春の日や夕月ごろの茶ぶるまい～長翠
Haru no hi ya / yū-zuki goro no / cha-burumai ～Chōsui A day in spring, the evening moon, and snacks with tea are served
March is the beginning of spring.
There have been so many events in March
that I have had little time to blog or update the site. I apologize.
Starting on March 1, Issoan Tea presented a demonstration and the Driftwood
Public Library in Lincoln City, the next day another presentation at a
retirement home, and on March 3, I was invited to a Hina Matsuri Chakai for
Girl's Day. On Monday March 16th, we had a chakai for Mr. Nishiura at
Ryokusuido. Mr. Nishura is a Kodo master and he presented a short form
incense ceremony for us after tea.
In going for a walk this afternoon, signs of spring are everywhere.
The daffodils are beginning to open, crocus are up and tsubaki are opening.
Buds on the plum branches and small leaves on the willow are just coming
out. Yesterday I heard the robin's song and everyday now we hear
more blackbird calling along the creek. Though it is still
snowing in the passes, the days are lengthening and it is easier to get up
in the morning.
Having trouble sitting? SweetPersimmon has
meditation seats for tea and zazen.
"I like my new zazen bench. It's Great!
...everyone thought it was extremely cool. I could hardly believe it could
be small enough to put in your kimono sleeve, but it sure enough is! The
design is just so clean and functional, it's so nicely finished and so
strong, and I love how the bag converts to upholstery. It really fits a guy
my size perfectly."
~ Tim Sowa Olson, Tea Ceremony Sensei, Seattle Urasenke Branch
You can get your own little zazen bench on our site for
meditation seats, incense, specialty leaf teas, books, books, photos and
more.
Kimono and Obi Sale
Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5, 2009 10:00AM - 5:00PM
We’ve received new shipment of many Kimono, Obi, and Kimono Tansu,
And are having a party to celebrate. Refreshments will be served in a
Traditional tea ceremony room.
Nishiura Ryokusuido
Japanese Arts & Antiques
3826 N.E. Glisan St. (near NE 39th Ave.)
Portland, OR. 97232
(503) 236-8005
Wakai Tea Association Guest Night Tuesday, March 31
Wakai Tea Association provides to the general public opportunities to attend
Guest Nights, a tea demonstration. The ceremony is simply the preparation,
serving and drinking of powdered green tea; yet within this simplicity lies
the very heart of Japanese culture. In quiet setting of a garden and
teahouse, guest contemplate words on a scroll, view the flowers in the
alcove and enjoy a bowl of tea. Fees are $15 and $10 for a guest and a Wakai
member respectively. Guest nights are an ideal way to introduce your friends
to Tea. Please email
contact@wakaitea.org with subject line "Guest Night" for further
information and to make a guest night reservation. Reservations are
required.
Seattle
Japanese Consulate and the Japan Foundation present
On the Veranda Japanese Garden Lectures
Date: Sunday, March 29, 2009
Start Time: 2:00 pm End Time: 4:00 pm
Location: Washington Park Arboretum Graham Visitors Center,
2300 Arboretum Drive East
Seattle, WA 98112
“On the Veranda: Space Between Man and Nature,” a free, illustrated
lecture/demonstration on the Japanese garden design concepts. This rare
event will introduce audiences to the mystique behind the traditional
Japanese Garden. Garden experts, landscape architect Shiro Nakane (Landscape
Architect, Nakane Garden Research and Landscape Consultant Co.), and
professor Makoto Suzuki (Professor, Chair, Department of Landscape
Architecture Science, Tokyo University of Agriculture) will bring their
years of application and training to the United States West Coast tour to
lead an in-depth and fascinating lecture on the Japanese garden.
Contact: Akira Takeda, Email:
takeda@cgjapansea.org, Phone: 206.682.9107 ext. 134
Please join us in the the annual observance of Rikyuki no shiki honoring Sen
no Rikyu, the founder of the wabi-cha, the tea of simple and quiet taste.
Rikyu is known as a seminal figure, not only in the world of chanoyu, but in
Japanese history. Born in Sakai, he learned chanoyu from an early age and
made a name for himself as a tea practitioner, finally becoming tea master
to the most powerful figures of the age, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi
Hideyoshi. He was at the center of Momoyama culture (the culture of the
period in the 16th century when Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified
Japan), and also played a political role as an aide to Hideyoshi, doing much
to establish chanoyu's position within Japanese culture.
Rikyu influenced the development of all elements of the tea experience
including aesthetics and ethics, the teahouse and garden, fine and applied
arts, cuisine and flower arrangement. Rikyu's chanoyu has been written about
by many people. One of Rikyu's leading disciples, Yamanoue Soji, wrote the 'Yamanoue
Soji Ki', and on the occasion of Rikyu's 100th anniversary. In Genroku 3
(1690) the 'Nampo Roku' (Southern Record) was completed, these being known
as early materials relating to Rikyu's chanoyu. Then in Showa 15 (1940)
around the time of Rikyu's 350th anniversary, various studies of Rikyu were
published. Also, in recent years, at the time of Rikyu's 400th anniversary,
there was a large-scale 'Sen no Rikyu exhibition' at the Kyoto National
Museum. At the same time, movies were made about Rikyu by the directors
Kumai Kei and Teshigawara Hiroshi as interest in Rikyu increased outside the
world of tea.
It could be said that the course of chanoyu since the time of Rikyu 400
years ago largely derives from him. The fact that chanoyu is now one of the
representative elements of Japanese culture that has been embraced by the
people is also due to the care with which the tradition has been passed
down.
Japanese Tea Sweets Workshop
Sunday, March 22, 2009 and
Monday, March 23, 2009 10:00-1:00pm
Uirou – butterfly (chō) Warabi mocha – squares
Two sweets will be featured in my March class. The
first sweet is made with uirou fashioned into a shape reminiscent of a
butterfly. Time permitting we will make two color variations of this sweet
– one all yellow and a combination of pink and yellow. The second sweet is
a simple informal sweet – warabi mocha. For this sweet we will use a high
grade of warabiko. Register via email or
phone. Bring an apron and a small container for take-home sweets. Class
fee: $30Address: 11229 NE 106th Pl, Kirkland, WA 98033.
phone: 425-889-2735 email:
gstamm@seanet.com
San Francisco
Rikyu Memorial Tea
DATE - Monday, March 23, 2009 SEATINGS - 5 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. FEE - $30
This
annual memorial tea will honor Sen Rikyu (1522-1591), the founder of the
three Sen schools of Chanoyu including Urasenke. Wabicha, the style
of tea that reflects a simple and quiet taste, is the contribution that
Rikyu is most remembered for. Guests will offer flowers in Rikyu's memory.
Incense will also be offered and all of the guests will be able to share in
the enjoyment of the incense ceremony. Traditional sweets and koicha,
thick tea, will be served. Please Email teatimes@chanoyu.com, for more
information or to make reservations. Advance payment by mail will confirm
your email reservations. As space is limited, cancellations must be made not
later than 5-days before each event to receive a refund. Thank you. Kimika
Takechi & Larry Tiscornia
Tea Mindfulness Workshops
DATE -Thursday, Jan. 22, 2009
Friday, Feb. 13, 2009
Thurs., March 12, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009 TIME - 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
FEE - $25
These special workshops will introduce first time participants to the Zen
choreography in making a bowl of tea. Participants will have guided practice
in all of the steps necessary to prepare a tasty bowl of matcha,
powdered green tea, with an open mind and pure heart.
This workshop will be a good introduction for those who wish to further
pursue their study of Chanoyu, the Japanese tea ceremony. No prior
experience is necessary.Please Email teatimes@chanoyu.com, for more
information or to make reservations. Advance payment by mail will confirm
your email reservations. As space is limited, cancellations must be made not
later than 5-days before each event to receive a refund. Thank you. Kimika
Takechi & Larry Tiscornia
Consulate General's Japan Information Center
Sponsors
Educational Program
To promote a deeper understanding of Japan in the local community, the Japan
Information Center of the Consulate General of Japan has invited the
Urasenke Foundation San Francisco to present its 2009 Way of Tea Program.
This program aims to stimulate students and adults to consider and discuss
issues in Japanese culture such as the relation of art and society,
individual and group, continuity and change, while providing a unique
opportunity to learn about the aesthetics and practice of the Way of Tea
through hands-on participation.
Sessions are scheduled in the last week of February and the first week of
March 2009, to be held at the Urasenke Foundation located in San Francisco's
North Beach district or the Japanese Consulate General.
For further information:
Ethan Savage, Cultural Affairs Coordinator
415-356-2466.
Philadelphia
Shofuso is
a house built in authentic 16th-century Japanese style, located on the
grounds of the Horticultural Center in Fairmount Park. Originally built in
the 1950s and presented as an official gift from Japan to the United States,
it was part of a special exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
When the exhibition closed, the house moved to Philadelphia. Ohio
House, 4700 States Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19131.
April 4 -- Nodate (Outdoor) tea ceremony demonstration at
Shofuso. Tea instructor Taeko Shervin demonstrates “chabako,” a type of
tea ceremony traditionally done outdoors, especially when the cherry
blossoms are in bloom. Two demonstrations: 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Fee: $25
Shofuso members / $30 non-members. Space is limited; call (215) 878-5097
for reservations.
April 5 -- Sakura Sunday. The
culmination of the two-week Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival takes place at
the Horticultural Center in Fairmount Park, featuring vendors, music,
dance, calligraphy, kimonos, Japanese art and, most importantly, tea
ceremony! The overall event takes place from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. and is free of
charge (although donations are welcome). For more information and a
complete schedule of cherry blossom events, visit www.jasgp.org.
April 18 -- Beginner’s tea ceremony classes
start at Shofuso. This twelve-week course focuses on hands-on instruction
in the basics of tea ceremony. Geared toward people who have never studied
tea ceremony, this course takes students through the simplest form of tea
ceremony, with instruction in the history, philosophy, and arts of tea.
Time: Every Saturday (excepting holiday weekends and Shofuso events) from
9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Fee: $350 for Shofuso members, $390 for non-members.
For more information or to register, call (215) 878-5097, e-mail info@shofuso.com,
or visit
www.shofuso.com.
New Haven, CT
The current exhibit at Yale University Art Gallery in
New
Haven, CT through April 26.
About 100 objects displayed... not all of them directly
related to tea (but providing context...) A tea scoop and calligraphy by
Rikyu, calligraphy
by Ikkyu, a letter by Koetsu, a bamboo vase by Oribe...
The catalogue, by OHKI Sadako (with contribution by WATANABE Takeshi),
is called Tea Culture of Japan. It is available on Amazon for
$14.36. Lots of text, lots of nice color photos.
This
annual memorial tea will honor Sen Rikyu (1522-1591), the founder of the
three Sen schools of Chanoyu including Urasenke. Wabicha, the style
of tea that reflects a simple and quiet taste, is the contribution that
Rikyu is most remembered for. Guests will offer flowers in Rikyu's memory.
Incense will also be offered and all of the guests will be able to share in
the enjoyment of the incense ceremony. Traditional sweets and koicha,
thick tea, will be served. Please Email
