Chanoyu Translation

Chanoyu Translation  · 01 February 2019

After a fruitless search for the date Oribe's chashitsu 'Ennan' was first built, I asked the crew at Iemoto of the Ueda Ryū if they could help out. Fukuma Shihandai came through with the goods, providing two likely dates: 1599 and 1611. You can see what I reckon in the blog post. The date is important as Oribe's manuscripts describe keiko in a chashitsu almost identical to Ennan. Now I can be fairly sure of my translations while imagining the cha in Ennan. I hope you enjoy this info on a...

Chanoyu Translation  · 31 January 2019

Nampō Roku Book 6 - Sumi-biki 南方録　墨引 Incomplete: pp 210-234, first 25 pages of the chapter I'm absolutely delighted to bring my patrons a further installment of the Nampō Roku Sumi-biki section. I have decided to keep translating the Sumi-biki section of the Nampō Roku as I believe the teachings of kanewari illuminate the other texts I am translating (100 Poems of Chanoyu / Oribe's Hundred Lines / An Audience with Oribe). Perhaps it is not too far a stretch to simply say that...

Chanoyu Translation  · 30 November 2018

It feels great to finalise and post the next 10 lines of Oribe's 100 Lines of Chanoyu after some busy weeks away from the keyboard in Australia. Here are some lines that I would like to discuss a little further. This is a small serve for this blog. For the full lowdown, please visit my Patreon. 76. 同客あるきやう、いつかたニ而いろり畳よけ申候、いつかたにても。 In a 4.5 mat room, guests should always avoid walking on the mat where the hearth is cut. This is an...

Chanoyu Translation  · 10 October 2018

For the translation files and complete content, see: https://www.patreon.com/join/adamsomu This month's section of Oribe's 100 Lines of Chanoyu deals mainly with using a chaire on a display tray, commonly called a 'shihōbon' (square tray) by tea practitioners. Using a shihōbon for a chaire in contemporary practice represents a fairly advanced level of practice. Oribe seemed to really enjoy using the shiōbon. He liked to pair a large shihōbon with a small-ish chaire - the aesthetic of...

Chanoyu Translation  · 02 September 2018

Dnes byla na Wikipedii zveřejněna česká verze článku obsahující stručný popis naší čajové školy Ueda Sóko-rjú. Článek vychází z anglické verze, kterou publikoval sensei Adam Sómu (宗夢) Wojciński. V rámci procesu revizí a schvalování v něm pravděpodobně proběhne několik změn, ale i přesto bychom Vás na něj rádi upozornili už nyní. Tento článek na Wikipedii je sice pouze malým krokem, ale je to poprvé co si můžete v češtině přečíst něco o...

Chanoyu Translation  · 31 August 2018

I've prepared an additional two sections again this month. This material is so interesting for me that the motivation to keep on translating is overwhelming! Sections 15 and 16 are especially interesting in that they paint a relatively vivid picture of one of Oribe's night gatherings, held spontaneously on the 11th January, Twelfth Year of Keichō Era (1607). In the tea record we see some groovy things going on. For the dōgu we see an initial display with the hishaku standing upright, the cup...

Chanoyu Translation  · 30 August 2018

This month's instalment of Oribe's 100 Lines of Chanoyu is quite interesting from many perspectives. First, from a research perspective, lines 36 and 37 give us an insight into the evolution of chanoyu manuscripts. 36. 　　 床ニ道具一種之時、棚ニ二種。 When one objet d’art is displayed in the alcove, two are arranged on the display shelf. 37.　 床二種之時、必棚ニ一種。 When two objets d’art are displayed in the alcove, ensure the number of objets on the display...

Chanoyu Translation  · 31 July 2018

When you place and part from your objets d’art The feeling should be like parting from your lover - tender longing for the other 何にても置き付けかへる手離れは、恋しき人にわかるると知れ nani nitemo okitsuke kaeru tebanare wa, koishiki hito ni wakaruru to shire This is about as close as we get to love poetry out of all of the poems in the collection. Love is not expressed explicitly in chanoyu literature, but I think the art of chanoyu would benefit from exploring...

Chanoyu Translation  · 27 July 2018

I got a little carried away with Oribe's 100 Lines this month. I had to cross-reference with the Kōshōji Temple and the Kurita-shi manuscripts for a couple of the lines to see if I could get hints of their meaning. This made me want to get onto these documents real fast. I intend to bore through the rest of the Tokyo National Museum manuscript (the current translation) so the comparative studies can begin. The overwhelming message of this instalment of teachings is that the placement of...

Chanoyu Translation  · 14 July 2018

Some years ago, Ueda Sōkei, the 16th Grandmaster of the Ueda Sōko Tradition of Chanoyu (Japanese tea ceremony), gave me a valuable piece of advice when I started to deeply explore and innovate in the art of chanoyu. He said: "Confidence is born from an understanding of the old texts of chanoyu." He was right. These texts have had a profound influence on my practice, my teaching and understanding of chanoyu. They are composed of aesthetic, spiritual and cultural gold. My sincere wish is to...