chanoyu is a matter of wabisuki

**chanoyu is a matter of wabisuki

*From poetic pursuit to zen-flavored wabi pursuit
There was a long course of events leading to the establishment of chanoyu, and since its establishment chanoyu has changed in many ways. With its establishment, however, certain ideas were formed that supported its practice. Hereunder is an explanation of how the ideas developed, and what they were.
from the historical perspective, before the establishment in chanoyu of the idea of wabisuki(詫数寄,chanoyu rooted in the aestheticism of wabi), the idea of suiki(数寄,aestheticism) was recognized in the realm of Japanese poetry(waka), and supposedly it was through this influence that the idea of chasuki(茶数寄,chanoyu aestheticism) evolved. Furthermore, Zen ideas were adopted into chanoyu, and with these developments the wabisuki idea was established.
1. Utasuki(歌数寄）
From the HEIAN period into the KAMAKURA(9th-13th century),people involved in composing WAKA(和歌,traditional Japanese poetic form consisting of 31 syllables) experimented with many ideas. The great master of the WAKA poetic form, FUJIWARA no SADAIE(藤原定家,a.k.a FUJIWARA no TEIKA; 1162-1241), consolidated these into a theory. Entering the MUROMACHI period, however,the poetry composition style called RENGA(collaborative verse-linking) became popular. Rather than individual poets composing a poem each and vying against each other for superiority, the poems were separated into two sections- an opening verse and closing verse - and numerous poets would participate in composing verse- and numerous poets would participate in composing linked poems. Through this development, the WAKA theory of SADAIE was carried forward by the masters of RENGA. The conclusion reached by those RENGA masters as to what thy could describe as their concept of UTASUKU(poetic aestheticism) was fourfold:
(1) Poetry composition as a lifelong pursuit (執心)
(2) belief in Buddhism, and pursuit of the Buddhist teachings (仏道)
(3) leaving the world of mundane affairs and living in seclusion in a quiet place in the mountains (遁世)
(4) learning from excellent poems of the past. people referred to those who devoted themselves to RENGA as UTASUKi, and the RENGA get-togethers also came to be called UTASUKI. (秀歌)

2. Chasuki(茶数寄)
Besides the world of poetry, in the 14th century TOCHA(闘茶) 'tea competitions' were the rage, but by the 15th century they went out of fashion and, instead, tea get-togethers called chasuki became popular, as described in a previous pages.At these chasuki, there was not the gambling and drinking of the TOCHA parties; rather, it seems that tea drinking acted as an occasion wherein the participants aimed to reach a deeper, spiritual realm. It was probably for this purpose that procedure for making the tea(teame) were created, and the implements which were to be used for this developed. A number of documents reveal that it was important to select articles appropriate for chasuki out of the domestic articles that might be found anywhere, as opposed to using expensive imports from China. According to documents written in the16th century, the following four points were considered important for chasuki:

(1) To engage in one's tea practice as one's lifework (覚悟)

(2) originality in one's tea practice, and people's recognition of one's accomplishments (作分と手柄)

(3) to reach the 'Chill'(hie) and 'lean'(yase) state proposed in renga (冷え痩せ)

(4) select implements appropriate for chanoyu　(道具の選択)

Although not included among the above-mentioned four points, the Buddhist path also was of course considered important. this element, the Buddhist path, is accommodated in point4 above, the notion of 'chill and learn', and is essential to that state.