茶道
Chanoyu—Japanese Tea Ceremony
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
By Teri Mitchell | Published February 2006
Chashitsu |
Chanoyu
was developed through a process in which cultural formal rituals
were combined with the enjoyment of tasting Maccha.
In Chanoyu, a comprehensive blend of the following features are
all fused;
- A living space - including a tea room and a garden
- Arts and crafts - to select and appreciate the utensils
- Food - appetizers and sweets served in every tea ceremony
- The tea-making etiquette - to give the guests a warm welcome
Furthermore, Chanoyu was deeply related to Zen which produced
the spiritual culture “Wabi Sabi”. In Chanoyu, we value the spirit
of “Wabi Sabi”, and we keep ourselves in a calm frame of mind
by making tea in a quiet space “Chashitsu”. In this process, review
ourselves and enhance our spirits.
Also, in Chanoyu, we have a concept of “Ichigo Ichie” which means
“Treasure every meeting, for it will never recur”. We are supposed
to make tea following this concept.
Maccha: Green tea powder / green tea for Chanoyu
Zen: A type of Buddhism introduced from China.
Famous for Zen meditation.
Wabi Sabi: Admitting your loneliness and behaving
humble
Chashitsu: Tea room
(To be continued…)
書道
Shodo—Japanese Calligraphy
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Kaki-zome |
Shodo
is an art form in which Kanji and Hiragana are written with a
writing brush and Japanese black ink (black India ink).
The artwork is internal expressions in different scripts through
concentration, self-discipline, and practice. In strokes, you
can see strong or supple, thick or thin, faint (patchy) or spread.
Including those features, we appreciate Shodo artwork with viewpoints
on shapeliness; how the brush was handled, ink contrast, the entire
balance, and the meaning of the letters.
We have customary events for writing auspicious words or poems
in Shodo on the 2nd of January, which is called “Kaki-zome”. The
artwork is a special piece of calligraphy for the New Year.
Kanji: A type of Japanese letters. Known as Chinese
symbols.
Hiragana: A type of Japanese letters. Original
Japanese letters.
Kaki-zome: Literary means “first writing”
(To be continued…)
 Teri
Mitchell, Shoji is a Shodo artist from Yokohama, JAPAN. She
gives private Lessons in Shodo (Japanese calligraphy), Nihongo
(Japanese language) and Japanese cooking in the NW Orlando
area, also performs Chanoyu (Tea Ceremony).
email: teri_mitchell@hotmail.com |
|
