbukucha ceremony is performed in the middle of winter when the sunken hearth is in use. Down in the southern hemisphere we are in summer and have to perform the ceremony with the brazier.

While we drink as a group at Hatsugama, we wish for each others good health for the year. Everyone savours the once-a year-taste, and takes home the happiness the over 1400 year old tradition brings.

Building

2011-01-01T03:18:00.000-08:00

I am incredibly thankful to, and forever indebted to my parents.

For many years they've tried to get their head around this thing called 'sadō', and just why their son's gone off on a tangent down the 'Way of Tea'.

Melbourne doesn't offer the most congenial environment for sadō. No tea houses, no tatami rooms easily converted into venues for tea gatherings, no regular tea gatherings for the public (yet!).

The challenges for establishing sadō practice and culture in Melbourne for me, have been the opportunities to understand what this 'sadō' thing is about for my parents.

For example, when I returned to Australia the first clear challenge was seiza - the formal Japanese sitting position - that is used in the tea ceremony. No Aussie grows up kneeling with their lower legs folded under their thighs and buttocks.

Sitting in seiza performing the tea ceremony.

It was inevitable tea gatherings, events and demonstrations in Western culture would have to be in the form of tea ceremony performed at a table while sitting on a stool. Each tradition of tea has their specific style of table (called ryurei), and transporting the Japanese lacquer table of the Ueda Sōko Tradition to Oz isn't an option.

My Dad's pretty handy with wood. Mum's pretty handy with finishing off finer details. I'm passionate.
The first challenge was making the necessity of a tea ceremony table a reality. . .

The finished product can be seen at our events around Melbourne, but here's a pic before the ryurei table was christened with a tea ceremony. It's Dad in one of his rare immodest moments, in a photo I affectionately title 'Ryurei nara, ore ni makasero!' (立礼なら、俺に任せろ！) or 'For tea ceremony tables, I'm you're man!'

Since the table there's been many more challenges and opportunities. Together we've made banners, folding screens, items specific to orally transmitted ceremonies of the Ueda Sokō Tradition, and more.

Clearly I can never repay them for their efforts in making the necessities of samurai tea culture a reality; and for their willingness to understand the unique art of samurai tea.

Thank you m( _ _ )m
Thank you m( _ _ )m
Thank you m( _ _ )m

We've just launched into our biggest project yet. In 2011 we're taking the challenge and opportunity to build a transportable tea house. Here's some images of the initial work. I'll keep you posted on the progress.

One day closer to the breakout of burning flames of samurai spirit and samurai tea in Melbourne!

Ash, Blood, Sweat, and Tears

2010-10-23T21:19:00.000-07:00

It’s that time of year again. The time of year all us Japanese tea ceremony folk in the southern hemisphere are arranging the ashes of their brazier for use through the warmer months.

Before you put this blog entry in the ‘too hard basket’ and flick to the next webpage, the uninitiated’ll need some background. Stick with it, because the chance to learn about a precious tradition lies in the megapixels to follow.

Beautiful ash

I will never forget when my sensei told me the most beautiful thing in the tea ceremony room is the ash arranged in the brazier. From my Western brain, this seemed odd considering the beautiful flowers, calligraphy and ceramics to be viewed during a ceremony.

But after entering the room, and viewing the bone white ashes sitting soft, silent, lovingly arranged and cupping a glowing charcoal fire in its bosom, the beauty started to grow on me.

So to create the star player of beauty in the tea ceremony room, us tea folk need a good chunk of time to devote to our art. We do this every year just before we change from using the sunken hearth to using the brazier.

Here’s my September afternoon documented:

1. Start with a clean brazier

Braziers come in different types. This one’s a Chinese copper maekaki. The main shapes you’ll see are maekaki (前欠き), and mayubūro (眉風炉). The materials used to make braziers range from Chinese copper (karakane 唐銅), iron, earthenware, and earthenware coated with lacquer.

2. Bottom-up

Lay thick, high grade Japanese paper (hōsho 奉書), and a bottom tile (sokokawara 底瓦). The paper is laid directly on the bottom of the brazier to absorb heat.

3. Balanced?

In goes the trivet (gotoku 五徳). Place your iron kettle (kama 釜) on the trivet, make sure the height of the lip separating the top design and bottom of the iron kettle is right, and the distance between the iron kettle and brazier is even.

4. The fun bit

In goes the ash. You use the ring of the trivet as a guide where to place the ashes.

Time out for a fun fact

You might notice the ash I’m using is a different colour from what you've seen before. This is because the Ueda Sōko Ryū uses ashes made from oyster shells. Yes, you read right, oyster shells. When fired in a kiln, oyster shells turn into a fine white powder that is very aesthetically pleasing when used as ashes. Other schools of tea commonly use wood ashes coloured with brewed tea.

Oysters are one of Hiroshima’s specialty produce. The Ueda Sōko Ryū is a school of Japanese tea ceremony developed in Hiroshima. So there’s another connection, and a guarantee of ample oyster shells at hand for tea ceremony purposes!

5. Chaos to form

Start shaping the ash to make an inner circle with a sharp ridge. The bed where the charcoal sits needs to be the appropriate distance from the bottom of the iron kettle. I’m using a piece of bamboo the same height as a ‘marugichyō’ piece of charcoal to measure.

It’s important to keep the ash aerated by shaping the ashes with a light hand - just the weight of the shaping tool is enough. If the ashes are compacted, the heat of the fire isn’t absorbed and the brazier gets hot.

When you’ve got your basic shape and height's right, it’s time to place the front tile (maekawarake 前土器) in the ashes. The front tile acts as a barrier to the direct heat of the fire.

6. Form to beauty: the patience bit

Now for the character building work: shaping the ashes into your personal work of art. Here's the product of my September afternoon:

Reflecting on what it is that makes the ashes so profoundly beautiful, there’s the obvious link with cremation. Ashes represent a lasting token of the wisdom gathered during life. All living things undertake a journey, and the ashes left behind, infused with the wisdom of the past, go on to become a part of a new life.

Entering the dim tearoom, viewing the bone white ashes sitting soft, silent, lovingly arranged and cupping a glowing charcoal fire in its bosom. . . . .

This scene of death; pervasive sense of age and wisdom; new life of the fire; and lingering sense of passion and devotion of the tea person that brought it all together; this is a fine example of the aesthetic of sabi. Or you might say it’s just one very impressive ashtray.

Fire moving around the tearoom

2010-10-23T20:57:00.000-07:00

The logic is easy: in Japan it snows in winter, and it’s hot and humid in summer. Therefore you want to be near a fire in winter, and away from a fire in summer. For tea, you need fire reg

ardless of the season, so in winter you take advantage of this and put the fire in the middle of the room where everyone can feel the warmth, and in summer you put the fire in a brazier in the far corner of the room away from everyone.

Just one of the many examples of consideration for the guest in the tea ceremony.

To the right is an example of the sunken hearth (ro 炉) used in the colder months in Japan (October to April):

You can see it’s towards the centre of the room, closer to where the guests sit. Therefore the guests enjoy more warmth from the fire of the sunken hearth when it’s chilly, sometimes snowing, outside.

Left is an example of a brazier (fūro 風炉) used in the warmer months in Japan (May to September):

The brazier sits on top of the tatami and is placed in the far corner of the room. It’s therefore further from the guests and the heat of the fire doesn’t bother them when it’s hot and humid outside.

We're going into the warmer months now in Melbourne. Look out for more info on Sadō Samurai about what us tea folk need to do to transition from the sunken hearth to brazier.

My Flower Arrangement is Past its Use By Date

2010-10-16T03:44:00.000-07:00

It's a sad time when you have to take your flower arrangement down from display. Some people of the Way of Tea buried their flowers in thanks for the vibrant energy and pleasure they brought to their dwelling.

Whatever way you handle an aged arrangement, use it as a time for bringing yourself closer to, and feeling reverence toward the seasons.

Think of how the tree of the aged flowers you are disposing of has progressed to new green foliage! And think of the new flowers that have appeared on different plants in the last few days! What a joy it will be to go out and find them!

This brings to mind 「一去一来」a four character wall hanging given to me by the 16th Grandmaster Ueda Sokei. It reads: 'Ikkyo ichirai' or 'one recedes, another approaches'.

Is there any aspect of our lives that is not affected by the comings and goings of nature?

Flowers for the everyday warlord

2010-10-13T03:51:00.000-07:00

There's an abundance of flowers around us in Melbourne. So there’s every excuse to start making flowers part of your everyday life.

The samurai did, and they were tough katana-wielding warlords living every second with the fear of death. So there's nothing saying laptop-wielding business men facing business meetings are too macho for flowers.

Arranging flowers in the tea ceremony or 'cha-bana' （茶花）does not require extensiv

e, sophisticated knowledge. Follow the five points and advice taken from the book ‘Hibi goyudan naki you’ (日々ごゆだんなきよう) written by Ueda Sokei, the 16th Grandmaster of the Ueda Soko Tradition of Japanese Tea Ceremony, and bring the vitality of flowers into your home and office:

Appreciate the vitality of flowers

- You can appreciate the life force of things through a single flower -

Take a flower, and display it on the alcove. If you house doesn't have an alcove, select a significant spot in which to place flowers. You'll find that just by displaying flowers, the atmosphere of the room changes dramatically. As natural light filters inside and caresses the flowers, the flowers emanate the vibrancy of life itself. And with this life-force present, the room steeps in vibrant energy.
When arranging flowers, you don't need to get stuck in form and convention. All you need do is arrange one or two types of flowers according to your taste.
By following these basic points you’ll create beautiful arrangements:

Bunch the stems together, and place flowers in a vase as they would appear in nature
Lean the flowers to the front of the vase
Use a vase that is around the same height as the flowers
Flowers emanate vivacity if they have droplets of water on them as if morning dew (Do this by shaking a tea whisk dipped in water towards the flowers, or a pastry brush etc. will work, too)
Use good scissors that will make a clean cut when taking a flower. Also, endeavor to gather flowers in the mornings and place them in water straight away. If flowers can uptake water well, they will last in a fresh, vibrant state for longer. "

Just to prove this formula works, take a look at the few quick arrangements from the weekend included in this post.

花の命を味わいましょう

効能　一輪の花で命のエネルギーを味わう

花をいけて、床の間に飾ります。床の間がない家では，自分で大切と思える場所を含めて決めて飾りましょう。それだけで、部屋の気配ががらっと変わります。自然に差し込む光に照らされて、花は生

命そのものの気を発します。ひとつの命がそこに置かれることによって、部屋全体が生き生きとしてくるのです。

花をいけるときには、型や約束事を意識する必要はありません。一種類は二種類の花を、自分がいけたいようにいけましょう。
以下のポイントを踏まえると、きれいにいけられます。

根本をひとつにまとめ、自然に入れる。
少し前方に傾ける
花の高さの目安は、高くても花入れと同寸くらいにする
朝露を含んだように、葉っぱや花が水にぬれていると清々しい
花を切るときは、切れ味のよいハサミを使い、出来るだけ朝早く取り、水揚げをする。

水をよく吸い上げると、花のみずみずしさが長持ちです。

日々ごゆだんなきよう

Remember this when you hear the first cicada song of summer!

2010-09-10T22:05:00.000-07:00

There's a haiku by Basho I hold as a source of inspiration. Inspiration to make every moment full of passion, enthusiasm, and humility. It's fitting for summer because it centers on a cicada, but I want to introduce it here in spring in hope you will recall this haiku treasure upon the first cicada song you hear this coming summer:

やがて死ぬ (yagate shinu)

けしきは見えず (keshiki wa miezu)

蝉の声 (semi no koe)

No sign

In the cicada's song

That it will soon perish

松尾芭蕉　Matsuo Bashō

Picture reference here

I love the combination of sounds and rhythm of the Japanese haiku. So much so that I regularly use it in theater training.

The haiku evokes the image of a tiny cicada singing its proud, unshaken song from the sweating, green bushes of a balmy summer evening. This picture is beautiful in itself, but there is a powerful underlying meaning driven by the fleeting adult life of the cicada (a few weeks).

A cicada emerges from the ground to sing a short but zealous summer song until its death. Their loud song is unshaken and carries through the sweltering days without a hint of sorrow for their approaching death. The beauty in the underlying meaning is an example of the mono no aware (the pathos of things) aesthetic, which is sensitive to the transience of things and the bittersweet sadness in their passing.

Through this haiku gem, Basho reminds us we know not when death will come, and so like the cicada every passing second should be lived with humility and zeal; our hearts overflowing in passionate song for life.

What's the point of all this etiquette, then?

2009-08-06T14:24:00.000-07:00

I cracked up in a fit of laughter when I watched this clip:

Tea whisk on the tray at the start is bizarre. Hey, it's sencha time, not matcha!

The graphs poke fun at all the overcooked analysis of making the perfect cup of tea.

Just before she drinks the tea there's a temperature bar that lowers to 80 degrees Celsius. "Now!" the narrator hastens, indicating the exact moment the tea should be enjoyed.

More poking fun at Japanese culture: "The Japanese put great effort into devising ways to achieve the perfect temperature. . . . .they rotate the tea pot."

"This is a tea whisk. It's use . . . . . . . . (looking curiously at the whisk) . . . .is a mystery."

After drinking you say "ahhhh!".

A serve at formality: "You say 'yoi otemae des ga' when presenting tea to guests." 'Yoi otemae desu ga' is a strange phrase they've whipped up to make fun of people using formal phrases without knowing how to (doesn't happen as much to us English speakers).

The clip relates to sado most in the end summary. The summary is funny because it seems to defeat the original purpose of drinking tea i.e. to relax:

"In summary, knowledge of angle, timing, deep sensitivity, scrupulous mental arithmetic, unshaken concentration, and tense atmosphere are all essential for drinking tea."

When you're finished, relax with a coffee!"

Stop being so tedious!

What a great take of the excruciatingly precise etiquette that can go into a cup of tea!
To be sure, the clip is more about sencha than sado, but the message is easily transferred.

Being able to see the forest from the trees is number one for communicating sado to cultures not familiar with it. Helping people integrate the spirit of sado to beautify their everyday lives - this is the biggie. Being a stickler about etiquette when people can't see the purpose behind it is only a turn-off.

After a fun look at tea in The Japanese Tradition clip above, I've got a great opportunity to communicate the thought behind the seemingly tedious etiquette that goes on at a tea gathering. There are two big reasons:

1. Harmonising mind and body

Zen teaches understanding is grasped by transcending logic or form. But it also reminds us the world we live in is one where spirit is expressed in forms. You assume a posture (form) for meditation, eating, driving, working at your desk, walking . . . think of the forms you assume everyday. Whatever the form, zen is right on the money when it says the mode of your mind is corrected by putting your body into the correct form.

I am more productive and think clearly when I sit with a straight posture. My mind gets lazy when I slouch. I bet you have the same experience.

By conforming your behaviour to appropriate forms, erratic thoughts fall from consciousness. You are focused in the present moment.

When your mind moves in harmony with the forms of your body you are in pure presence (mushin). Being purely present with mind and body moving as one is the ultimate goal of performing the tea ceremony.

2. Transcending your self

Reverence is a reflection on your own unworthiness. ("We're not worthy! We're not worthy!" Wayne and Garth prostrate to rock gods.) Reverence comes from realising your limitations, physical and intellectual, moral and spiritual. The realisation evokes a desire in us to transcend ourselves.

The actions in a tea ceremony room have been practiced in the same form for over 400 years. In my tradition, the Ueda Soko Tradition, we turn the tea bowl just once to the left to offset the face of the bowl. The Urasenke Tradition turns the bowl twice; a full 180 degrees so the face is opposite from where you drink.

It doesn't matter whether the bowl is turned once, twice, or three times. What's important is standardising the practice (within respective traditions).

By standardising the practice the student sees their teacher perform the action exactly the same way each time. All the other teachers of the school perform the action the same way, too. And the teachers' teachers also performed the action the same way and so-on for centuries.

So when the student is turning the bowl, the teacher is turning the bowl and the teacher's teacher is turning the bowl. The sense of tradition in the action makes the behaviours no longer the student's own. It opens the student's integrated mind and body to an integration transcending the self.

When we transcend our self we feel reverence. Feeling reverence cultivates other virtues like respect, humility and charity. These virtues bring harmony into our interactions with other living things.

So there!

They're deep, but thems the reasons. Can you see us tea types have a solid chunk of zen thought behind our weird ways?

By conforming to standardised forms I feel the most beautiful harmony: the harmony of being in the present moment with integrated mind and body. This beautifies my everyday life by taking it out of the tea room and transferring to other forms I assume in my daily living.

Shushō ichinyo - ‘practice and satori are one’

2009-06-25T02:32:00.000-07:00

One of the most perplexing phrases my zen teacher taught me was ‘shushō ichinyo’. 「修証一如」 if you want the Japanese. Shushō ichinyo says ‘practice and satori are one’. (Satori = enlightenment.)

Most people practice zazen beacause they see themselves in a state of delusion and want to move to a state of satori. Dogen says this is mistaken: a single instance of authentic practice is satori itself.

So what’s authentic practice?

For Dogen, an example of authentic practice is doing zazen with no goal in mind.

"I'm practicing zazen in order to obtain satori" is mistaken because it implies you have boxed-up your reality. As soon as you box-up your reality you lose authenticity in your practice. I.e.:

1. I am in a state of delusion (boxing yourself as not enlightened);
2. I want to obtain a state of satori (boxing satori as a goal outside you); therefore
3. I am doing zazen to obtian satori (boxing zazen as a means to an end).

So one part of authentic practice is practice with no conceptual separation ('boxing' above).

Sincere effort is the other.

Sincere effort is implied in the Japanese word for practice used here: 'shugyo'. The 'shu' in 'shugyo' is the same 'shu' in 'shusho ichinyo'.

Sincere effort = concerted effort free of thought for a particular reward. There's no dangling carrot as the stimulus for your effort; just sincere effort absorbing you in the moment and bringing fulfilment.

Picture of Dogen by Andre Sollier

Authentic practice in daily life

People can't do zazen every moment of their lives. I wondered how satori could be part of our lives.

Before I could go back to my teacher with this question, I found my answer in daily sado practice.

I practice sado every day, be it a simple tea ceremony (hirademae), charcoal-firing ceremony (sumi-demae) or something more intricate like a ceremony using Chinese eqipage (karamono).

Sado practice requires the same sincere effort that Dogen talks about for zazen.

When I'm absorbed in the moment, practicing without thought about my level and the ideal I want to reach (boxing my reality), I move in profound silence.

It clicked.

The sincere effort I put into sado is going into a mundane, everyday activity: the act of making tea . . . . . . . . sado combines satori and everyday life.

Anything else besides green tea?

Sado made me see how shusho ichinyo runs thorugh daily life; how practice and satori are one. but there's nothing saying the Buddhist buck stops there.

When vacuuming the house, shusho ichinyo is simply vacuuming; not to please guests; not to silence a visiting Mum. Sure pleasing guests and silencing Mum can be parts of my motivation to vacuum. But while actually vacuuming my sustained motivation comes from my sincere heart and concerted effort just to vacuum as part of life.

Or at work I might be writing the weekly status report. I'm not doing it to showcase my writing skills, or to cause a stir with management by reporting project risks. I'm writing the report as my task, ridding all the brain fog and pouring pure, concerted effort into it - shusho ichinyo.

A shucho ichinyo day planner by chance

Steve Sammartino has got it. His post oozes the spirit of shusho ichinyo. He says: "There's just life. And to have a balanced life all things in it must be planned and equally valued."

Equally valuing motivators to action and going about your day with sincere effort is shusho ichinyo.

Sincere effort = fulfilment

Shyusho ichinyo in everyday life is engaging in your activities with a sincere heart and effort. Fulfilment comes from 1. being content with your effort and 2. not judging the 'you' here and now against some ideal self you haven't obtained yet.

There's just life. By going about everyday actions with sincere effort, you will move towards and become your ideals in due course.

Sado was the bridge from zen to everyday lived life for me. In reverse, like Steve Sammartino, approaching all the activities in your day as 'just life' and going about them in earnest can be a bridge from everyday life to zen.

Conduct yourself with dignity – it comes down to the breath again

2009-04-16T06:48:00.000-07:00

- Every little action contributes to your overall air of grace and strength, and the samurai knew it -

I go for a run every morning as the sun rises. Down by the Yarra River, you see all styles of joggers.

Some huff and puff so hard their body starts flopping like an old thong.

Others power along, breathing steadily and cutting through the morning air like birds gliding above the river surface. Their minds must be equally focused.

Ballerinas, to give a classic example, have no room to be out-of-whack with their breathing. They have a beautiful aura, stability, and ooh baby, they got grace.

This reinforces the point in the last post on the connection of breathing and a beautiful personal aura.

Samurai incorporated breathing into all their movements, even at the everyday level. And they had good reason to place importance on the harmony of their breath and actions.

Well, actually, two big reasons.

1. While conducting yourself in harmony with your breath sure looks beautiful, it also looks powerful and dignified. In a climate where status was unstable and social structures could crumble in the blink of an eye, one’s dignity and power were critical.

2. The Momoyama period (1568-1598) was a ruthless time where the fear of death was present in daily life. Moving in harmony with the breath achieves quietude for the mind.

A samurai school of sadō, the Ueda Sōko School, highlights this best with the action of preparing tea (teamae).

The temae of the Ueda Sōko School

The temae of the Ueda School is often said to be dignified and beautiful. Again, there are two reasons for this appearance:

1. All actions in the temae are purposeful (no wasted movement) and are comprised of straight lines. Purposeful, direct actions emanate a ‘fresh’, dignified appearance (e.g. folding the purifying cloth (fukusa) and handling the bamboo ladle (hishaku)).

2. Actions are performed in sync with the inhale-exhale flow of the breath (e.g. cleaning the bamboo whisk (chasendōji), rotating the chawan and whisking the tea).

Whisking the tea in the Ueda School is especially unique. Other schools whisk in the same way you beat eggs with a hand egg beater: start from two or three o’clock (exhale) and pull your arm in towards your body, finishing at about six o’clock on the bowl (inhale).

In contrast, the method of preparing tea in the Ueda School starts from seven o’clock (inhale) and goes straight outwards, finishing at one o’clock on the bowl (exhale).

This is the natural order of breathing.

Try it: the fundamental order of a breath is to first inhale and then to exhale. (Think of the order when when your doctor asks you to take a deep breath.)

The two aspects of (1) purposeful, direct actions comprised of straight lines and (2) the strength of actions performed in harmony with the inhale-exhale flow of the breath contribute to the dignified and beautiful appearance of the temae of the Ueda School.

Even while preparing tea you can generate an aura of dignity and find quietude for your mind. If you can do it for tea, you can do it for any daily action or chore.

A little concerted effort to bring your actions in sync with your breath gives you a more fulfilling day and a more dignified presence. Before long, the concerted effort turns into second nature and you are dignified and your mind is quiet.

Propriety starts with breathing

2009-04-09T05:22:00.000-07:00

- Generate a beautiful aura of balance and stability -

Breathing and chi form the basis of all propriety. All living creatures perform this action unconsciously - simply inhaling oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide.

But if we focus attention on our breathing we realise it is not just the action by which we intake oxygen: it is also the means by which the chi of the sky and earth enters our body.

The chi which we intake via breathing concentrates at a point below the navel called the solar plexus, or ‘chi point’.

When this point is filled with chi, both our mind and body become clear and fresh.

Beautiful conduct originates from a clear, fresh mind and body.

By bringing your breathing into harmony with your movement you’ll generate a beautiful aura of balance and stability.

Adapted from: 'Hibi go-yudan naki yō' by Iemoto Ueda Sōkei

Sado and etiquette of samurai for today

2009-04-04T21:36:00.000-07:00

Chanoyu can be as simple as whisking tea and drinking. But by whisking and drinking in a set manner you create a peaceful act of harmony.

At the age of 12, Ueda Sōko served Niwa Nagahide as a page (servant to samurai and elite members of society). Influenced by the teachings of missionaries in Japan at the time, the conduct, speech, grooming – all aspects, in fact – of pages was beautifully refined.

The social climate was the period of warring states. It was a time of turbulence where the elite could suddenly be overcome by those lower in status.

In order to consolidate social status, a great emphasis was placed on etiquette showing the status of people in interpersonal relations. The strictness of this social etiquette was without precedent.

Those that didn’t master proper etiquette didn’t get anywhere as a samurai.

The Sengoku period was one of constant warfare and you never knew whether you’d live to see the next day. The only thing certain was the ‘I’ that is here, now; the fact that at this moment I am whisking tea, or drinking tea.

All the samurai lived with the sense that ‘life will end’ in the foreground of their consciousness.

But the tea of the samurai did not rest on the sense of the ephemeral, emptiness of existence. Rather, the tea of the samurai had a richness that came from something deeper.

This richness came from the supreme stillness of the original self lying beyond the ephemeral, emptiness of existence.

The purpose of returning to the original self is also the purpose of strict etiquette.

We now live in times free of the threat of daily conflict (in some countries, at least). But tension accompanies all our interpersonal interactions in society. Think of times talking to your boss, making a presentation, or approaching the person you like for a date.

The tension in our daily interactions is the point we share a psychological connection with the way the samurai lived.

People that come to study the Ueda Sōko style of tea leave behind their stresses and find the stillness of their original self. Returning to your original self is the fundamental purpose of chanoyu and etiquette.