42nd Chanoyu Club by Seizo Hayashiya sensei |
Hi, today I report the wonderful tea ceremony which Hayashiya-sensei hosted at the next day of the harvest moon in 2013. Usually I wrote my blog in Japanese, but today I try to write it in English for two reasons. One reason is that I would like to inform this wonderful but very closed Chanoyu world to the outside of Japan. Another reason is that I would like to avoid the same old discussion about the disclosure of the Tea ceremony. Anyway...
Hayashiya-sensei is a ceramic historian and a director of some art museum. He is also known as not only a connoisseur but also a grand person in Cyanoyu. He constantly has a Tea ceremony for members of Chanoyu club and the others and this is the 42nd Tea ceremony at the Chyanoyu-club. That day's title was ' The Moon at the dawn'
Calligraphy 月 means Moon: Yuichi Inoue.
White ceramic flower base Shinobu Kawase
Flower : a mountain asha rowan(ななかまど) from Nasu plateau
風炉(Furo)& 釜(Kama)&水指(Mizusashi)
Furo (Portable stove)&Kama(Teakettle): Akira Saito
Mizusashi( Water jag) :Junko Kitamura
I found other pictures of works by Junko Kitamura
A lots of tiny white dots are so beautiful and amazing!
Thirteen leading Japanese potters
Every time the tea bowls selected by Hayashiya sensei are so wonderful and valuable. The main bowl on that day is the one nearest of that picture, which 'Shinoyaki' made by Osamu Suzuki, who is a living national treasure.
The bowl made by 15th Raku Kichizaemon, it has been lasting since 16th century was shown on that picture.
The other tea bowls are also remarkable. He picked up the variety of thirteen great living ceramic artists. It is particularly worth noting that guests(including me!) could have a tea using those wonderful bowls!! That is our great pleasure to have a tea using works in a museum usually.
Hayashiya-sensei selected Tea scoop made of Venetian glass by Ettore Sottsass、who is an Italian architect. He is also active in various field of industrial design, like ALESSI Watch.
Modern & Tradition
Calligraphy 美 means Beauty: Rogen Ebihar
Hayashiya-semsei turned 77 years old this year, but I feel creativity is not related to age. He always tries to use the works of modern artists in his tea ceremony against the Chanoyu tradition.
Sometimes his attitude is exposed to criticism, but on the other hand his challenge and new style brought fresh air to the Chanoyu world. Many people are looking forward to joining his Tea ceremony because the selection and combination of tea things is very unique and has the high artistic value that meets Hayashiya-sensay's peculiar aestheticism.
He declares that his life work is reaching a stage where he is free from the Kata of Chanoyu through drinking a cup of tea
.He has opened the door of Chanoyu to who used to be treated as outsider in Chanoyu.