#Chashitsu

[besidebloomingirises]

[japan-minka]

Chashitsu

This thatched roof house has the classic separate chashitsu (tea room).

[tgtg6ch]

Taiga (SixTONES)

[killy--chan]

[minirism]

Introduction of tea to Japan

https://minirism.org/en/tea-introduction-japan/

[scuolajaku]

Venduto all'asta il set da cerimonia del tè in oro di Toyotomi Hideyoshi!

Un servito da tè da 3 milioni di yen!

Il 27 Maggio in Giappone è stato venduto all’asta un inestimabile tesoro che si riteneva scomparso: il set completo da cerimonia del tè in oro quasi massiccio (in lega di 88% d’oro circa con argento) appartenuto a Toyotomi Hideyoshi che si crede sia stato usato anche da Sen No Rikyu.Questo servito era stato creato per essere usato nella sala da tè d’oro. Set da tè in oro originale Toyotomi…

[minobe-household]

the woman that dwells in that chashitsu near the corps is a curious one.

it seems everyone has a different idea as to who she truly is. some doubt she's even human.

but that's what happens as a story is passed around enough. the only comfort found in what people could be certain of didn't even lie in total certainty.

her name, or so she claims, is minobe yuuto. a surname shared with the very household bearing yatagarasu's crest, responsible for training the kasugai crows. very little is known it, however—let alone the family that forms it. even the ubayashikis themselves would gently refuse to say anything about who they are.

it just so happens that yuuto was such mystery's exception: the name of the minobes' young daughter who visited from a vast, untraceable nowhere. those who have been around long enough to tell the tale claim she just appeared at the mansion one day, and started showing up regularly. a few years past, she even took up work as a demon slayer... but then, she disappeared.

and the woman who stood in her place doesn't seem anything like that girl they once knew.

her appearance holds a multitude of interpretations, but was well known to be a grim sight. ghastly pale, dark, foggy eyes, an insufferable cold to her stare—every moment watching her as she remained still left the lingering weight one feels witnessing a corpse. she was always distant, idly muttering to herself in hushed riddles.

and yet, for one as lifeless as she, there was a strange sense of warmth to the woman's demeanor. when she could be heard above the whispers of air, her tone was carried gently, as though each and every word was created just for the sake of those she spoke to. she seemed not to care more for anything other than those around her to live proper lives.

and such beliefs extended to the enemy.

she has taken the heads of several—possibly enough to rival that of some of the highest ranks themselves—but so she says, she has only killed one. even upon beasts that speak of nothing but a lust for death, destruction, would she gaze down upon with no more than mere pity.

and of all things, she showed sympathy to whose flesh she would rend to ash. in the woman's eyes, demons merely seemed to be individuals down the wrong path—those who could be guided, reformed, unless they refuse to accept such change. and they did, time and time again, always choosing the very same violence that she would have to reciprocate. yet she would still greet each one cordially, as though they were no different from man. she would still accompany them, wish them a peaceful rest as they disintegrated.

many have observed, many have questioned, but the woman ceases to show any reason nor change to her ways, almost as if she were trapped. whether she was one to be trusted has been clouded amongst the countless theories and rumors. generally, though, most say it's a subject best left alone.

it's not very polite to talk about someone who may be listening, after all.

[esperata]

First lines game

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern.

Thanks @gottaread2 for the ask. I think it'll do me good to look at some of my shared works.

The King of Gotham - No Mans Land comics, Oswald Cobblepot The city was weakened. Oswald could see the decay already setting in to these abandoned areas.

Olga My Queen - 1960s/Gotham, riddlebird, Egghead/Olga Breakfast was the most peaceful time of day for them and was especially nice when both Edward and Oswald were in residence.

Tutoring - Arkham Academy AU, riddlebird They had never visited this part of Gotham before and Ed was feeling overwhelmed even as Riddler seethed with resentment.

Babysitting Duties - Super Mario Bros, Wario, wahsbands “No.” The flat refusal did nothing to dissuade Wario’s petitioner.

Chashitsu - Magical Girls AU, hattercrow “There better be good tea here,” Ed said reprovingly.

Playing Hard To Get - 2004, drabble, riddlebird "Ooh," Oswald smirked. "Playing hard to get, I see."

Doesn't Mean It Doesn't Exist - Santa Clause AU, riddlebird Silver St. Cloud smiled. It was effortless, guileless, cherubic and utterly rehearsed.

I'll Play Your Games - Magical Girls AU, riddlebird It wasn’t that Oswald kept tabs on when Ed visited, it was just that his workforce had developed a habit of telling him.

OTT - LEGO, riddlebird Boredom would lead you to do some stupid things but, Jonathan reflected, he really should have known better than agreeing to listen to Riddler’s plan.

Gay Attorney - Ace Attorney/Gotham, riddlebird, wrightworth “But Nick,” Maya blocked his path, hands on hips. “You know they’re guilty!”

I think the theme here is some kind of scene setting. Each one introduces a character and a scenario of some sort.

[rainbowxocs]

TW: This Character has allot of dark details in her backstory and just general lore. Unfortunately due to her being from the 1400s we have to talk allot about how women were treated back then. Including SA, Child Abuse, Sexual Abuse, ETC. I will only use basic descriptions but if that bothers you then just learn about Are via asking questions to her.

CHARACTER INFO:

with notes from me!!! Are!!! :3

Name: Are Yoru (アレ 夜)(アレ・ヨル) that’s me!

Alt Names: Akira Otome (Childhood name) (あきら オトメ) haha akira sounds like “a killa”

Are Otome no Aji-Ganashi (アレオトメ脳アジ加那志)

Special Titles: Myobu (命婦), Kikoe-Ogimi (聞得大君), Our Lady Kitsune (わたしたちの狐さま), Chiko (ちこ), Goddess of Okutama (神の奥多摩), Geiko (芸子), The Curse of Okutama (奥多摩の呪い).

Remember to bow down to your Kitsune overlord ;3

Old Titles: Juri (じゅり), Our Lady of Flowers (花の聖母), Maiko (舞妓), Minarai (見習), Shikomi (仕込)

Username: @ARECHANXOXO

Nicknames: Are-Chan. (アレちゃん)(アレチャン)

Chronological Age: 565. jeez you don’t have to put all my personal business out there.

Age: 18. I’m gonna be young 4eva!

Pronouns: She/They/Nya (In English.)

I Pronouns:

Wagahai (吾輩)(A neutral I that’s incredibly old fashioned, Usually seen as pompous or that the person using it thinks highly of themselves.)

Warawa (わらわ)(A feminine pronoun that’s archaic, Usually used by noblewomen or women of a high class, comes off as pompous.)

Wachiki (わちき) (A feminine archaic pronoun, Usually used by prostitutes in the past.)

Sexuality: Ryōseiai (両性愛, Bisexual), Grayromantic.

Gender: Gendervoid, Weirdfoxic, Yanderecoric.

Species: Kitsune (Yurei) (Witch) I’m just a cute wittle foxy, you can put your fingers inside my cage I promise I won’t bite them.

Disorders: CPTSD, HPD, BPD, Suicide Ideation, Insomnia, Autism.

Physical Conditions: Chronic Pain.

Active Addictions: Self Harm, Nicotine (Vaping.), Murder.

Religion: Utaki Shinko, Shintoism. shoutout to my mommsss.

Job: Chashitsu Waitress. it’s like- totally boring.. but.. the owner is this old grandma.. and she’s nice to me so whateva.

Major: Music. college is weird. but i get straight a’s somehow.

Lives in: Okutama, Japan, 2024. hehe okutama isn’t where I’m from but it’s GREAT here!

Languages: Japanese, Uchināguchi, English, Yokai + All Languages.

Height: 5’4”

Race: Indigenous Asian.

Ethnicity: Ryukyuan. I miss my hometown sometimes.

Accent: Okinawan.

Animal Form: Pink Fox with 5 Tails.

Spirit Level: Acceptance. yeaaaaa bitch. I accepted I was dead pretty quickly lol. There’s no use dwelling on it.

Voice Claim: Misa Amane from Death Note. (JP Dub)

Powers: Time Travel, Resetting Time, Shapeshifting, Possession, Summoning, Divination, Creating Fire and Lightning, Dream Traveling, Flight, Invisibility, Teleporting, Illusions, Superhuman Strength, Mind Control, General Witchcraft/Magic, Creating and Seeing Omens, Siren Song, Strings.

Im like tottttesss overpowered.

Weaknesses: Basic Yokai Weaknesses, Basic Kitsune Weaknesses, Basic Undead Weaknesses. No known special weaknesses.

Weapons: Knives, Circular Saw, Chainsaw.

Wand: Magatama, Gohei.

Alignment: Chaotic Evil.

Text Color: Pink.

Main Animal: Fox. yip yip!

Main Hobbies: Violin, Sanshin, Yotsutake, Cello, Koto, Fan Dancing, Tea Ceremonies. :)

please gods feed me food.

Favorite Drink: Bukubuku Tea, Strawberry Tea, Sanpincha, Hot Chocolate, Strawberry Monster Energy.

Favorite Fruit: Oranges.

Favorite Candies: Strawberry Pocky, Konpieto.

Favorite Meals: Udon w Abura-age, Chicken Katsu, and Curry. Inarizushi, Hotdogs, Sashimi.

Favorite Snacks: Cherry Blossom Chips, Peelable Candy.

Favorite Desserts: Tanghulu, Strawberry Icecream Mochi, Strawberry Cake.

Favorite Flower: Cherry Blossoms.

Scent: Hello Kitty Perfume. IT EVEN HAS THIS LIKE HELLO KITTY SHAPED BOTTLE AND IT SMELLS LIKE PINK.

Handedness: Right Handed.

Blood Color: Magenta.

Awareness: VERY Aware. (Effect: Negative.)

Birthday: April 14th 1459 (Aries, Rabbit, AB. ) hehe unlucky numbers babyyy.

Theme:

Playlist:

Fun Facts: Is banned in most countries for terrorism, Was the leader of her light music club in Highschool. :D

Comfort Objects: Sakura (Fox Plush), Reborn Baby Dolls, Necronomicon.

Special Interests: Music, Mythology, Traditional Arts.

Extras: Has 5 tails, usually only shows one though cause it’s hard to sit down with them.

Stims: Tail Wagging, Hand Flapping, lots of physical stimming.

Stimboard: LINK

Moodboard: LINK

Fashionboard: LINK

Family:

Inari, Amamikyu (Patron Deities/Mother Figures)

my moms are so annoying. But they’re nice or whatever.

Bushii Aya Otome, Ueekata Fuji Otome (Birth Parents.)

……

Yuki Sho, Mizuki Sho (Children)

……

Friends:

Odoroku, Yukai , Kagayaki (BFFs). ODO IS LIKE MY BFF, and YUKAI IS GREAT TOO! I love crashing their datessss. Kagayaki is the best :)

Theo, Joan. They’re alright too!

Romance: None. yettttt ;) callll meee.

Enemies:

Kami. such a dickwad.

Hwan. The god complex on this man is extreme. And that’s coming from ME.

Pets: Neko (猫) (Raccoon) BEST CAT I LOVE HIM.

Brief Personality: Are is what you would call, Chaotic, Sadistic. She seems to take pleasure in messing with people. Changing the story, Breaking the 4th wall. They are highly intelligent, however she often hides that behind a vapid/pompous persona. In reality, all Are wants is attention and for someone to play her games with her.. However they would never admit that.

Brief Backstory: Are was born a very long time ago in modern day Okinawa. Her childhood name was Akira. Her family were originally rice farmers and the first few years of her life were relatively uneventful. Until her parents realized how much money there is in the con business. It started out small, saying that the teas they make could cure illness, then they could make creams and tonics that could cure blindness and heal broken bones.

Her parents slowly did any and every type of con in the book and slowly they included Akira in the Scams. Who couldn’t resist that cute little face? And Unfortunately her parents made Akira do, allot of things for money. Akira had to deal with sexual abuse from a very young age, which warped her sense of reality.

Her parents eventually scammed and broke mostly ever law to get their way up to the top. They pretended to be Warriors, they.. of course did not have any qualifications for that sort of job, but that didn’t stop them from reaching the royal palace with that scam. They were granted a living quarters within the grounds of the palace. And they offered their child as a Juri, helping the older prositutes and eventually as she got older becoming one.

When she became more mature she was given the name Are.

Are learned from an incredibly young age how to game the system. She knew exactly what to say to charm people and knew exactly what to do to get people to leave her alone. And eventually her intelligence paid off, She was proficient in all different types of dancing like fan dancing and Yotsutake. Performing for people within the palace and dazzling them.

Eventually Are made her way to dazzling the King and Queen with her talent in music and dancing, which made her family go up in the world. Her family wanted to use their connections to royalty as a means for power. But Are just liked the safety she got from it.

The King took an interest in Are, eventually making her a Aji-Ganashi. Which she begrudgingly accepted. However, this caused her to have some evil eyes cast upon her. She noticed the other concubines would bully and harass her. Putting rats in her room, Cutting her hair off. Are’s family made her put up with the abuse as they didn’t want to lose their connection with the royal family.

One day however it went too far, as one of the other concubines poisoned her. Are slowly died a slow and painful death as the poison took over her body, She remembers her mother and father laying over her before she closed her eyes, and was transported to a forest, She sat up confused, wondering where she was until she looked over and saw a woman by a glowing river. The woman beckoned her to come towards her.

Are hesitantly got up, dusting off her outfit and going to sit down next to the woman.

“Little one, What are you doing here?” The woman asked.

“I.. think I died...” Are said, fidgeting with her ryusou. “It’s kind of blurry..”

Are looked up at the woman. “I.. wasn’t expecting to go that quickly.. My parents are going to be so disappointed..”

The woman stared down at her, with a look that Are couldn’t quite make out.

“Heh, sorry.. I guess I shouldn’t complain.. That’s life right..?” Are shifted nervously.

The woman took Are’s hands. “What if I gave you a second chance?”

“A second chance? What do you mean..?” Are said. “It’s not like any of us have that kind of power..”

The woman laughed. “You have no idea who I am, do you?”

Are gave her a puzzled look. “Um. No.. not particularly..”

“I am, Amamikyu.”

Are’s eyes got wide, she immediately bowed to the goddess“OHMYGODLITERALLYIAMSOSORRYIWASBEINGSORUDEOHMYGOD”

“Wooooahhh easy now, no need for all of that, my child.” Amamikyu said, patting Are on the head.

“Listen, do you see this river?” The goddess said, pointing at the river beside them. “This, little one. Is the river of the gods. It is the essence of life. If you drink from it, I believe it should give you a second chance.”

“I- I don’t know if I deserve that..” Are said.

“Drink, That’s a command from your goddess.” Amamikyu pointed at the river, ushering the child to drink up.

Are did as she was told and drank the contents, waking up in her death bed. and of course, waking up from the dead is, yknow, kind of a big deal. So as you could imagine the entire room, then the entire palace, freaked out. Until finally the King and Queen were called to witness the miracle.

“You have been blessed by the spirits, so is the gift of the Onarigami.” The King Said. “You have cheated death itself.”

The King placed a magmatama around Are’s neck as a sign of her spiritual ascension, and that was enough for the concubines to know not to mess with a woman who literally cheated death. She played the role of a Kikoe-Ogmi despite her status, doing ceremonies and blessing people with a long and lasting life.

She actually enjoyed it. Despite her parents disappointment in no marriage or babies with any high ranking officials. Are genuinely was just happy dancing, singing, and doing rituals. The arts of religion and culture were her greatest passion.

However the pressures grew too strong, when not only her family but the entire palace pushed her to have children, to carry on her spiritual success to an heir. And so she reluctantly obliged.

Are fell pregnant with the Kings children, and she was honestly, very nervous. As the months ticked by she felt like anything could go wrong at any moment.. Afraid that someone else would betray her and try and kill her or worse her children again.. She got obsessed with finding ways of protecting herself, lucky charms, spells, trinkets. Until finally her babies were born.

Princess Yuki, and Prince Mizuki. Her babies. Looking at their small little faces she knew she would do anything to protect them. They both grew up with lucky trinkets and protective sigils sewn into their clothes. Are taught both of them how to read and write and how to play music and dance. She tried to give them a normal life despite their royal status.

Her parents, were.. idiots.. to say the least.. They thought since now that they have royal blood in their bloodline they could act high and mighty about it, being disrespectful to everyone in the castle. Are’s reputation was slightly protected due to her status, but the rumors about her family spread throughout the castle like wildfire. Her parents were gravely messing up their con with their own stupidity.

She knew she had to shut them up somehow, She couldn’t let her parents ruin what she had worked so hard to achieve, the life she built for herself, the life she built for her children. So she betrayed her parents, she told the court the truth about their con, and how they were not who they said they were.

She knew that she could play the court like a fiddle if she said the right thing, cried at the right time, played the right part, just like in her dances. And the court spared her and threw her parents out of the castle. Due to her spiritual powers they believed that she was sent here by the gods, despite her parents actions.

Are felt relief, for a little while. She had dodged a bullet. And now her kids are safe..

..Are they safe..?

Are looked at her children, and couldn’t help but feel like there was, a darkness around them. A darkness around her entire family. She didn’t understand why though, She was blessed by her goddess, She was the high priestess of the kingdom. Why did she feel like this?

It was probably all the bad omens, The dead birds that appeared when she was around the King and Queen, water turning into blood, It seemed no matter what Are did, no matter what magic she did or what good luck she tried to acquire nothing worked..

The rest of the palace started to notice the omens, She tried to convince them that she was trying to get rid of them, that it was just temporary. But she saw the doubt in their eyes. The whispers around the palace started to grow bigger and bigger.

“She’s cursed.” One would say. “She’s infected the palace with her madness.” Another would chime.

The Palace was convinced that her magic was nothing more than a fraud. That she is a hysterical mad woman who only was out to ruin the royal family. Are couldn’t believe this.. after everything she had done for them, after all the protection she gave them, after everything she sacrificed.

“It’s probably better if she just gets thrown in the cold palace.” One of the concubines said. “Then nobody would have to deal with her and her cursed children.”

Are, snapped when she heard that. How dare she? How could she say that about her children? About the life she had worked SO hard to create.

She didn’t even realize what she had done until she saw the blood on her hands, and the concubine on the floor unconscious. The guards grabbed her and Are kicked and screamed.

They threw her into the palace prison, Are banged and screamed on the walls of her cage but it was no use. She had messed up. Oh god she had messed up.

Are slid down the wall of her jail cell, she was completely disheveled. Her hair and accessories all askew, her outfit covered in blood. What had she done?

Was it weeks.. days.. months..? How long had she been here? What time is it? There’s no light down here. Are could hardly think straight, everything was fuzzy. She couldn’t focus on anything in the room. Were people in the room? Who knows. She was so dissociated she didn’t know.

“Are no Aji-Ganashi.” A Voice spoke.

Are looked up wearily, she was on the floor of her cell. She saw a priestess with a very stern expression looking down upon her.

Are could barely speak, she just laughed softly. Trying to get up with her weak stature, her legs wobbled as she stood.

The priestess started to speak in hymns and mantras, trying to purify Are of evil. Are knew the spells very well. They wouldn’t work of course. Whoever she was, she didn’t have the gift that Are did.

Are got on her knees in front of the Priestess, grabbing the hem of her skirt and crying into it. Are felt like she wasn’t even in control of her body anymore. She just cried and cried and begged for forgiveness. She screamed she wasn’t evil, please god just let her go.

The Priestess looked at her with disgust, kicking her away from her. She looked to the guards and whispered something and then walked out. Are was alone again. All she could do is cry.

She didn’t know how much time had passed until two guards grabbed her and started to drag her out of her cell. Her vision was blurry and all she could do is let them. She heard a crowd and she heard the sound of chains.

She was tied up to a pole, she looked down at the crowd and saw the King and Queen addressing the audience.

“This woman is cursed. She is an abomination. She charmed us with her wicked ways but she was actually sent by the dark forces. The darkness radiates off of her.” The king said.

The crowd cheered.

“We will not have this curse effect our kingdom, the royal bloodline. So just like her children she will be executed, for the good of the kingdom, for prosperity.”

Are’s ears were ringing. He couldn’t be serious. Did she hear that right? Her children were dead? She was going to die? She was cursed?

No. No. That can’t be right. No.

“Burn the darkness away!” The king ordered the guards.

She felt the heat of the fire, as she desperately tried to escape. She had to escape, she had to save her children, she had to save herself she had to-

She felt a power wash over her, something she had never felt before. And when she screamed out, she saw as all the people around her dropped dead. She laughed manically as the King, Queen, Guards, everyone. Everyone was dead.

The fire slowly consumed her. All she could see was smoke as she lost consciousness..

She woke up, to someone stroking her hair.

She looked and saw, Amamikyu, and a fox. She couldn’t move. Tears streaming down her cheeks.

“You have a knack for getting into trouble little one.” Amamikyu said.

Are couldn’t speak.

The fox slowly pressed a paw on Are’s forehead. She and the creature made eye contact. Are slowly pet their head. The fox was incredibly pleased, wagging their tail.

“My friend wants to give you a gift, my child.” Amamikyu said, scratching Are behind the ears.

“why..” Are could barely speak.

“They like you. Don’t you Inari-San?”

Inari nodded in reply, giving Amamikyu a little yip.

“But for now, you need to rest.” Amamikyu said. “Sleep my child.. You will get your gift when you wake up.”

Are closed her eyes, curling up in her mothers lap. Inari curling up next to her as well.

She fell asleep..

Until 500 years later. A child summons a Kitsune.

And the “curse” begins again.

[smol-stardust]

Is Shira’s home flooring tatami ??

Yee!! Tatami flooring!! Super comfy and nice to roll around on if you’re a gremlin and don’t sit properly. *ahem* Shirako *ahem* But also, Shira doesn’t really ever go home, cuz she’s always outside running wild…

But yeah, tatami flooring, futons, chashitsu, kotatsu and all the things

[the-woods-call-me]

{ Chashitsu }

Please click for larger size. =)

[besidebloomingirises]

[japan-minka]

Bafuko Ono - Chashitsu Yuki

[lagda]

𝐀 𝐑𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬

ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪꜱ ᴀ ᴄᴏɪɴᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ɪꜱ ᴀ ɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴀʟʟʏ ꜰᴏʀᴇᴏʀᴅᴀɪɴᴇᴅ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛ

In existence since Ancient Japan, Mizuki’s restaurant was once a tea house. She would serve her customers in a chashitsu (a traditional tea room), where she would prepare and serve tea in accordance with the strict protocols that tea ceremony masters follow.  The interior of her shop was primarily made of wood, with floors covered with tatami mats that guests would sit on during the ceremony. There was also a nook in the room called a tokonoma, where there a vase of flowers is placed and a calligraphy scroll is hung. Mizuki served both thin and thick tea. It is important to note, however, that the drink she gave primarily depended on the nature of one’s wish. Usucha (or thin tea) was offered to those who had wished that would benefit others, while koicha (thick tea) was for those with more selfish desires.

5 / x | ɴᴏɴ-ᴍᴜᴛᴜᴀʟꜱ ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʀᴇʙʟᴏɢ

[dhampiravidi]

chart made for Kylie Landry x Shota Aizawa x Hizashi Yamada for my buddy @eraserisms

wedding HCs below

Kylie trains w/Logan to learn the tea ceremony

they go to Japan for the wedding

Hizashi is either Shota's best man or 2nd husband in this scenario

Remy is Kylie's "man of honor"

Eri's the flower girl, DUH

the cats are there, ofc - wearing bowties as is their duty

Kylie wears a white kimono, then changes to a nice shirt & pants

as far as Japanese wedding traditions go, they do: wedding portraits (before the wedding), the daytime wedding, dress rentals (& changes), gifts for guests/hikidemono, the large bouquet/hanataba given to Shota's parents

the rest is pretty much a typical Western wedding & reception

reception has a mix of Japanese, Cajun & American food...it's a badass buffet w/a lot of spicy stuff, pretty much

the tea house/chashitsu & the traditional meal is the X-Men's wedding present; the house is constructed behind the school near some flowering trees

the tea ceremony is done between the wedding & the honeymoon 😎😘; the 5 people there are Shota, Kylie, Hizashi, Eri & Remy

[chanoyu-to-wa]

The Chanoyu Hyaku-shu [茶湯百首], Part II:  Poem 38.

〽 Kyaku ni nari furo no sono-uchi miru-toki ha          sumi kuzure-nan ki-tsukai wo seyo

    [客になり風爐の其の內見る時は          炭崩れ難氣遣いをせよ].

    “Should the guests [decide¹] to look into the furo’s interior, [if] the charcoal is crumbling, [that would be] blameworthy² -- [so you] should be very careful.”

    This refers not to the inspection of the interior of the furo during the sumi-temae, but rather to the guest’s individual inspection of the utensil mat as he is entering the room for the shoza.  If the three pieces of charcoal are already beginning to crumble, this might cause the guest to worry about how successfully the host will be able to heat the water.  But if the three gitchō [毬杖] are glowing brightly, yet standing up firmly, the guest will have confidence that at least things are off to a good start.

    Once again, all of the versions of this poem give essentially the same meaning³.  This should hardly surprise us, since the poem addresses a non-controversial issue.

_________________________

¹Techinically (as we will see in poem 42), the guests do not inspect the interior of the furo the way they do with the ro during the sumi-temae.  Nevertheless, there is nothing to stop them from doing so when entering the room*, and that possibility is what has made the teaching embodied in this poem necessary. ___________ *Indeed, an experienced guest will carefully look at the furo each time he has the opportunity to do so, in order to understand the condition of the fire, so that he can estimate the amount of time that can be devoted to conversation, without endangering the success of the gathering (see sub-note “**” under the next footnote).

²Sumi kuzure-nan [炭崩れ難]:  kuzure [崩れ] means to crumble or collapse (into a pile of ash), which is what will happen naturally if the charcoal was set alight properly; -nan [難] means things like an accident. a mishap. a disaster. a calamity, a difficult situation, and ideas of that sort, and, by extension, things like a fault, a defect, a blemish, hence blameworthy..

    But since this collapsing into ash is a natural process, the question must be asked why this would be so disastrous*?  The reason is that, in the case of the furo (and unlike what is done with the ro†), the shita-bi [下火] (which consists of three burning gitchō [毬杖], round pieces of charcoal 2-sun long and 1-sun 2-bu to 1-sun 4-bu in diameter) is supposed to be put into the furo just before‡ the host goes out to invite the guests to enter the chashitsu for the shoza.  Thus, even though they should be burning well when put in, they will not have been in the furo long enough to show any deterioration when the guests inspect the utensil mat at the beginning of the shoza (which is the time that this poem is addressing, when a guest might decide to look into the furo surreptitiously, with a critical eye).  If the charcoal is beginning to crumble at that point, it means that the host put it into the furo too early; and this may cause the guest anxiety, since it might suggest that there will not be enough heat to set the charcoal alight during the sumi-temae, which will have dire consequences for the success of the gathering as a whole**. __________ *Disastrous (primarily) to the host’s reputation -- though if the charcoal has burned away too far, it may be difficult to get a fire established in order to heat the kama.

†The fire is supposed to be started in the ro at dawn.  The original process was to take the embers from the previous day’s fire (which were preserved in the gan-ro [丸爐] in the mizuya -- a gan-ro, or “round ro,” is a cylindrical metal ro, the mouth of which is just over 8-sun in diameter (it can be seen in the photo, below and slightly to the left of, the window).

    This kind of ro made its first appearance (in chanoyu) when it was installed in the dauko [ダウコ] (a variety of the o-chanoyu-dana [御茶湯棚] where, rather than a furo, the kama was heated in a gan-ro that was sunk into the board-floor of the 1-shaku 5-sun deep niche.)

    The gan-ro is used as the place to save the fire overnight, dry the kama after it has been cleaned, set pieces of charcoal alight, as well as to occasionally keep things (like soup) hot before they are distributed into individual serving bowls, and so forth.

    Be that as it may, at dawn the embers in the gan-ro are scooped up with a soko-tori [底取り] (a large, long-handled scoop with the shallow bowl bent at a 90° angle to the handle), and carried into the tea room, where they are spread evenly over the circular area circumscribed by the legs of the gotoku in the ro.  After lightly sifting shimeshi-bai [湿し灰] (ash moistened with water or some other liquid that is then sifted through a sieve to produce a slightly damp, granular material) over the embers (the rapid evaporation of this moisture will draw fresh air into the ro), a full set of charcoal would be arranged on top of the layer of embers, which would begin to catch fire while the host went to the well to draw water for the day’s chanoyu -- thus, the fire would be hot when the host returned with the kama filled with fresh well water.

    In the case of the ro, outside of the sumi-temae that would be performed at the beginning of a chakai, the host would add charcoal to the ro three times over the course of the day (when guests were not present):  at dawn, at noon, and at dusk (in the latter case, the host would first empty and clean the ro, before returning some embers, around which a new set of charcoal would be laid).  The idea was that a base fire (shita-bi [下火]) and sub-boiling water would be available throughout the day, which could be expanded (through a sumi-temae) at any time to accommodate the service of tea to one’s guests.

‡In Rikyū‘s day, the front gate opening into the host’s compound was left ajar (with a notice indicating that a chakai was going to be held that day posted on the gate to warn people who had no connection with the gathering not to enter), so the guests entered, one by one, as they arrived, and proceeded immediately to the koshi-kake.  (Rikyū’s hyō-kata nure-gaku [瓢形濡額], inscribed with the word chakai [茶會], which he hung on the gate on days when a tea gathering was going to be held, is shown below.  This nure-gaku -- the word means a “wet plaque” because it was made to be hung up outside, and so had to be inscribed in such a way that the paint would not run -- is preserved by the Yabunouchi family.  Traditionally the writing was carved into the wooden plaque, and then filled in with white gesso.)

    When everyone was present (usually a guest list was posted in the koshi-kake, if the host guessed that the guests would be unsure about this) the shōkyaku would strike the ban-gi [板木], wooden gong, that was hung in the koshi-kake -- to inform the host that everyone had arrived.  This was usually the signal for the host to put the shita-bi into the furo, after which he would go out and invite the guests to enter the room.

    Unfortunately the modern schools do not always follow this kind of protocol so, like inexperienced chajin of old who were unsure about when to put the shita-bi into the furo, mishaps of the sort considered in this poem are more common than they should be.

    Maybe I should add something to this short exposition, for the benefit of those who have only recently begun to following this blog:  I am fully aware that the information conveyed in this sub-note (and the previous one, which discussed the gan-ro -- as well as many other footnotes and sub-notes peppered randomly throughout the previous 1,549 or so posts) might strike many readers as little more than a collection of irrelevant non sequuntur.  Unfortunately (or, hopefully, not), this is how chanoyu is taught in Japan, and has been taught since the days of Jōō and Rikyū (and, probably, for generations before them as well).  It is humanly impossible to set out a course of study that includes everything.  Thus, whenever a discussion allows the teacher to go off on a tangent, the opportunity is more often taken than passed over -- since the right lead-in might never come again.  I would very much appreciate it if you, my readers, would accept these digressions in the spirit in which they have been offered....

**Rikyū declared that a proficiency in chanoyu consists of being able to lay the charcoal during the sumi-temae (at the beginning of the shoza) so that it will heat the water efficiently, and continue burning until the service of usucha has concluded, at which time the fire should begin to weaken -- though the kama should not fall silent until after the guests have left the room.  If the fire fails at any point, then, no matter how well everything else was done, the mood of the  gathering will be damaged, perhaps irreparably.  Someone who can do this successfully, he said, is worthy of being called a master.

³In the version of the poem that Katagiri Sadamasa received from the Sen family, the lines furo no sono-uchi [風爐の其の內] and sumi kuzure-nan [炭崩れ難] have been switched between the two ku [句] of the poem; but this has no impact on the poem’s full meaning.

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