Cha-no-yu at HSU

Horai Center is offering a presentation of Cha-no-yu, Wednesday, July 27 from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Humboldt State University Library Fishbowl meeting room.

This demonstration is free and open to the public, but seating is limited.Visit http://humboldt.libcal.com/event.php?id=1128971 for reservations and information, or email horai.center@gmail.com.

HSU parking regulations apply. Visit http://www2.humboldt.edu/parking/Home for details.

Read about our 2015 presentation here: http://horaizons.blogspot.com/2015/07/timeless-hour.html

'Wabi-sabi: Tea Ceremony Ceramics' Exhibit in Arcata

This month, enjoy Lauryn Axelrod's exhibit of Wabi-sabi: Tea Ceremony Ceramics at the Fire Arts Center in Arcata.

Chawan on display in the gallery

A variety of shapes and glazes

Surrounded by pottery in progress, Axelrod offered a demonstration of Chanoyu, a discussion on wabi-sabi and Chado, the Way of Tea, in the studio's working space.

Wabi-sabi: Tea Ceremony Ceramics continues through Feb. 12, 2015 at The Fire Arts Center, 520 South G Street, Arcata, Calif. Call 707-826-1445 for information.

Read more: Perfectly Imperfect — Lauryn Axelrod's wabi-sabi vessels at Fire Arts Center

Stumbling Through the Internet

Discovered a couple new-to-me websites today and thought I'd share.

http://www.thewayofteainla.blogspot.com
About chado, written by tea practitioner and instructor Lauren Deutsch.

http://mingeisota.blogspot.com
About pottery, written by Minesota pottery artist Lee Love.

Ohanami/Tea Ceremony Demonstration UPDATE

Sunday, April 7, 2013, Noon-2:00 p.m.
NEW VENUE IN CASE OF RAIN:
Vance Hotel Lobby, 525 2nd St., Old Town, Eureka

A last update as we head into this rainy weekend — yes, the forecast this weekend is for rain —  so no tea outdoors beneath the cherry trees. But we're very fortunate to have the lovely Vance Hotel lobby as our new and larger alternate venue! The Vance is located at 525 2nd St. (between F and G streets) in Old Town, Eureka. Many thanks to Eureka Main Street and the Vance Hotel!

Please join us this Sunday, bring a friend and come adopt an origami crane! Proceeds benefit the Eureka-Kamisu Sister City Association and the Ink People Center for the Arts. See our Facebook event page (https://www.facebook.com/events/520822421292902/) .

If you can't make it this weekend, try to take a moment — soon — to appreciate the beautiful cherry trees on the Gazebo. They're magical!

It's Cherry Blossom Time

We're celebrating with a Japanese Tea Ceremony and Taiko Demonstration!

Enjoy the cherry trees on Eureka's Old Town Gazebo with a demonstration of the Japanese Tea Ceremony and traditional Taiko drumming on Sunday, April 7 from noon to 2:00 p.m., Second and F streets in Old Town, Eureka. This event benefits the newly-revitalized Eureka-Kamisu Sister City Association. Kimono or other traditional attire is encouraged.

Presented by the Horai Center for the Study of Pacific Culture, a DreamMaker program of the Ink People Center for the Arts. 

For more information or to participate, email horai.center@gmail.com or visit our Facebook event page!

Inspiration

The wind of Mount Fuji 

I've brought on my fan 

A gift from Edo 

— Bashō 

A breath, a breeze. That's how brief it seemed as we presented an introductory course on "Chado: The Japanese Way of Tea" through Humboldt State University's OLLI program.

There is so much to learn about the Way of Tea that it seems impossible to even contemplate such a course, but our intrepid class seemed to enjoy the presentations — from the first aisatsu to the influence of Zen. Each of three two-hour class meetings incorporated a slide show and discussion of history, philosophy and aesthetics followed by a presentation of usucha, or the thin tea ceremony.

Harvey discusses wabi as part of the the philosophy
of Chado. Wabi is always a topic of particular interest,
but is a such a difficult concept to explain!

Awesome hanto prepared many bowls of tea in the mizuya.

A makeshift tokonoma with a Valentine's Day theme.

Laura and Harvey present usucha, the thin tea ceremony

So many books to read!

Laura and Pia in a four-and-a-half mat "room"

Laura and Pia in a four-and-a-half mat "room"

Holly makes tea for Laura and Pia

Pia prepares to make tea for some of the students

Laura, Pia and Holly (Ann, not pictured, was a
hard worker behind the scenes.)

Of the many joys of Chado is the sharing of poetry and art. Several students read haiku in class, and two students were inspired to bring hand-made cards with the haiku featured in this post. Another shared a reading from a book on shodo and ink painting. Before and after class we discussed travel, gardening, pottery … as we should at any tea gathering.

So many memories

flood my mind —

cherry blossoms 

— Bashō
 

Finding Bliss: Chanoyu and Yoga

Click through to enjoy reading this article on the complementary Ways of Tea and Yoga.

http://findbliss.uberflip.com/i/107074.

New Year Wagashi

New year, a time to do new things. Like practice making wagashi! To celebrate Oshogatsu, I made chestnut wagashi.

They were rather tasty! More photos are here.

Horai Center Offers Tea Ceremony Course

The Horai Center will be offering a course, “Chado: Japanese Tea Ceremony,” through HSU’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) in February!

Chado, a Japanese cultural practice with roots in Zen Buddhism, involves the ceremonial  preparation and consumption of  powdered green tea, or matcha. Underlying this ritual is a philosophy and practice that can inform and transform daily life. This three-session course will present the instruction necessary for you to enjoy being a guest in a tea gathering.

Instructors: Harvey II and Holly Harvey
Dates: Mondays, Feb. 4, 11 and 18
Time: 6-8 p.m.
Fees: $45/members, $70/non-members
Place: Humboldt Bay Aquatic Center, 921 Waterfront Drive, Eureka

To register, call OLLI at HSU at (707) 826-5880 (VISA, MC, Discover), Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Register online at www.humboldt.edu/olli. For more information call (707) 826-5880, visit humboldt.edu/olli, or contact us at horai.center@gmail.com.

Cha-no-yu Demonstration, Nov. 2012

Full of inspiration from attending Hakone Daichakai, we offered a demonstration of Cha-no-yu at the Ink People Center for the Arts on Nov. 4. We were quite pleased to recognize some familiar faces. One new attendee was a student of Eureka High School who is working diligently to reestablish Sister Cities relations between Eureka, Calif., and Kamisu, Japan. 

One Moon in a Thousand Waters: Hakone Daichakai 2012

In late October we attended the annual Daichakai at Hakone Gardens in Saratoga, Calif. — a large, multi-school tea gathering. We attended presentations by Omotesenke, Urasenke and Mushakojisenke schools, plus one from a small, relatively new school, Dainippon Chadogakkai which, as they put it, takes the best from the larger schools. We were able to attend a seki (seating) in the three-mat tea house, Shougetsu-an, in which the Dainippon Chadogakkai presentations were given. The tiny tea house was much too intimate to accommodate photography, but our other seki are represented below and in this album.

Lovely kimono in the garden

Mushakojisenke presentation, Lower House
Kakemono "Koro Koro"

Aka Fuji natsume, lacquered by Nakamura Sotetsu
Mushakojisenke presentation, Lower House

Wagashi in the shape of a chrysanthemum
Urasenke presentation, Wisteria Pavilion

New tech meets tradition
Urasenke presentation, Wisteria Pavilion

Kakemono "One moon reflected in a thousand waters."
Urasenke presentation in the Wisteria Pavilion
overlooking the koi pond and Moon Bridge.

Arrangement in the waiting room
Omotesenke presentation, Lower House Roji

Omotesenke presentation, Lower House Roji

Kakemono "One moon reflected in a thousand waters."
Omotesenke presentation, Lower House Roji

Oregon Tea Journey

Our summer road trip through Oregon was about catching up with family and friends — and meeting new friends too. We were fortunate to be able to enjoy a little Tea and learn some lessons along the way.

The first leg of our trip was a weekend in Bend, Ore., with family. We dined on sushi one night and recipes from the French Laundry cookbook the next. Enjoyed a museum and a brewery. No Cha-no-yu, but a great visit.

Next stop: Portland and Forestville. We stayed with friends in Forestville who have a lovely three-mat chashitsu in the living room. Their energetic ten-year-old twins also enjoy tea. To be invited into a friends' tea room is an honor and a pleasure.

Chashitsu at friends' house in Forestville, Oregon.

Preparing for chabako temae,
Forestville, Oregon

We had but one day to inhale Portland. (This is not recommended. It takes more than a day to enjoy that beautiful city.) Our itinerary was three stops: The Portland Japanese Gardens, a street-food lunch from a food truck pod and a one-hour blitz through Powell's.

Tea garden
Portland Japanese Gardens

Tea house
Portland Japanese Gardens

Tea house
Portland Japanese Gardens

Portland Japanese Gardens

Portland Japanese Gardens

On our last day in Portland we were invited by Marjorie Yap to her lovely Issoan tea room and tea school. Earlier in the year, when we were beginning to consider where we would go on our vacation, I tossed out the question to Facebook friends: "San Francisco or Portland?" Marjorie, whom I'd only "met" online, replied, "I'll make you tea if you come to Portland." And she did! A Facebook friend became a real friend.

Issoan "One Grass Hut"
Portland, Oregon

After the heat of Bend and Portland (the temp was climbing toward 100° the day we left), it was a relief to head West to the coolness of the coast. One night of camping, two nights at a vacation rental, three days of beach bummin' and hanging out.

Camping, Beachside State Park,
Waldport, Oregon

Cheddar Bear and his Do Matcha are now part of www.domatchaworld.com. (Maybe he's cute enough to win us a free tin of matcha!)

Tsunami debris watch signs, Beachside State Park,
Waldport, Oregon

Harmony on the beach.
Waldport, Ore.

Our way home, heading south on Highway 101, we stopped in Yachats for a cup of coffee … and what the heck is that? Chawan? Matcha? Nice! And fair prices too.

Matcha, sencha and chawan at Ye Olde Green Salmon
Yachats, Oregon

And there's matcha on the menu?

Matcha on the menu! Ye Olde Green Salmon,
Yachats, Oregon

How often does one have the opportunity to have a bowl of matcha at a commercial establishment in the U.S.? The coffee drinks looked great. The food smelled fabulous. I shushed my inner voice and decided to try it.

As I stared at my enormous, full-to-the-brim, scalding hot bowl of too-thin thin tea, I was reminded of a story that Marjorie had told us just a few days earlier about her experience with a minimally-trained person offering tastes of an American-label matcha at a promotional event. The maker added a small scoop of matcha to a tea bowl, filled it up with hot water and lightly swooshed the whisk through it. Marjorie politely declined to drink any of that tea, seeing that it would be too watery and whisked inadequately.

Matcha at Ye Olde Green Salmon
Yachats, Oregon

Harvey-sensei ordered espresso. Next time I will too.

Some poems from Hakone

Fern's autumn shadow
single dark arrow pierces.
Stop. Leaving roji


forgotten ladle
basin purifies with song
shadow leaves bamboo


“Hanto! Another sweet!”
Quickly so the guest can be calm
Warm fall our alcove


The sound of incense
tells me there is something beautiful here.
Sometimes I forget


Outside not inside
a special host just for us
Inside not outside


Can’t climb the hill again
I'll follow from here and
Beat you to the top


Mushakouji Senke
Tea family of Rikyu
no room left to fin---


“Ice”ing on the couch
rain sounds on a sunny day
kitten heating pad

— Oct.17, 2011 by Harvey II
Inspired by the Daichakai at Hakone Gardens,
Saratoga, Calif., Oct.16, 2011

 

Outdoor Tea, Presented Indoors

We presented a demonstration of Cha-no-yu on Sunday at the Ink People Center for the Arts. Nearly 20 people joined us -- a fascinating and diverse group that included the tea buyer for our local co-op, a couple involved in the Arcata Lantern Ceremony (see follow-up post), and two young ladies came in kimono and yukata!

The temae, or procedure, that we demonstrated was Chabako, "Picnic Tea," meant to be enjoyed outdoors.

Presentation of Chabako Japanese tea ceremony,
July 29, 2012 at the Ink People Center for the Arts.

Harvey-sensei discusses the procedure and answers questions.

Kristin preparing tea in the mizuya.
Kristin, Pia and Holly made bowls of tea for the guests
while Harvey-sensei answered questions.

Kristin and Pia hard at work in the mizuya: hard-working and adorable!

Plans are in the works for our autumn demonstration.