Okeiko-Glenn-2020-07-19

Usucha Kazari (Natsume + Chawan)

needs-review

July 19, 2020

Watched Glenn do Natsume Kazari, and I did Chawan Kazari Usucha.

• Unrelated points:
  • If he’s serving people during the summer on a hot day in a hachijo, he would set up in a komazue style with no fumikomidatami, putting a kekkai behind the temaeza, then have the guests move up one and sit on the farthest kayoidatami away from the sadoguchi. It cozies up the space a bit while still keeping things open and light
  • When taking futaoki out, you can manipulate it with your fingers a bit to hold it more sideways s.t. when you’re holding it in front of the hishaku during kamae, your wrist isn’t bent
  • When doing fukusa nigiriconde while kiyome-ing the natsume, the normal way to do it is so the “U” is facing away from your palm. However, if you roll the fukusa into your palm s.t. the U is facing into your palm, then it’s easier to get your finger in for flipping it back open.
  • He was taught initially to take your finger out for natsume kiyome immediately, but some gyotei sensei said to take it out once the natsume leaves the floor. Meh. Pick your favorite.
  • His opinion is to hold the kama no futa with your middle finger, ie considering how in a natural hand position, your index finger comes slightly outward.
  • Related, a gyotei told him that natsume holding (hangetsu) should be primarily with your ring finger. Dunno why. Maybe related to your ring finger being the purest finger? He said he recalled it having something to do with a connection to your heart.
  • Hishaku should be much lower at the beginning when I finish kamae and I’m about to put it on futaoki for the first time. I tend to keep it at +30deg maybe from parallel. Instead, it should be lower. Not so low that the go is parallel to the floor, but certainly so the handle is below parallel.
  • Chashaku kiyome, the chashaku tip should come to the center of the fukusa, rather than following the curve of the kaisaki (?) and stopping with the crook of the chashaku in your thumb
  • Don’t come into the kama from the front. That’s reserved for higher temae. It should just come in at an angle s.t. it avoids the kantsuki.
• Dougu notes
  • Nuributa mizusashi (he said “because it’s usucha, you use nuributa.” Why?), but otherwise any mizusashi is fine
  • Traditionally is a natsume, but really any chaki that you want to use is fine
  • Chawan likewise can be anything. Fancy kyo-yaki is fine if you’re doing chawan kazari. If you’re doing natsume kazari, the shawan should be more demure. Hirachawan is fine.
  • Chashaku should ideally be kigo, not zengo
• Important points
  • Chasen doesn’t come down UNTIL YOU NEED IT. So rather than place it down next to the chaki, you pour water and place the chasen directly into the bowl.
  • For CHAWAN KAZARI, THE BOWL IS TURNED IN THE PALM WHEN PLACING OUT. You turn to kyakutsuki, place the bowl down, place your kobukusa out like chabako, then pick up the bowl and TURN IN YOUR LEFT PALM rather than on the floor like chawan kazari.
  • These usucha kazari typically wouldn’t be done during a chaji. Practically, you wouldn’t have the opportunity to do the kazari setup between koicha, sumi, and starting usucha. So there’s really no way to do it. This would be more of a, “invite someone to your house to have tea” kind of thing where it would be much more casual.
  • This could be done in any kind of space, but yojohan or komazue would be nice.
• Natsume kazari
  • Chasen, chakin, chashaku are on the mizusashi no futa just like for all other kazari setups. The fukusa is folded like for kaichu and placed in the bowl with enough sticking out to be able to grab. The natsume then sits directly on the fukusa.
  • Enter with kensui, doing aisatsu here (because it’s not koicha, so you won’t sorei later)
  • Do as usual with kensui (making a noise with the hishaku on the futaoki)
  • Bring chawan combo to the far side of temae. Handle primarily with R, but with L supporting (even though it’s natsume)
    • You can really come back up to imai, switch hands, then bring your body back down to place.
  • L supporting while inside the bowl but removing support once out of the bowl, take out natsume and place near-side of temae
  • Take out kobukusa from kaichuu, place in front of mizusashi where the natsume will go (normal place)
  • Remove fukusa from the bowl and so-sabaki, kiyome, then place natsume on the kobukusa
    • Removing fukusa should be thumb on top. Glenn pulls twice, once to get more of it exposed, then a second time to grip more from the side so it flops less
  • Refold, purify chashaku, and place on the natsume. DO NOT TAKE DOWN THE CHASEN.
  • Open the kama and pour water into the bowl
  • NOW take down chasen, place in bowl, then 2h bring bowl to center of temae
  • Do as usual until scooping tea
  • Scooping tea is the same as always, ie take chashaku in R, take natsume in L, scoop, put everything back (as in usucha style).
    • There was a question of whether the lid goes on the kobukusa or in the normal position on the tatami. We’re of the opinion that 100% it goes on the tatami. Otherwise it’s too formal, ie comparable to wakin or karamono.
  • Make tea, serve, etc
  • At the end of shimai, move the natsume + kobukusa combo the same way as you do in chaire kazari, ie scoot in under the sides, hold the shoulder with thumbs, and move.
  • Continue as normal
  • When bringing the natsume out for haiken, pick up as above w/kobukusa and turn to kyakutsuki, holding low. Kiyome as usual, placing the lid to the right of the kobukusa.
  • To place out into douguza, turn as usual, ie take from middle, hands to corners, turn, repeat, place out.
  • Continue as usual
  • At the very end when leaving, THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM CHAIRE KAZARI. Place natsume into your L palm immediately, then close and kaichuu ni shite kobukusa with R. Then pick up chashaku with R and exit.
    • If you don’t do this, ie if you do chaire kazari style of bringing chaire heriuchi first, close kobukusa, and then deal with things, it looks weird. Chashaku looks really sabishii out front.
• Chawan kazari (all the same, except…)
  • Handle chawan with 2h (L always supporting, not actually holding) the entire time UNTIL the guest asks for haiken. At that point, when you place the bowl karioki, that’s only with 1h.
  • When pouring into the kensui, you pick up / put down with 2h, but you only empty over the kensui with 1h.
  • When you finish making tea, you pick up the bowl, put on L palm, and turn to kyakutsuki. Then, you place down in front of you, put kobukusa out chabako style, and TURN THE BOWL IN THE AIR ON YOUR PALM (like usual). NOT ON THE FLOOR like koicha chawan kazari.
    • Then you shitai (i think?? scoot backwards) and hikae until the guest has brought the bowl heriuchi
    • Then you can scoot back up and put your hands on your lap. If you’ve used the fukusa to open the lid, you take fukusa with L here and koshi.
    • When the bowl is returned, you leave it out in douguza while the guest asks about stuff. Then once conversation is done, you bring the bowl into temaedatami, kaichuu kobukusa, and turn back to imai.
  • Kyaku portion:
    • Kyaku places bowl between guests heriuchi (including kobukusa) and osaki ni.
    • In chawan kazari, you kansha, the place it back down to turn the bowl on the floor. For this, to make it less formal, he thinks you should do chabako style, ie do everything in the air.