Tea Ceremony (Chanoyu) and Tea Room (Chashitsu) Appreciation - 2007/05/20

Quote from The Urasenke Foundation:

Sen Rikyu said: "Tea is nothing more than boiling water, making tea and drinking it." It is this simplicity that makes the study of chanoyu a lifelong pursuit.

Information from the event handouts: The tea house (chashitsu) was designed by Professor Masao Nakamura, a foremost authority on traditional Japanese architecture and interior design and construction consultant to the Japanese Imperial Househoold. The construction of the teahouse was completed in Kyoto by Ysui Mokuko Komutenl a firm well-known for its construction work on the Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto. Craftsmen from Kyoto came to San Francisco to reassemble the tea house.

Additional information:

• Handouts from the event (PDF file).
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_tea_ceremony
• http://www.chanoyu.com/
• The Urasenke Foundation
• San Francisco Japantown

Last Update:

2007/05/28 - Added photos taken by Cherie Hargis.

2007/05/21 - Page created by Bob Le.

	01, 02, 03 - The Peace Pagoda in the heart of San Francisco's Japantown.
	04, 05, 06 - Entry way. The roof appears to be made of copper.
	07, 08, 09, 10
	11 - Entry way - gate details. Shoes are left outside.
	12, 13, 14, 15
	16
	17, 18
	19, 20
	21, 22
	23
	24
	25, 26, 27
	28
	29
	30
	31, 32, 33
	34
	35, 36
	37, 38, 39, 40 - The eight-tatami mat (approximately 12'x12') tea room where the ceremony is performed.
	41, 42, 43, 44
	45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51
	52, 53, 54
	55
	56, 57, 58
	59
	60 - Tea sensei Larry Sokyo Tiscornia giving an introduction.
	61, 62, 63
	64, 65
	66, 67, 68
	69, 70 - The sensei and his wife, Kimika Soko Takechi.
	71, 72, 73, 74
	75, 76
	77, 78, 79, 80 - Everyone got a chance to enjoy a bowl of slightly foamy and hot green tea.
	81, 82, 83, 84, 85 - Special container for storing tea powder.
	86, 87, 88 - Tea bowls. Each one is different. Passing the bowls around and appreciating the beauty and craftsmanship is part of the enjoyment.
	89, 90 - Scoop for tea power, made by a famous tea master out of bamboo.
	91 - Elnora Webb, our Vice President of Instruction at Laney College, joined us for this cerimonious occasion. Everyone had a memorable experience, from the look of their faces.
	92, 93, 94, 95 - Special tube container for the tea scoop, also made out of bamboo.
	96, 97, 98, 99 - Special box to store the special tube container which holds the special tea scoop. Honestly folks, tea ceremony is a simple concept, but everything here is special. B-)
	100, 101 - Incense box made from the deconstructed wood of the temple where Sen Rikyu was buried in the 1500's. The wood chips are genuine sandalwood incense which are usually burned before the ceremony starts, to set the mood.
	102
	103, 104
	105
	106, 107, 108, 109
	110
	111
	112, 113, 114
	115, 116
	117 - Vase, made by a bay area artist, used to hold water for making tea.
	118 - 110-Volt outlet, for modern conveniences.
	119
	120, 121, 122, 123
	124, 125
	126
	127
	128
	129 - Cherie Hargis, one of our photographers.
	130, 131
	132
	133, 134
	135, 136, 137, 138
	139, 140
	141, 142
	143, 144, 145, 146, 147
	148, 149
	150, 151, 152
	153
	154
	155, 156
	157
	158
	159
	160
	161
	162, 163, 164, 165, 166
	167, 168, 169
	170
	171
	172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180
	181, 182
	183
	184 [Full size]
	185 [Full size] - Bob - always ready for action.
	186 [Full size] - Sierra.
	187 [Full size] - Jay and wife.
	188 [Full size] - Wade Lardner with wife and newborn.