After the lesson of tea boxes in summer, the last “furo” season ended in October, the tearoom has changed to open up “ro” in autumn.
Hanging the kettle on the “ro” in the tearoom and looking at the autumn tea utensils for the first time in a while, I feel that the scorching hot summer is over, and the autumn is coming again this year.
The hanging scroll is "Kan(関)", all directions of North, South, East and West lead to new progress. "Kan" means a checkpoint and is a Zen phrase. It means that if you overcome a difficult obstacle, a new path will open up. It is hung at opening the “ro” with the intention of continuing to work hard with a renewed spirit.
The tea stand is named “kotobuki(寿): a celebration” preferred by Urasenke the 14th Tantansai. A “natsume”(tea container) is placed on the octagonal top board and a “mizusashi”(flesh water container) is placed on the base board.
“natsume”: "Unkin(雲錦：clouds and brocade)" made by Shikko-sai of Izumo (Matsue). The clouds represent cherry blossoms, and the brocade represents autumn leaves.
“mizusashi: "Grape shelf" made by Tokusen Nishimura of Kyoto.
The blue dyeing looks bright on the stand and is one of my favorite patterns.
The thick tea container is made in Karatsu. The tea bowl is an Oribe kutsugata (clog-shaped) teacup with a distorted shape.
The lady performing the tea ceremony “ryurei" (立礼 : standing bow style) is in her 80s. She continues to practice at the table without straining herself and enjoys seasonal tea with everyone. (Photo above)
Every year in November, I participate in the tea gathering at the Goto Museum of Art. The Enshu-ryu thick tea ceremony in the teahouse in the garden is refreshing, and the sound of the boiling water in the kettle and the steam cleanse my soul. It is a rare opportunity to see the hanging scrolls (cultural assets) of the museum's collection and tea scoops made by Kobori Enshu in the teahouse, and I am always impressed by their history. (Photo below)
The autumn sky has continued to clear, and the leaves have turned red.
I hope that we will continue to have a good teatime as we move from a calm autumn to winter.
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