Omotesenke Ibaraki Youth 表千家茨城県青年部

It’s been a long time since my last entry. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been practicing. This year I’ve been able to attend most of the Okeiko lessons.

Last month on the 26^th of November there was a gathering of the Ibaraki prefecture Omotesenke youth section (表千家茨城県青年部). Of all the prefectures here in Japan, (there are 48) Ibaraki prefecture was one of the few which didn’t have youth section of the Omotesenke school of tea. On 11/26 we had the start-off gathering of the Omotesenke youth section. The total number of registered members is over 120 and around one hundred were able to attend the meeting (表千家茨城県青年部発会式).

Among the honorary guests was the Omotesenke Wakasoushou (表千家若宗匠), who is the eldest son of the current Soushou also referred to as the head master of the Omotesenke school of tea. He gave a nice speech on how glad he was that the youth section of Omotesenke in Ibaraki prefecture was finally established and that it weighs on us to continue the tradition of the Japanese tea ceremony which is passed on from generation to generation.

I felt really honored to be able to attend the meeting and think that it is important to carry on this important cultural pastime. Another plus of this youth section is that we can share our experiences with people who are roughly of our age, instead of always being surrounded by the elder teachers. It was a very bubbly, lively lunch where I felt much energy and momentum to continue the tradition of the Omotesenke school of tea.

The meaning of a cup of tea

Another successful tea ceremony gathering held with high-profile guests in the Washington DC area. The UPF holds a tea ceremony annually to promote peace and friendly relations.
Lots of smiling people seemingly enjoyed Japanese traditional sweets and green tea prepared and served by women in traditional Kimono dresses.

Here's the original article Tea for peace

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Tsurigama hanging kettle

Continued from the previous post, I'd like to write a few thing about the Tsurigama.

The Tsurigama or hanging kettle is a rare item usually used just before the Ro sunken hearth is closed to welcome the Furo for the summer season. 

The Tsurigama is a slightly narrower kettle which is hung from a chain exactly above the Ro charcoal pit. The Kan rings are different from those used when removing a normal Kama from the fire. The chain, the rings, and the handle are available fro reasonable prizes to extremely expensive sets with a name made by famous smiths and come in their own box.

 Using it during Temae is not very different from a normal Kama except when the charcoal is changed. Then we need a few extra movements to be able to remove hanging kettle from the chain and place the Kama on the Kamashiki.

Tabidansu Portable utensil box

Our second Keiko in April came with a very pleasant surprise. Upon entering the tea room to pay a visit to the Tokonoma and the hanging scroll, there was a brand new Tabidansu in the Temae corner. Even while observing the hanging scroll and seasonal flowers, I couldn’t help peeking at the Tabidansu. Moving on to view the Kama, I realized it was a Tsurigama (hanging Kama) and the two fairly rare utensils got me really excited. My Sensei could see the excitement in my eyes and explained how she obtained the Tabidansu and that we could use it to perform various variations of the tea ceremony.

The Tabidansu is a portable or travelling box used to store the basic tea utensils when planning a tea gathering outside or in location other than your own home or regular tea room. The Tabidansu has room for a Mizusashi, Hishaku, Futa-oki, Chawan, Natsume, Chasen, various linen cloths, a Chashaku, and a Kensui.

 The first shelf from below can be removed to place the Natsume and Chasen when performing outside in nature where the surface is not flat.

At the beginning of a tea ceremony with a Tabidansu, the front is closed and will be removed after the ceremony has started and is placed on the left side.