This summer has been extremely hot.
Although among them, everyone came to practice and enjoyed the summer tea ceremony.
The tea box originated in the late Edo period (1850s), when Gengensai, the 11th head of the Urasenke, created the “雪月花 Setsugekka” tea procedure to suit the seasons. "Setsugekka" means snow in winter, moon in autumn and flower in spring. Today’s lesson is the summer tea box called "U-no-hana "(deutzia). This is the simplest basic tea box procedure.
First, “natsume”(tea container), tea bowl, “chakin”(linen cloth), “chasen”(tea whisk), etc. are put together in the box, then the box is carried, and the utensils are taken out one by one to make tea. The tea bowl is placed on the lid of the box and the others are on the tray. (Photo above)
At the end of the procedure, the guests have a close viewing of the utensils, and the host answers the questions about the natsume and the tea scoop. The guests can appreciate the coordination of the utensils. The natsume is a Kamakura-bori work made by my friend. The tea scoop is Rikyu-shaped and made of ivory. The bowl is Blue Italian made in England. The blue color is refreshing and shines in the black tea box.
For sweets, small, dried sweets such as “konpeito” are put in a pottery called "furidashi”. (Bottom photo) The tea box contains everything you need to carry so that you can make tea while traveling or outdoors.
Finally, two types of summer tea flowers.
It is difficult to find a time when the hanging flowers of cotton rose bloom large, but the colors are bright this summer🌷
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