Bonryaku - Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Created: September 19, 2018 4:43 AM
Tags: Bonryaku, Usucha
Updated: September 19, 2018 5:01 AM
First day of temae! First temae in Kyoto! Yay! Taught by Ito-sensei.
I think from here on out, the notes are going to be much more sparse. Also, I don’t think google docs is the right format to maintain this. I’d like something like evernote, ie be able to have lots of smaller (one-day) notes that I could tag appropriately, but I don’t know if I want to buy into the evernote ecosystem. Docs is too convenient. Hmm. More on this later.
Today was the first day of actual temae, not warigeiko! And actually, weirdly this was also the first time I’ve whisked tea yet in Kyoto. I was remarkably not-nervous, but I think part of that is the constant stress burning off my nerve endings. lol but not lol.
- You can say bonryaku no okeiko yoroshiku onegai-itashimasu, or you could also say bonryaku no goshido yoroshiku onegai-itashimasu. Ito-sensei seems to prefer the latter.
- Likewise, when leaving to prepare for the next temae, Ito-sensei seems to like, tsugi no temae no junbi wo sassete-itadakimasu. At least I think that’s what it is.
- Back edge of the ita should be placed 6 sun away from the back line (1 sun = 2 lines, so 12 lines from the back). If the temaedatami is daime (a ¾ mat), you should place it 4 sun away.
- As a general rule, the bowl should be behind the knee line when giving it to the guest. So when doing bondemae at a diagonal, the bowl ends up nestled right in the corner of the adjacent tatami (not up and out like normal).
- Pick up the tetsubin with your thumb also wrapping around the handle (but not hook grip).
- When scooping with chashaku, you should hold it like you would a hishaku. This means scooping from the wrist/elbow, not scooping with your hand.
- In a room where the temaedatami is the same as the entrance tatami, you should take 3 steps to walk in and out. To walk out (more complicated):
- Normal: Stand with left, scoot left back to “corner”, turn sharply with right, cross the line and exit with the left. NOTE: do this very slowly, otherwise the dougu will spin.
- Kensui: 3 steps also, but natural. Left scoots back, right goes to line, left exits.
- A philosophical note: Temae starts at the mizuya-ita, not at the door. You should conduct yourself as if you are doing temae all the way until the ita where you put your dougu [behind the fusuma].