General questions
- Nakaoki, why center?
- A: He doesn’t know. Something he pointed out is that nakaoki can be done any time of year, not just October. So the “move the fire to the center to be closer to the guest” argument doesn’t make sense.
- Shikiita board alignment to tatami ridges doesn’t matter the count, but for tana, it must be odd number. Why?
- A: He doesn’t know. Need to ask Suzuki-sensei. Probably the same reason as why the shikiita needs to be an odd number away from the wall.
- How does Glenn-sensei move higashiki? When do you move from temporary position to yourself?
- Pinching from sides and no twirling, awesome. To place chashaku down at very end, still the same thing? Pinch top and bottom, then rotate wrist?
- A: We tried this, and it’s too difficult to do with your wrist. This is the one place where you would twirl it in your fingers.
- Men and women, should we be teaching anything different? Be more feminine or be more masculine?
- A: No difference. Individuals have their own style, but there is nothing that we emphasize differently between men and women.
- Suzuki-sensei said that nakaoki can only be done in hiroma. Why?
- (My thoughts: Size is not a problem. Too wabi to be done though in koma. But doing hakobi nakaoki in hachijo feels very weird.)
- A: He doesn’t know. He agrees with this, that it can only be done in hiroma. But we couldn’t think of a good reason why or why not.
Koma questions
- For shomenguchi onto marudatami, what is the footwork? Stand with left, slide back with left, then cross with right? This is what we do in daime, but aren’t we too far away?
- Yeah, he thinks this was a verbal typo and that Suzuki sensei had daime in mind. Glenn has never heard of this. Turn around and exit.
Other notes
- To celebrate gold mining in Colorado, use kinpaku on things. I’m imagining a black kyoyaki chawan with an explosion of gold dust coming from the bottom and floating on the black surface, like gold flecks rising up while panning for gold
- From now on, we shall teach that you ask about the chawan while haikening the chawan (not waiting until it returns to teishu). Applicable for raku and usucha, not for tenmoku.
- Ikkyaku ittei notes
- In 4.5-mat, I would probably sit like nijo with the guest sitting next to the temaedatami. He has no issues with that.
- If not sitting there, he would put the guest where we usually put them for okeiko (first half of the kyakudatami mat).
- In both situations, the host should join for koicha.
- In the nijo-like sitting arrangement, host could join them on the kinindatami, or host could sit in the first part of the kyakudatami.
- If shokyaku is sitting in the first part of kyakudatami, host should sit in the kagetsu kariza position.
- Teishu should tell kyaku at the opening (hishaku drop) sorei that they will join them for koicha. Then, when tea is served and kyaku brings it to their seat, they should leave it herisoto (so it’s vibes-wise between them and the host, versus bringing it heriuchi and left), then sorei with the host.
- After sorei, teishu asks ofukukagen, then comes and joins.
- Glenn puts the kensui laterally centered between the inner edge of the heri and the host’s body for furo hiradamae. (versus close to the wall).
- If the kyaku really hasn’t eaten their sweet yet, and you’re about to make tea, just stop. Put your hands on your lap, and chat. Wait for them to finish. (Keep in mind, this is only a problem when you’re serving omogashi during usucha).
Nijo Koma notes:
- When serving sweets, teishu doesn’t need to sit entirely on the kyaku mat (and generally shouldn’t). They should sit with their shins on the heri.
- Koma sadoguchi is usually 0.75x the size of kyo-datami.
- When teishu places haiken dougu out, and kyaku are sitting on the mats the way we like (both sitting lengthwise along the mat), kyaku needs to move the haiken dougu somehow. It’s already toward their right where it needs to be, but facing the wrong way. We moved it front and center first, ie where you would usually bring it in yojohan when taking it to your seat, then put it inside and right.