Usagi Hole

How could a performing art, let alone one so beautiful, be dangerous? If you have never researched an element of Japanese culture you might ask yourself that question. But it seems that no art in Japan is isolated from other arts. This makes the study of any Japanese art form a huge “Usagi” hole. That being said dangerous!

In learning Chanoyu you must begin to understand the culture. There is etiquette for the guest based upon the role they are performing at tea; i.e. number one guest, etc. There is etiquette for the host which varies depending on gender. Please note that while the movements of the host vary by gender, sources indicate that women were not allowed to host tea until the mid-1800s. Remember, tea was a samurai art with political connotations.

Prior to sending out the invitation a determination of the occasion and time must be made. Along with this the formality of the tea and whether a full meal will be served as well as tea, or, are you simply serving tea. A full meal can take up to four hours to serve, while a tea will only take approximately an hour. All these decision affect everything moving forward.

The danger and complexity grow with the art display that is setup in the art display in the tokonoma. The host establishes the mood of the tea with this display. It can be either traditional flower arrangement, suiseki, or bonsai. Each is its own individual artform with specialized terminology and specifics on the proper way to display. Each of the aforementioned artforms will have a “kakemono” (scroll) accompanying it in the tokonoma. It would be remiss at this point not to mention that each artform has its own school that changes everything you thought you knew. It should also be pointed out that each element should correspond in style, taste, formality, etc. with the other items on display. Remember that the first thing each guest will do once in the tearoom is to access this display and ponder its significance to the occasion.

Then there is the etiquette for the host before the ceremony even begins. Are the invitations sent out? Was it done in a timely manner according to etiquette? Are the paths in your garden cleaned? Was water dripped over the stepping stones to alert your guests that they are cleaned and you have prepared properly. Is the gate to the garden left ajar to announce to the arriving guests that you are ready to serve them?

There is also the preparatory work going on in the tea house. Is everything laid out in the “mizuya” (water room)? Has the matcha tea been sifted and transferred to the natsume? Every implement from the chawan (tea bowl) to the kensui (waste water container) changes with formality and season. It should be noted that there are three (3) schools of tea that come to us from pre-1600 each claiming to be accurate and each only slightly different from the next.

As host have you performed the sumitamae, the laying of coals and lighting them, including the addition of incense? While reading, if you moved too quickly, you may have missed that there are certain coal shapes that are laid in a particular order on a bed of white ash. Your guests have arrived in are touring your garden. When your guests enter the tearoom, they will sit in seiza for either service. And as the host you will be in and out of seiza several times, often switching the leg you rise on in order to “upstage” the item you are carrying at any given point. In preparing for tea I usually will dry run the service to get the pattern of steps back into my front memory and to build the necessary muscle to serve. Are you ready?