Hakobi Usucha - Tuesday, October 2, 2018
Created: October 2, 2018 5:39 AM
Tags: Hakobi, Usucha
Updated: October 2, 2018 5:56 AM
Suzuki-sensei
First day with Suzuki-sensei! And boy… he is intimidating. I wouldn’t go so far as to call him scary, but he’s absolutely somebody you don’t want to piss off. Consequently, today was the longest I’ve ever sat in seiza. Let’s see… 20 minutes for chorei (2 speeches), then 5 hakobi usucha temae with haiken (maybe 20 minutes a piece). First three I sat the whole time, last two I only sat maybe 50%. So let’s call that 20 + 3 * 20 + 2 * 10 = 1hr 40 min? Yikes.
Anyway. For today’s notes - I was first during temae, and Suzuki-sensei clearly decided he wanted to set the tone by correcting the shit out of me. I’m glad it got to be me that got all those corrections, but regardless… yikes.
- Always make sure to clean the dougu before bringing it out. Mizuya touban sets it out, but it’s still your responsibility. Specifically, it is very easy to see dust on lacquer.
- When holding hishaku in kamaeru, the bottom of the cup should be perpendicular to the ground.
- Setting the hishaku on the futaoki, the bottom of the cup should be parallel/flush to the futaoki. Make a sound when setting it down. Then, lower the handle until parallel to the floor. Once parallel, drop.
- For fukusa sabaki:
- Lean forward a bit more
- Grip should be only 3cm from the tips (I’m pretty far in, more than 3cm)
- Thumb to wrist to arm should all make a circle
- For purifying, keep all dougu inside the knee line
- Natsume should be substantially higher than I do, and chashaku should be inside the knee line
- Chasen should be placed on a valley, not on a mountain re: tatami. Mountain is unstable and will cause it to wobble.
- Warm water hishaku pickup should be one smooth motion, not two separate (one to lift, one to slide in)
- To pour water from the hishaku, start with the elbow in close to the body, then move it out to pour. Don’t turn the wrist to pour.
- When returning the hishaku to the kama, turn the hishaku back upright gradually on the way to the kama instead of over the chawan.
- During all of this, chawan should be placed in the center between the ita and the knee line (8 tatami)
- When placing the chashaku on the natsume, accentuate the curvature of the natsume. First place the far side of the chashaku, then bring it down.
- It’s always okay to pour cold water first if the water is too hot for tea.
- Holding the hishaku, always be on or below the fushi, never above
- After whisking tea, it’s okay (and preferable) to clean a bit the excess on the upper inside of the bowl with the whisk
- In 4.5 mat room, with my body type, I should be able to get to dougu from shoukyaku position in two scoots. One to the heri, one up to the dougu.
- When bringing dougu back from temaeza, first bring them closer. Scoot back once to just on the heri. Bring dougu to the position herisoto where hanto would place it if there was one. Then scoot back once more to 16 lines.
- When doing nakajimae, the chawan + chasen should not cross the plane of the shikiita. This is different from the beginning of the temae — it’s okay when starting out to break the plane if there’s no room.