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satoshi-mochida · 2 days ago

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Bushiroad Games and Frontwing announce visual novel Perennial Dusk: Kinsenka for PC - Gematsu

Publisher Bushiroad Games and developer Frontwing have announced visual novel Perennial Dusk: Kinsenka for PC. It will launch in 2025 with English, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese language support.

Here is an overview of the game, via its official website:

About

Industry veteran Yukito Urushibara and prolific illustrator Saine join forces for the first time to craft a stunning tale about a group of young people in an eerie world of endless twilight. Follow their story as they struggle against limitless cruelty and confront the inescapable traumas of life and death together. Perennial Dusk: Kinsenka is the latest visual novel written by Yukito Urushibara, whose work on Irotoridori no Sekai and Sakura Moyu captivated players with stories that inspire hope as readily as they induce despair. The cast of colorful-yet-broken characters is brought to life by Saine, whose experience as the illustrator of various Vocaloid music videos (“mikitoP “Kunoichi demo Koi ga shitai”) and as a VTuber designer (“Kamishiro Kurea,” “Watagashi Unou,” “Hoshikage Lapis,” and “Kozuya Nano” among others) lets the delicate twilight world bloom with a resplendent touch.

Story

The human heart is but a vessel for pain. That’s what someone once whispered-a voice laced with loneliness, whispering directly into the soul. It’s an indescribable sadness, a love just beginning to bloom. It becomes an invisible pain that pierces the heart. And that’s what makes up life: a cyclical series of highs and lows. Tachibana Sai was born without the ability to feel pain in his heart. He spends his days eliminating any seeds of malice that sneak up on his sister, the one person he treasures, without drawing attention to himself. Sick of the never ending monotony he lives through, he chances upon a meeting with Benio Matsuri, a young girl whose aloof demeanor resembles that of a beautifully crafted doll. For the first time in his life, he encounters a heart piercing sensation that of falling in love. On the edge between day and night, in a twilight world where the dead and living mingle, stands an apartment building called Maison sans Nom, which is home to a group of boys and girls. A ruthless boy who knows no pain in his heart. A lonely girl without any friends. A friendly girl who struggles to make connections. A prickly, ambitious girl who is keen to be of help. A boy who loves his own cute self above anything else. A mess of a woman who tries to solve everything through brute force. And a boy with a tender heart who knows no pain in his body. This ill-assorted group of residents, hands stained with blood from battling the supernatural Maledicts, shall encounter the hearts they never knew and begin nurturing their souls. The human heart is but a vessel for pain. To protect this pain akin to love… To gently break the world apart, piece by piece… Even if it means abandoning humanity. That’s why the heart is but a vessel for pain. For life blazes brilliantly, while the heart goes around in an endless cycle.

Characters

Benio Matsuri (voiced by Manaka Iwami) – A girl born into the Benio Family, a powerful family of Maledict Exorcists, who is tightly bound by her family’s curse. Due to an incident in the past, causing her to close off her heart, she doesn’t speak and barely shows any emotion. Her eyes remain closed at all times, as if she wishes to isolate herself from the cruel world she lives in. Since she only moves when someone pulls her along by the hand, her demeanor evokes the image of a beautifully crafted doll. She is a Curse Bearer with the ability to give Maledicts form and use their powers freely.

Nobody (voiced by Manaka Iwami) – Another personality that dwells inside Benio Matsuri’s heart that appears when Matsuri is asleep. Nobody sees herself as a shield that protects Matsuri from the cruel world. She can be incredibly selfish, and her words, actions, and strong attitude cause her to come across as a haughty, ill-mannered girl.

Tachibana Sai (voiced by Yumiri Hanamori) – The protagonist of the story: A ruthless boy who cannot feel pain in his heart. His younger sister, his only family, is the one person he treasures, and anyone who torments her is met with a brutal end by his hands… Yet, yearning to understand the human heart, he often interrogates his victims, even though they cannot respond. Just as he begins to seek respite from his bleak life, his unexpected encounter with Benio Matsuri causes him to experience a kind of pain akin to love in his heart.

Kanbara Tatsuki (voiced by Shuta Morishima) – An earnest and sincere boy who was born with a body that doesn’t feel any physical pain. Despite the unjust world around him, he wishes to keep on the straight and narrow, even if no one else does. He began training at a young age under a master who claimed to be invincible in order to become… well, a certain something. He has infiltrated the Benio Family and is biding his time for the chance to free Benio Matsuri, his first love, from their curse.

Tsukahara Ao (voiced by Hitomi Sasaki) – A seemingly cheerful and sociable resident of Maison sans Nom. She’s especially close with her friend Ando Mémé. Born as a Curse Bearer, she works as one of the Benio Family’s mercenaries and exorcists. On top of her mischievous tendencies, she wants more than anything to be a housewife. Her cooking might not be up to par now, but she’s working on it.

Ando Meme (voiced by Hika Tsukishiro) – A surly resident of Maison sans Nom and a Curse Bearer like Ao. Despite her ambitious and hard-working nature, she tends to scare people off due to her prickly attitude. However, she is keener than anyone when it comes to helping her friends, and Ao is especially reliant on her companionship. Her goal in life is to rake in the money as a top-grade exorcist.

Kirishima Tsuyu (voiced by Yukina Shuto) – The landlord of Maison sans Nom. Tsuyu is obsessed with his own cuteness and habitually declares himself the cutest person in the world. He enjoys teasing the other residents, and while they get annoyed with Tsuyu’s antics sometimes, they still adore him. He often earns himself a spanking from Yozora. He is also a content creator who makes full use of his looks while livestreaming as “Chuyu.” He has a preference for strong-willed people and takes a particular liking to Tatsuki in this regard. A Curse Bearer like Ao and Mémé, he possesses a mysterious power.

Kandori Yozora (voiced by Hana Kuga) – As the only grown-up resident of Maison sans Nom, Yozora acts as the guardian of the younger residents. She appears to be a beautiful, classy lady… until she opens her mouth. With her frank and outspoken attitude, as well as her tendency to drink cheap booze, gamble on horses, and “borrow” money from the kids without ever returning it, she’s not exactly what one would consider a responsible adult. Yozora does not possess any Maledict powers, but she prides herself on being the strongest martial artist in the world.

Benio Tsui (voiced by Takako Tanaka) – The current head of the Benio Family and Matsuri’s younger sister. Contrary to her appearance as a young girl, she considers herself the matriarch of the family, referring to all its members as her “children,” regardless of blood relations. Inside her heart dwells three different personalities, each with their own quirks and caprices. All are cold, cruel, and ruthless by nature, although she sometimes displays a child-like innocence befitting her age.

Penguin (voiced by Reika Fujisawa) – A mysterious, smartly dressed penguin with the ability to understand and speak human language. However, it is painfully shy, so normally it pretends to be just a regular penguin. It works as a receptionist and bellhop at a hotel where the souls of the dead end up, so the younger residents of Maison sans Nom refer to it as “God.” It has a huge attitude for a cute little penguin and is extremely hard to please. The best way to buy its favor is with sweets and snacks.

…and others!

Main Staff

Planning / Story: Yukito Urushibara

Character Design / Art: Saine

Developer: Frontwing

Background Music: Fuminori Matsumoto, Hitoshi Fujima (Elements Garden)

Theme Song

Title: “Anata no Kioku no Naka de” (“In Your Memories”)

Vocals: Mao Uesugi

Lyrics: Yoshikazu Kuwashima

Composition and Arrangement: Hitoshi Fujima (Elements Garden)

Watch the announcement trailer below.

Announce Trailer

youtube

#Perennial Dusk: Kinsenka #Perennial Dusk #Frontwing #Bushiroad Games #visual novel #Gematsu #Youtube

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chanoyu-to-wa · 7 years ago

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Rikyū Chanoyu Sho, Book 5 (Part 1): Transcripts of Rikyū's Secret Teachings¹.

1) There are seven arrangements for the toko in the kakoi²:

◦ The first: the scroll is placed out alone; during the naka-dachi the flowers are put out (to replace the scroll). This is the usual way things are done³.

◦ The second: the scroll is hung, and the cha-tsubo is displayed in front of it.

The way to deal with this [situation] is, before the [addition of] charcoal, the guests should ask [to inspect] the cha-tsubo. The host takes it out of the ami⁴. And if [the kuchi-ōi is tied in place] with the kuchi-shime no o [口しめの緒], it is also removed. Then [the jar] is given to the guests to inspect⁵.

◦ The third: the kakemono is hung up, and a [hanging] kōro is suspended [from the ceiling of the toko]. During the naka-dachi [these things are removed and] the flowers are arranged by themselves.

It is also possible to suspend the kōro by itself, without the kakemono [being present], at the beginning [of the gathering]. Afterward, the kakemono and the flowers are [displayed] together. There is also the case where things are done like this⁶.

◦ The fourth: a kakemono with a title⁷. When a scroll has a gedai [外題], it should be [displayed] rolled up, placed [on the floor of the toko] in the jiku-waki position⁸. The [scroll] should be [displayed in this way] according to the guest's request.

At that time [after the guests have viewed the gedai], the host comes out with the [bamboo] pole that is used to hang-up scrolls, and hangs it in the toko.

Afterward [during the naka-dachi] the flowers are arranged [after the scroll has been removed]⁹.

◦ The fifth: the scroll is hung up, and in the jiku-waki position a chaire is displayed resting on a tray.

However, how [to display] a karamono is a ku-den¹⁰.

After the naka-dachi, [the bon-chaire] is arranged beside the mizusashi.

◦ The sixth: there is also the case where a pair of narrow paintings are hung up together.

Afterward the flowers are arranged in the ordinary way, as usual¹¹.

◦ The seventh: a hossu may be hung on the hook¹² from which the kakemono is usually suspended. [Or] it may be hung from the [copper] hook [twisted around one of the horizontal struts] in the bokuseki-mado.

A hanaire is suspended and the flowers are arranged [in it]¹³. Then, during the naka-dachi, the kakemono and the hossu are taken away. And the hanaire is placed just as it is¹⁴.

2) Regarding the flowers that should not be arranged in the hanaire, there is the case of the eight kinds of flowers mentioned in the following didactic poem:

hanaire ni ikezaru hana ha jinchōge, miyama-shikibi ni keitō-no-hana / ominaeshi zakuro kōbone kinsenka, senrei-bana wo mo kirai-koso sure [花入にいけさる花はぢんちやうけ、みやましきひにけいとうのはな　/　をみなへしさくろかうほね金仙花、せんれい花をもきらいこそすれ]: “as for the flowers that should not be arranged in the hanaire -- the jinchōge, miyama-shikibi, keitō-no-hana / ominaeshi, zakuro, kōbone, kinsenka, and the senreika also are disliked when used [in an arrangement]¹⁵.”

Since ancient times the [above] listed [flowers] have not been used in [chabana] arrangements.

3) As for the round usu-ita¹⁶, there is a certain matter regarding the hanaire that can be paired with this [ita]¹⁷.

4) In the case of the han-getsu no usu-ita [半月のうす板]¹⁸, here too it is a matter of which [hanaire] should be paired with it.

5) The way to adjust a square hanaire¹⁹: it is best if it is placed at an angle to the [viewer]²⁰.

_________________________

¹The title of this book is given as Rikyū kiki-gaki [no] hiden [利休聞書秘傳] by the editors. It consists of a collection of more than 100 entries -- apparently compiled from various sources (at least some of which, since they reference comments made by persons or events that occurred decades after Rikyū's death, are clearly spurious) -- which, like much of what has preceded this book, came to serve as the foundation for the system that became the modern practice of chanoyu. The entries that can be traced back to Rikyū appear to be mostly copied from his densho. Little or none of this book actually seems to have come from transcripts of his teachings (since such documents, which mostly consist of notes taken down by Rikyū's daimyō students while he was in service to Hideyoshi and his court, would not have been available to the editors).

As for how historically accurate (from the point of view of Rikyū’s own chanoyu) any of this material actually is, each entry must be considered on a case by case basis. Many points (even when, in the Rikyū kiki-gaki [no] hiden, they put into the mouth of someone else†) are certainly both true, and valid; while others are little more than Edo period propaganda pieces, gleaned from the not-so-secret “secret writings” of the machi-shū tradition, and stuffed into the mouth of a version of Rikyū who never existed in reality -- for all that it is to this “Rikyū” that the modern schools look as their lodestar, the enduring source of their wisdom‡. __________ *Including some authentic Rikyū sources like the Nambō-ate no densho [南坊宛の傳書].

†Several entries are records of statements made by Katagiri Sekishū, for example.

Nevertheless, since Sekishū was initiated into the practice of chanoyu by Kuwayama Sōzen, who was the principal disciple of Sen no Dōan, his words unambiguously allude to important points that are found in Rikyū's teachings (often in situations where Sekishū is bemoaning the fact that these important teachings have vanished from the chanoyu practiced by followers of the Sōtan / machi-shū school -- which had been the only officially sanctioned way in which chanoyu could be performed since the beginning of the Edo period).

Sekishū was one of the major voices that clamored for the bakufu to permit people whose ancestors had studied with Rikyū to continue to practice chanoyu as he had taught. Nevertheless, since even Rikyū's teachings had now passed through the filter of the machi-shū style of tea taught by Sōtan (which had been the only legal way in which chanoyu could be performed for more than a generation), the ultimate result was the establishment not of a restored Rikyū-style chanoyu, but a branching off in a new direction -- which is now usually referred to as daimyō-cha [大名茶].

‡As I have said before, this fictitious Rikyū is an amalgam of Jōō’s achievements and innovations from his middle period, and Oribe’s, while Rikyū’s true accomplishments vanished from the historical record, for the most part, under the double scourges of Hideyoshi’s condemnation to damnatio memoriae, coupled with the envy-inspired hatred of the machi-shū spearheaded by Rikyū’s nemesis Imai Sōkyū. It is not what Rikyū actually did that informs us, but what Sōtan and the machi-shū said that he did; and what they said he did better reflects their own desires and prejudices, than the historically accurate picture that emerges from Rikyū’s own writings. To me, personally -- when we consider the purported veneration and adulation that modern generations pretend to lavish on Rikyū's memory -- it is simply inconceivable, the lengths to which some have gone to refute Rikyū's own words, in deference to their own holy opinions. Ignorance and “tradition” certainly should never be allowed to gainsay truth, and yet that is precisely the situation that we find in the world of modern day chanoyu. It is never a question of what Rikyū actually said or did, but what the almighty “I” wanted him to have said or done that is -- and remains -- the criterion.

²Kakoi no toko ni nana kazari aru koto [かこいの床に七餝有事].

The title of this entry, and its contents, are taken from the Nambō-ate no densho.

The word kakoi [圍い] means an enclosure. Originally it referred to an area of 3-mats size (enclosed by folding screens on two or more sides), that was set off from a larger room for the service of chanoyu. Usually three guests were received at a time (while the others would wait outside, in the larger room).

The most usual arrangement when serving tea was for the naga-ita to be used* (as shown above).

Nobunaga was especially fond of using a kakoi (perhaps because the setting left room for his guard to occupy the front part of the room (though which an enemy would have to fight his way before he could make an attack on the kakoi).

However, the people of Rikyū’s day also used the word as a sort of generic name for a small room -- even a ko-yashiki (a small room that existed as an independent structure) -- and this is the sense in which it is being used here. __________ *Because the mats rarely conformed to the demands of chanoyu -- and because of the requirement that the guests should always be given (at least) a full mat for their own use -- this usually resulted in the space that would be used as a “utensil mat” being made up of parts of two mats. The naga-ita, like the daisu, defines the area in front of it, so that the host no longer needs to rely on the location of the heri when placing the various utensils.

³Kakemono bakari oki, naka-dachi sugi[te] hana oki koto, tsune no koto nari [かけ物ばかり置、中立過花置事、つねの事なり].

The language is a little confused, suggesting that it the version accessed by the editors of the Rikyū Chanoyu Sho was corrupt.

Rikyū's version (in the Nambō-ate no densho) reads kakemono bakari kake-oku, nochi naka-dachi sugite hana ikeru koto tsune no koto nari [懸物斗懸置、後中立過テ花生る事常ノ事也]: the scroll is hung by itself; after, during the naka-dachi, the flowers are arranged -- this is the usual way to do things.

Because the summary given here should suffice for most readers, I decided not to go into some of the more arcane minutiae. For those who want more information, they may refer to the original post in the Nambō-ate no densho for additional details:

http://chanoyu-to-wa.tumblr.com/post/72053744276/riky%C5%AB-densho-the-private-writings-of-sen-no

⁴Ami dasu [罷出].

Usually the word ami is written ami [網]. This is the net bag in which the cha-tsubo is kept when in storage.

⁵The entry in the Nambō-ate no densho may be found here:

http://chanoyu-to-wa.tumblr.com/post/72061037271/riky%C5%AB-densho-the-private-writings-of-sen-no

⁶The way to display the tsuri-kōro is detailed here:

http://chanoyu-to-wa.tumblr.com/post/72149448931/riky%C5%AB-densho-the-private-writings-of-sen-no

⁷Dai-kakemono [題かけ物].

This is a scroll with a "title." The title (or, more commonly, the name of the artist who painted the scroll*) was written by someone who had the training to identify the painter from the style of the work -- and since this was a skill beyond most (if not all) Japanese scholars in the early days, the assessors were usually court aesthetes from the defunct Koryeo dynasty who had come to Japan looking for a job. They wrote the name of the presumed artist on a slip of paper†, which was then pasted to the back side of the scroll near the roller on the side of the scroll where the artist's signature would be expected to appear (if one were present)‡. And then the person impressed his own name-seal over the edge of the gedai (so that part of the seal fell on the paper, and part on the scroll itself). Both the writing and the seal, then, were objects of inspection (to determine both the name of the artist, and that of the person who was responsible for the ascription). ___________ *Many of the old scrolls in the shōgun's storehouses were unsigned -- often because they were portions cut from much larger works (some of which had been cut into pieces in an effort to conserve them; while others had been damaged in storage, and so the worm-eaten edges had been cut off when they were remounted, resulting in the loss of the artist's signature).

One of the jobs with which Nōami and the other dōbō [同朋] (the word is usually translated “companions” -- these were court aesthetes from Korea who immigrated to Japan at the end of the Koryeo dynasty) were taxed was to evaluate the paintings in the shōgun's collection, in order to ascertain which were valuable continental originals, and which were worthless Japanese copies (most of these things were obtained as tribute -- and not a few forgeries were "donated" so that the daimyō could escape from paying monies owed to the shōgun). And when they discovered high-quality paintings that had lost their signatures, the dōbō were obliged to ascribe the work to one of the famous continental masters, and they certified the work by writing the artist's name on a slip of paper (called a gedai [外題], which means a title pasted on the outside of the scroll) that was then pasted onto the back side of the scroll -- legible when the scroll was rolled up for storage.

As these dōbō were famous personages in their own right, and because the scrolls were usually appreciated more because of the fame of the artist than because of their intrinsic merit, it became the custom to display the gedai first; and only once the guests understood whose work it was, to hang it up so that they could see the painting. (Almost all of the gedai are found on paintings.)

†The size of the slip was carefully calculated based on the dimensions of the mounting (as described in the Three Hundred Lines), so that someone who understood these things could discern whether the gedai actually was written for this scroll, or whether it had been moved from another one (or forged -- since the forger would not likely understand exactly how to calculate the size of the slip of paper).

‡Depending on the composition, the signature could have been on the right side, on the left side, or centered at the bottom of the painting.

This detail also determined the orientation of the tokonoma in which the scroll was supposed to be displayed.

⁸Jiku-waki no kata ni [軸わきの方に].

There are various “secret” ways to name the parts of the toko, but here Rikyū means the rolled-up scroll should be displayed in front of the place where the scroll would be hanging -- that is, in the middle of the tokonoma.

⁹The details may be found here:

http://chanoyu-to-wa.tumblr.com/post/72181245801/riky%C5%AB-densho-the-private-writings-of-sen-no

¹��The oral teaching is discussed in the Three Hundred Lines (since it originated with Jōō -- who created the chaire-bon).

This information was summarized in footnote 2 under the post in the Nambō-ate no densho:

http://chanoyu-to-wa.tumblr.com/post/72268611099/riky%C5%AB-densho-the-private-writings-of-sen-no

¹¹The details of this arrangement may be found here:

http://chanoyu-to-wa.tumblr.com/post/72278647488/riky%C5%AB-densho-the-private-writings-of-sen-no

¹²Hossu, kakemono no kugi ni kake [ほつす、かけ物のくきにかけ].

A hossu [払子] is a short staff (sometimes lacquered, sometimes of plain bamboo) to which a tassel of horse-hair is attached. Sometimes it is called a baton, and sometimes a fly-whisk in English translations of Zen literature.

Originally it was used by monks much like a fly-swatter (albeit the hossu did not kill the insects, but simply shooed them away -- like the tail of a horse); but later became a sort of status-symbol or badge of rank (only a monk who was authorized to teach disciples was allowed to carry one; and in certain congregations, it was restricted only to those who had formally attained the rank of rōshi [老師]).

The kakemono-no-kugi [掛物の釘] is a bamboo peg, inserted into the way 9-bu below the lower edge of the ō-wa [大輪] (the band of wood that circles the upper edge of the wall, and on which the edges of the ceiling rest). According to the Three Hundred Lines, it should be inserted with the skin-side of the bamboo uppermost*; though there are exceptions allowed. __________ *There, however, is some debate on this. The reason is that the left and right edges of the peg can be quite sharp -- so that there was a fear that they could weaken the kake-o [掛緒] of an old scroll to the extent that it would fall down. As a result, since the early days some have said that the skin side of the peg should face downward.

While facing upward was the correct way, according to Jōō, if the host feels especially apprehensive (in light of his personal circumstances -- that is, if he owns a very old scroll whose kake-o is already fraying and weak), then he may orient the peg so that the skin side faces downward.

¹³Shita-ji mado no kugi ni kake, hanaire wo kake, hana wo ikeru [下地まどのくきにかけ、花入を懸、花を生る].

This statement is not lucid. What is written means "[the hossu] is hung on the hook [attached] to the shita-ji mado; the hanaire is hung up, and the flowers are arranged [in it]."

In the Nambō-ate no densho, Rikyū's text reads: shita-ji mado no kugi ni kake-hanaire wo kake, hana wo ikeru [下地窓ノクギニ懸花入ヲ懸、花ヲ生ル]: “on the hook [attached to] the shita-ji mado, a hanging hanaire is hung, and [in it] the flowers are arranged.”

¹⁴Naka-dachi sugite kakemono to hossu to wo tori-kayuru koto nari, hanaire sono-mama oki nari [中立過てかけ物とほつすとを取かゆる事也、花入其儘置也].

The text basically agrees with the Nambō-ate no densho, though this is of no real help.

There are only two hooks present in the tokonoma -- one nailed into the wall from which the kakemono is hung, and the other, made from a small piece of sheet copper, that was twisted around one of the horizontal struts in the bokuseki-mado -- with apparently three objects (the scroll, the hossu, and the kake-hanaire) hanging simultaneously from them.

As I explained in the translation of this entry in the Nambō-ate no densho*, Rikyū appears to be describing an “either-or” situation: either the scroll or the hossu is hung from the hook nailed near the top of the back wall of the toko, while the kake-hanaire is hung on the bokuseki-mado† (which makes it yin). __________ *The original translation of this entry is found here:

http://chanoyu-to-wa.tumblr.com/post/72285517541/riky%C5%AB-densho-the-private-writings-of-sen-no

†This makes sense, in terms of kane-wari -- since the scroll or hossu would be yang, while the chabana would be yin. Thus hanging both of these things together would not impact on the yin-yang nature of the za any more than hanging just the scroll (or hossu) alone would. When the scroll (or hossu) is removed, however, the tokonoma changes character from yang to yin, and this is also appropriate in terms of the go-za versus the sho-za.

¹⁵This pair of poems have been discussed several times previously in this Blog. The eight flowers mentioned are:

1) jinchōge [沈丁花], Daphne odora, sweet-smelling Daphne, (prohibited because of strong smell) -- below, on the left;

2) miyama-shikibi or miyama-shikimi [深山樒], Illicium religiosum, mountain anise (prohibited because it is a common an altar decoration) -- above, on the right;

3) keitō-no-hana [鷄頭の花], Celosia argentea (specifically the cultivar cristata), the cockscomb (prohibited because it is a ) -- below, on the left;

4) ominaeshi [女郞花], Patrinia scabiosaefolia, goldbaldrian (prohibited because as the flower dries after being splashed with dew, it gives off a smell similar to the menses) -- above, on the right;

5) zakuro [柘榴], Punica granatum, the pomegranate (prohibited because it is a fruit, and also because it is typically infested with mites) -- below, on the left;

6) kōbone [河骨], Nuphar japonicum, Japanese spatterdock (prohibited because the name suggests a drowned corpse, and because it is a weed that clogs the canals and interferes with commerce) -- above, on the right;

7) kinsenka [金盞花], Tagetes patula or T. tenuifolia, marigold (prohibited because it is a medicinal plant with a strong medicinal smell) -- below, on the left; and,

8) senreika [仙蓼果], Impatiens balsamina, balsam (prohibited because prostitutes used to use the crushed blossoms to dye their fingernails, and also because the nearly invisible seedpods burst open suddenly and will make the floor seem gritty and unclean) -- above, on the right.

The prohibitions were not necessarily absolute -- Rikyū, for example, liked to use kōbone for his chabana during the hottest months of the year (above). However, they should never be used ignorantly -- if the host has not thought things through carefully first.

¹⁶Marui usu-ita [丸きうす板].

The round ita was originally called a maru-kō-dai [丸香臺]*, and was created as a wabi version of the naka-marubon [中丸盆], one of the six meibutsu trays owned by Ashikaga Yoshimasa.

The original naka-marubon was made of black lacquer, but it had a gold plate† (with a design of a dragon) inlaid on the face‡; and it also featured a gold-colored fukurin [覆輪] around the rim. It was 1-shaku 2-sun 3-bu in diameter, and the rim stood 6-bu high on the outside; however, while the sides were perfectly straight on the inside, they bulged outward in the middle on the outside of the tray (to help the bearer to have a firm grip).

Jōō created this board as a way to display his meibutsu Chidori kōro [ちどり香爐] (above) on the floor of the tokonoma, following the precedent of Yoshimasa (who had used the naka-marubon when displaying a kōro in a similar manner), and that of the Shino family (who made a habit of placing the used kōro in the toko after the guests had finished passing it around -- so that the incense could continue to smolder and perfume the air)**.

After Rikyū’s death certain machi-shū, unaware of the history of this board, started using it as an usu-ita (as discussed in this entry). __________ *This is why the original maru-ita [丸板] was 6-bu thick, like all of the other shiki-ita: a board of this thickness was placed under a vessel that contained burning charcoal -- to protect the tatami from scorching.

†Probably polished brass, since gold would not be especially good for this purpose. The original tray seems to have been made, in China, for conveying hot dishes (such as boiling soup) from the kitchen to the dining room, and the inlaid plate prevented the tray from being burned. This tray also had a brass fukurin around the rim for protection as well.

‡The naka-marubon was also used by Yoshimasa when displaying his bon-seki [盆石] (viewing stones) -- because the inlaid metal plate would not be damaged by the mijin [微塵] (granitic sand) with which the tray was filled the way plain lacquer would be.

**Jōō originally derived the idea for his cha-kai [茶會] from the kō-kai [香會] (incense appreciation gatherings) that were hosted by the Shino family (these gatherings were distinctly meditative in nature -- in marked contrast to the more usual Japanese-style incense competitions). Since most of his early guests were also involved in incense appreciation, Jōō usually included the burning of one or two kinds of kyara [伽羅] incense during the sho-za, after the sumi-temae (and before he started to serve the kaiseki). Because quality incense would smoulder for a long time, and because the fragrance was considered to became more subtle (and more evocative) the longer it was left to burn, Jōō began to place the kōro in the toko after it had been passed around, so that the remaining fragrance could continue to perfume the room. It was for this purpose that he created the maru-kō-dai.

¹⁷Marui usu-ita ni ha hanaire no tori-awase aru-koto nari [丸きうす板にハ花入の取合有事也].

This is an Edo period machi-shū teaching, which has nothing to do with either Jōō or Rikyū.

As mentioned above, certain machi-shū, unaware of the history of this ita, began using it as an usu-ita as early as the last decades of the sixteenth century. During the Edo period, the introduction of Korean neo-Confucian theory gave rise to the idea of discriminating objects into classes based on their perceived degree of formality, and so both usu-ita and hanaire came to be segregated into groups of shin-gyō-sō [眞行草]* -- in this particular case, since this board was not originally made to support a hanaire†, it was considered sō [草], and used as a base for hanaire made of bamboo and unglazed pottery. __________ *Roughly speaking:

◦ the shin [眞] hanaire were Chinese and Korean bronzes, and Chinese and Korean celadons, and porcelains;

◦ gyō [行] hanaire were those made of glazed pottery (including poorly fired examples of celadons and porcelains);

◦ sō [草] hanaire were those made of unglazed pottery, bamboo, and other materials.

Meanwhile, the original rectangular usuita that had been used by Jōō and Rikyū as a base for any sort of hanaire, and which was now being called the yahazu-ita [矢筈板] (because the edge is notched like the nock of an arrow -- it was actually intended by Jōō to be an imitation the rim of the Gassan naga-bon, another of Yoshimasa's trays, in miniature), was now considered the shin [眞] usu-ita; rectangular boards that were made by sanding off the chipped edges of old yahazu-ita (this kind of ita is usually called the hamaguri-ba [蛤端], since the edge resembled the closed mouth of a clam) were considered gyō [行]; and the maru-kō-dai was referred to as the sō [草] ita (because, as mentioned above, it was no longer being used for its proper purpose).

†The usu-ita were usually around 3-bu thick. During the Edo period, people began to reduce the thickness of the round board to 3-bu as well -- since the actual history of the board, and its purpose, had been long forgotten. These boards were often finished in the same way as the hamaguri-ba (in other words, the edge was sanded to a rounded point reminiscent of the closed mouth of a clam), and this “new” kind of board was subsequently known as the maru hamaguri-ba [丸蛤端].

¹⁸Han-getsu no usu-ita [半月のうす板].

This ita was shaped as shown in the sketch, below*. In the shin-gyō-sō [眞行草] system, this kind of ita was considered gyō-sō [行草]†.

With respect to the hanaire that were supposed to be placed on it, many years ago I heard it said that they should be things that were not made as hanaire -- other kinds of objects that were later adopted for this purpose. Such things, too, were classified as gyō-sō.

However, I have been unable to find even a single reference to this kind of usu-ita anywhere‡, and so I am unable to verify this comment. __________ *It is, therefore, not the half-circle that the name tends to suggest, but a circle with one side cut off, as shown above.

†Gyō-sō [行草] (like shin, gyō, and sō) is a calligraphic term, which means an idiosyncratic mixture of running and cursive scripts. It was ranked lower than sō.

The han-getsu-ita combines both the square or rectangular ita with the round ita.

‡Since the 1950s there has been a conscious effort to limit everything connected with chanoyu to a single point of view -- the point of view espoused by the several biggest schools. Thus, access to anything else (whether the objects depicted in books, or the objects displayed in museum collections) has dwindled to the point where the associated teachings have once again been forgotten.

¹⁹Shikaku hanaire [四角花入].

The container appears square when viewed from above.

Aside from four fairly distinct corners, the profile can vary quite a bit -- some are straight-sided, others have narrow necks, even gourd-like shapes and so forth.

²⁰Sumi chigae ni oku-koto yoshi [すミちかへにおく事よし].

This means that neither one of the sides, nor one of the corners, should be facing directly forward. Rather, it should be oriented in a manner similar to the container shown above: perhaps a corner, or a side, toward the front -- depending on the individual container -- but then rotated slightly (the way that the Nampō Roku holds a container with three legs should be oriented).

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