the nature of the implements

**the nature of the implements
For the connoisseurship of chadogu, the wabisuki concept is to be kept in mind. wabisuki implements possess or should possess the seven qualities described hereunder. They may be regarded as the qualities that determine their aura, as mentioned in the section above.
1. Asymmetry. Instead of being perfectly round or square, the article has a dent, is warped, or is somehow otherwise asymmetrical. Distaste for such qualities as perfect, prim, punctilious.

2. Simplicity. Being plain and simple. Distaste for such qualities as precision, complexity, clever fine work.

3. Tall and withered. A presence like a leafless tree standing in the snow; not totally withered, but evoking the sense that when spring arrives it will sprout buds. Distaste for such qualities as rich, flowery, young.

4. Naturalness. Innocence and non-worldliness; freedom from device This is not the same as being like nature in the wild, but means distaste for artificiality, artifice, and affectation.

5. Subtlety and Profundity(yugen,幽玄). Modesty, lingering effect, nebulosity, suggestiveness. Distaste for overt expression

6. Non-vulgarity. Freedom from worldly fetters. distaste for worldly glory, riches, human entanglements.

7. serenity. Quietude, composure, solitude. Distaste for busyness, bustle, turmoil, and the like.

Besides the matters of form, balance, and aura, the above qualities are important standards in selecting chadogu. We may also say that implements that have these qualities can be regarded as good wabisuki implements. However, not all chanoyu implements necessarily possess all seven of these qualities equally. sometimes, some of the qualities are strong, while the others are weak.

Also,even though these qualities were the basis for connoisseurship, because there was a broadened interpretation of them after the 17th century, art works and crafts that do not necessarily fit into these descriptions came to be taken up as chadogu. Therefore, chanoyu art became complex and, in a way, hard to understand. Nonetheless, the standards of chanoyu art lie in the work's form, balance, and aura, and the above-listed qualities characterize them.

* The distinctive features of chanoyu objects of art

'Chanoyu objects of art' constitute one genre of Japanese art, and within this genre, there are many types of art, including writings and paintings, crafts, and so on. Also, in that each of the articles well expresses some characteristic of Japanese art, it is possible to view chanoyu as representative of 'Japaneses art'. We may also consider that the artistic sense found in chanoyu influenced many field of Japanese art. This influence, however, was not of equal measure across all field of crafts and especially pottery.

Also, chanoyu not only has its artistic quality. One characteristic of it is that its artistic quality is just one element of it. Chanoyu can not be considered on the basis of standards of art, especially Western standards of art. Looking at chanoyu and its relation to Japanese art, it is possible to point out as follows:

1. chanoyu was established later than Japanese art

In chanoyu, the tea drinking method that entered the country in the early 13th century was established as an art form in the16th century because, therefore, it was later in developing than such arts as painting, sculpture, architecture,literature, or music, it was influenced by them.

2. The wellspring of the chanoyu aesthetic sense

The chanoyu aesthetic sense, based on the wabisuki ideal, denied overt decorativeness and pursued the spiritual. However, after the 17th century, it accepted Chinese art objects that it had once eliminated, and also accepted newly recognized Japanese craft products, and we thus have a mixture of works not necessarily based solely on the standard of the wbisuki idea.

3. the incorporation of natural phenomenon and literary works

Many works incorporated in chanoyu are on themes from nature, or literary themes, and there are many that were given MEI(銘,a poetic appellation or proper name). Therefore, by learning chanoyu one becomes attuned to the Japanese view of nature and gains education from literature.

4. the importance of balance between the parctical and other considerations concerning chanoyu implements

When taking up articles as chanoyu implements, one asks oneself what the item is to be used for and if it is suitable for that purpose. In other words, keyed to the choice is the consideration of the item's use. Consequently, one would not use something chosen as a tea bowl as a receptacle for waste-water(kensui,建水). At the sme time, not only is there consideration given toward whether the item wil harmonize with the other implements , but also, the selective eye is focused on its harmony within the tea room, tea making, and purpose of the tea gathering.

5. the spread of the chanoyu aesthetic

Because chanoyu implements were bought and sold at high prices, their makers created them according to the tastes of the people involved. In other words, the chanoyu aesthetic was clearly in mind. Therefore, the chanoyu aesthetic has inevitably influenced general crafts to some extent.

6. the unique standards of value in chanoyu

The crafts from around the world, and across many fields, that have been taken up in chanoyu have not necessarily been the most splendid articles in terms of artistic quality or craftsmanship. Since they always were chosen from the viewpoint of the aesthetic of wabisuki, they consequently were not chosen because they were the most splendid works of that country or in that field,but rather , because they represented the wabisuki aesthetic. therefore. within the realm of Japanese art, there is the tendency to consider chanoyu art as something unique.

7. Importance placed on past transmission

Furthermore, for chadogu, attention is given to who owned the piece, where it was preserved, and so forth regarding its history. In fact, such matters may be considered more important than the piece's artistic or technical qualities. The sense of respect toward the person who originally owned the piece has probably altered the value of the piece, providing added value that falls under the factor called its 'transmission.'

chanoyu objects of art are uniquely japanese and

**chanoyu objects of art are uniquely japanese and are valued in a special way

* the particular characteristics of chanoyu implements
A long process was involved for the ideology underlying chanoyu to become refined, but finally the concept of wabisuki was reached, and chanoyu based on wabisuki was judged to be the epitome. Consequently, we may say that the beauty of chanoyu consists in the concretization of the wabisuki concept. let us then inquire into just what the beauty of wabisuki is.
Looking at the chadogu that have come down to present times, the following characteristics may be pointed out:
1. Variety: they are basically chosen according to the wabisuki concept

the interpretation of wabisuki, and how it has been evaluated, has differed quite a bit depending upon the era and the person, and so it is impossible to theorize about it in a single breath, although it inevitably is based on the wabisuki concept. Concretely, there is a mixture of implements centering on Chinese karamono that were used to decorate kaisho(会所) gathering places, wabi implements based on the wabisuki concept, konominono(好み物,favored items) and handmade(手造り) items which mainly arose due to the establishment of the IEMOTO sysytem, and new chadog centering on European products selected by morden sukisha.
2. Practicality. They are usable for chanoyu.

Of importance are its form(nari,なり), balance(koro,ころ), and aura(yosu,ようす), and if the article does not qualify in these respects, it is not taken up. The item itself has to be of proper weight and balance, and it must not destroy the harmony among the other chadogu.

3. symbolism. Within the simple shapes and colors, there is a spiritual quality

Elaborate decoration, colors painted into the piece, overly prim shapes, and so forth are avoided, while simplicity and calmness and quietness are valued. Effort is placed on giving meaning to the qualities in and existence of those features.

* The standards of selection

At the root of wabisuki, there is the ZEN ideology and the spirit of waka, as previously explained. In thinking about the concrete standards applied when selecting chadogu, it becomes clear that the following three keywords have been important.

1. Form(nari). this means the shape itself and overall silhouette. the kanji used to write the term nari is that for 'shape,形'. this , therefore, concerns the outer appearance of the implement. Every implement has its own particular purpose, and of first importance is that the shape suits that the shape suits that purpose. For example, if it is a vessel for water, it must be shaped so that it is stable and will not tip over. Furthermore, it needs to match the nature of wabisuki beauty, as will be described next. For instance, we may say that it should not be elaborately shaped, but have a clean, simple form.

2. Balance(koro) This has to do with its size and distribution. The KANJI used to write the term koro is that for 'ratio,比' . The idea may also be referred to as koroai, or 'suitable match'. Firstly, about the size, if it is a tea bowl then it needs to fit neatly in a person's cupped hands. Also, it is not good if it is surprisingly heavy when one picks it up, or if it is too light. The matter of ratio, for instance in the case of a container for tea powder for thick tea(chaire), would mean that the mouth needs to be size that allows the tea scoop to be inserted easily, while if the mouth is strangely large, the container will not be acceptable. It is also important that the diameter of the mouth, that of the body, as well as that of the bottom must be of a comfortable ratio.
Almost all the famous chadogu from the past fit within a certain parameter insofar as this ratio is involved. Also, it is not just the one item that is considered; its balance and harmony with the other implements is important. Care must be taken so that just one item is not outstandingly large or small. Harmony is important for chadogu.

3. Aura(yosu) The kanji for yosu is 様子, which stands for 'state', among other meaning. Each work possesses its own aura. Works that subtly present an aura that is in keeping with the beauty of chanoyu, as described next, are recognized, while those that present a fussy aura, gaudy aura, or an aura of being too prim are avoid.

wabisuki and wabi-sabi

*wabisuki and wabi-sabi
It is not an overstatement to say that chanoyu at the end of the16th century was nearly dominated by wabisuki. However, with the death of the man who we may consider to have been its main leader, SEN no RIKYU, this began to change. As described previously in the post about the chanoyu history, entering the 17th century many unique tea masters appeared on the scene, each innovating and promoting his own style of chanoyu, and so we could say that this was an era of development for wabisuki. however, entering the 18th century it appears that wabisuki had changed in its very quality.

Specifically, in documents about chanoyu written around this time, at first we can find some usage of the term wabisuki, but gradually the usage becomes divided into wabi and suki. To explain more clearly, at first wabi is used to imply something very close to the original meaning of wabisuki, but soon it comes to imply something quite different from the wabisuki described in last post above; something inferring chanoyu that does not have any splendid implements. The word suki comes to simply mean chanoyu, and so the combination sukisha(数寄者) means chanoyu person and sukiya(数寄屋) means chashitsu in those documents.

Wabisuki initially was understood as a certain ideal form of chanoyu. However, because of its strict content or the difficult process required to reach the realm that was its goal, people lost interest in it. The consequence of this is revealed in the change of vocabulary we find in the chanoyu documents. Although around the beginning of the 17th century the word wabi was used with the same meaning as wabisuki, in time the term wabi person/people(wabibito), though it might have shown a measure of respect, actually came to ring of the sense that they were looked upon as heathenish beings.

Nowadays it is so common to use the terms wabi-sabi when speaking about chanoyu, almost as if these are set epithets for it, but as can be realized from the explanations given thus far, the root of the chanoyu ideal lies in wabisuki, and even though wabi is a close term, it actually only indicates one facet of chanoyu. The term sabi(rust,sense of patina) actually was never used much in chanoyu. Even if it were used, it would not be used like the words wabisuki or wabi, to talk about the ideology of chanoyu itself or matters related to it. Sabi, rather, it a term used most often to explain about the beauty in wabisuki- wabi-style chanoyu. moreover, it may be said that wabi was a term holding important meaning in literature,such as haiku(俳句)

From poetic Pursuit to zen

**From poetic Pursuit to zen

3.Wabisuki
Chasuki evolved into chanoyu once its three facts of chashitsu, temae, and chadogu were developed. Together with this, however, another idea that boosted the development of chasuki was the awakening of the notion of wabisuki. This , again, may be divided into four concepts:
(1) The same concept as the devotion demanded in utasuki (執心)
(2) to engage in zen training (禅)
(3) to study waka and understand its essence (和歌)
(4) to be able to select implements qualified for wabisuiki (目聞)
Concerning the second point, ZEN, in utasuki the Buddhist path did not necessarily mean ZEN; however, in wabisuki it was clearly identified that this path must be that of Zen. One reason behind this was that RIKYU and the others of this era who presumably contributed to the development of the wabisuki idea inevitably studied Zen. More to the point, however, is that chanoyu devotees considered that the Buddhist path necessary for wabisuki was Zen. Supposedly, this was because they considered that Zen(not implying the school of Buddhism called ZEN) put its finger on how humans should be, and indicated a concrete method, ZAZEN(座禅,seated meditation), for reaching that way of being. Hence, the chanoyu that those individuals developed was not simply a way of making and drinking tea called chanoyu(in modern terms, chanoyu as an art or as a performance). What they aimed for was to reach the ZEN realm by having those who practiced it practice seated meditation. This is the wellspring of the later description of chanoyu as 'Tea and Zen, the same flavor'(chazen ichimi,茶禅一味) or 'Tea is at once ZEN'(cha soku zen,茶即禅).

Like the 'chill and lean'(冷え痩せ？) of chasuki, waka in wabisuki implies that the ideology underlying waka(classical Japanese poetry) and renga(collaborative verse-linking) is essential to it. With chasuki, the phrase 'chill and lean' included the idea of the Buddhist path, whereas in wabisuki, the Buddhist path and specifically ZEN stood independently as its foundation, and it was reasoned that, on top of this, the ideology that waka and renga realized was essential tochanoyu as well. The aim of Zen, by and large, was to cultivate the chanoyu practitioner as a human being and lead the person to a certain condition of self-realization, while there was in waka not only the 'chill and lean' ideology but the poetic spirit itself, which was considered necessary to cultivate the nature and manner of chanoyu in order for it to achieve a superb presence.

The 'choise of imlements' of chasuki and the 'connoisseur-ship' of wabisuki are similar, but in the latter, the selection of implements was based on the ideas of wabisuki, and this was judged by a strict criterion. Consequently, many Chinese imports(KARAMONO) left the field of chadogu, and domestic items(wamono),Korean items8KORAIMONO), and also imports from Southeast Asia and other areas(nanbanmono) were newly taken up as chadogu for wabisuki. The selection of implements in chasuki was roughly a matter concerning the two opposite poles of Chinese imports and domestic items, but the basis for connoisseurship was the wabisuki ideas, and also it may be said that importance was placed on the overall harmony of all the implements rather than judging each for its independent worthy qualities.

The above four points each characterize and represent the elements that were necessary for the realization of wabisuki. Devotion meant chanoyu training, Zen meant personal training as a human being, waka meant the presence that chanoyu possessed, and connoisseurship meant the selection and harmony of the implements.

These elements are not equal in level or ratio. We might think of them as positioned as follow: at the foundation is devotion, Zen rests on top of this, above that rests waka, and at the very top is connoisseurship.

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.

The Distinctive features and function of the ROJI

*The Distinctive features and function of the ROJI


1. It is small. Most ROJI are quite small, being about 200-300m^2 (60-90 tsubo)at most, and there are rarely any exceeding 1000m^2. At temples and such where there is a chashitsu in one corner of a large garden, the portion there will be fenced off and made into the ROJI for the chashitsu.

2. Low shrubbery and nonflowering trees are planted. Trees that are too tall shut out the sunlight and therefore are not preferred. Flowers are displayed inside the chashitsu, and in order for those to be given the highlight, flowing plants are avoided in the ROJI. Also, in humid regions such as KYOTO, many varieties of moss grow on the ground, which makes for a beautiful scene.

3. A place for the guests to meet. A small structure called machiai(waiting place) is built in the ROJI. The invited guests wait here for everyone in the invited party to assemble. After a while, the host comes for them and they follow his directions and proceed to the chashitsu.

4. A path leading into an extraordinary, non-worldly space. A chashitsu is a space removed from ordinary daily life, and the ROJI considered as a path leading to it. Therefore, daily wordly items such as abacuses in the old days and cellular phone in present times are to be left outside and not brought in, and also, one should not enter wearing regular daily attire. Before entering the ROJI, such items should be deposited somewhere appropriate, and one should change into appropriate clothing.

Then, in the ROJI, the guests ready themselves mentally for entering the non- worldly space of the chashitsu.

5. A place to purify the body. At the tsukubai(low stone water-basin) set near the entrance way to the chashitsu, the guests rinse their hands and mouth, and thereby purify themselves physically. This is not for sanitation, to wash away germs, but is a symbolic act.

the Distinctive Features and function of the chashitsu

*the Distinctive Features and function of the chashitsu

1. the chashitsu is an exclusive space for chanoyu. Before the establishment of chanoyu, a common room was used not only for tea parties but also verse-linking parties and incense parties. However, with the establishment of chanoyu, an exclusive room for it was constructed.
2. chashitsu have a place to do temae, a display place, and a place to engage in appreciation. The place for doing temae is referred to as the temaeza. The host sits at this spot and performs the temae. A temae is performed while sitting, and so a space of 1 m^2 is required. The place where the temae is performed is near the host's entrance way, and the layout of the chashitsu decides its location.
The display place mainly is the TOKUNOMA. Usually the items displayed here are a hanging scroll(KAKEMONO; KAKEJIKU), flower container(HANAIRE), and incense burner(香炉,KORO) or incense container(香合,KOGO). In days of old, it was not uncommon for the caddy containing powered tea(茶入れ,chaire) or jar containing leaf tea (茶壷,chatsubo) to be displayed, but there are only displayed here at certain special times nowadays.
The chashitsu generally is a place for appreciating things. Sitting at their seats, the guests appreciate the TOKONOMA display., the host's temae, and the implements used. They sometimes move in front of the TOKONOMA or in front of the RO for a closer view.
The place for the appreciation of objects depends upon the size of the chashitsu; the larger the place for appreciation, and relative to this, the more guests that can be seated in the room. One TATAMI can seat from two to three people. However, even if the chashitsu is large, the guests only sit on the TATAMI around the perimeter, without sitting on the TATAMI in the middle of the room. 3. While the chashitsu serves the functions just described(2 above), and it also pursues the ideal of being as small as possible, various devices are employed so that it does not seem small or cramped.
The smallest chashitsu is only somewhat less than two TATAMI in floor space(about 3m^2). Even so, by having many windows, variation in the ceiling treatment, and so forth, it has a surprisingly comfortable feeling.
A chashitsu that is YOJOHAN, or 4.5 TATAMI in floor space, is considered the most fundamental size. If it is larger, it is categorized as HIROMA(広間,spacious room).

4. The degree of brightness in a chashittsu, as well as the direction of the light and position of the light source is minutely calculated.

The earliest chashittsu had their openings in the north side. It is said that this is because the change in light entering the room due to the movement of the sun is relatively minimal on the north side After this developmental stage in the history of the chashitus, the guest's entrance way was made small, and many windows were built into the room, and so the direction of the chashitsu ceased to be such an issue. However, the placement of the windows was still decided after giving sufficient thought to the effect of how the light would enter the room.

At night, such lighting equipment as a TANKEi(短敬木 a device in which a wick is burned using rapeseed oil) or portable candle(手燭) holder are employed. It is placed between the host and the guests, and the light source is about at the eye level of the seated people.

5. Traditionally, the designing of the chashitsu was not left to a professional architectural designer. Rather, the chajin(devoted chanoyu person) personally designed the chashitsu so that he might realize his personal conception of chanoyu. Such chanoyu devotees not only drew up ground plans, but thought up the idea of making three-dimensional standing fold-out plants called OKOSHIEZU(起し絵図), the CHAJIN(茶人) could communicate his ideas and realize the kind of Chanoyu that was his ideal.