Rick Hugel on fri 21 apr 00
Why do I get the feeling that Westerners writing about tea bowls think
Easteners have got things more together than themselves. I use tea bowls
here, but it seems that almost every time there is talk about things
Japanese(anything at all) the West gets the short end of attitudes. Hey,
guys, look around your own cultures! Oh, I agree that there are many
beautiful aspects that are admirable in Japan, but there are just as many
- if not more - that no one would care to have carried to their own
cultures. And that is all I have to say abut that!
Rick
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Aiko, thank you for sharing this beautiful story with us! I have a friend
>whose
>mother was a teacher of Ikebana and also the Ta Ceremony. She has some
>beautiful
>tea things and whenever I visit her we look at them and she tells me the
>stories
>about them, taking one piece at a time out of the box and the little silkbags
>etc. The way she does it shows her great apreciation of the piece and her love
>of pottery too. She learned some pottery things from me and I have learned so
>much from her about her culture, wish, we "Westerners" were more aware of our
>own cultures too.
>Heidrun in Bangkok
>
>Aiko Ichimura wrote:
>
>> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>> Rick Mahaffey wrote:
>> > Mel,
>> > The best observation about Teabowls and why they are valuable that I
>> > ever heard was made by Pete Volkos and Rudy Autio when they agreed that
>> > a good teabowl had an entire universe in it.
>> >
>>
>> Yes I have heard this.
>>
>> Speaking of other teabowls, I want share my little story with you .
>> 20 some years ago, I was the youngest of koto(Japanese harp)
>> students among my teacher's group in DC where I till live.
>> One year, we had 20 guest koto performers
>> from Osaka, Japan lead by a blind koto master
>> who was a famous koto music composer.
>> They gave several concerts here and there in DC
>> including the Renwick Gallery of Smithsonian. Being the youngest,
>> I was tasked by my teacher to prepare their meal in the morning.
>> The lunch and evening meal was taken care of by sponsors of concerts.
>> My teacher and other older students accompanied the group to parties and
>> receptions that I was not asked to attend to.
>>
>> Having no time to shop, I had to make something out of
>> whatever were in my teacher's kitchen. I made simple miso soup
>> and pickles, rice and seaweed. I felt very bad making this famous koto
>> master eat such a humble meal every morning.
>> Finally the last day of their stay came and we had a party at my teacher's
>> home. After a while, the koto master seemed to be very happy
>> and little tipsy with sake. He made a speech and
>> said " ............ I appreciate everything you all done
>> for me and my students. I will never forget my gratitude
>> towards your kindness and finally I must tell you how much I appreciated
>> Aiko san's miso soup and bowl of rice. I was having such hard time
>> with the western food that I've never eaten before. It was such a relief
>> that I was able to eat the Japanese rice and miso soup every morning.
>> I don't know how to thank Aiko san. But I am also a tea master, I shall
>> present my favorite tea bowl to her" I was taken aback by his remark and
>> offer of his favorite tea bowl and said " Well thank you koto master,
>> however, I dare advise you not to make such a promise when you already
>> had considerable amount of Sake.
>> I have seen my father who is a kendo teacher used
>> to promise to give his best sword to his pupil when he consumed a lot of
>> sake
>> (drank) and my mother had to retrieve the very expensive sword from
>> the pupil the following morning saying he wasn't himself the previous
>> night.
>>
>> I said " You may not remember your offer when you get back to Japan"
>> To this, he declared indignantly " When I promise one thing, I mean it
>> regardless of how drank he is" and asked his first pupil to be
>> a witness. I then humbly accepted his offer of the best teabowl.
>>
>> Two years past and my teacher had traveled to Japan and had a
>> visit with the koto master. He remembered his promise and entrusted my
>> teacher with a tea bowl in a wooden box. I received it safely later.
>>
>> When I opened it with much anticipation, I was disappointed a little.
>> It was a simple brownish teabowl, nothing spectacular about it.
>>
>> I wrote an ordinary thank you note and put the tea bowl away in
>> a cabinet for 20 years. In the mean time, I have taken the tea ceremony
>> lesson on and off, however, I never thought of opening the box again.
>>
>> The koto master past away several years ago.
>>
>> And only recently I started again with my tea ceremony lesson
>> with the Urasenke Tea School. I remembered the tea bowl this time
>> and brought it to show to my teachers. Lo and behold, I was told
>> that I am the owner of one of very prized tea bowl. The potter's
>> name was Oohi Chozaemon either 9th or 10th in line. The first
>> Chouzaemon accompanied the great-grand son of Sen no Rikyu
>> to Kanazawa and started his kiln in the Oohi village of Kanazawa
>> in 1608( about). Since then the Oohi family's pottery tradition
>> continued to the current Chouzaemon who is 10th generation down.
>> The family was a branch of Raku family.
>> This is why an Oohi chawan is so valued among Ura-Sen ke
>> ( the direct descendant from the one who went to Kanazawa)
>> teachers and students. My teacher assessed the teabowl to be
>> a museum piece and hinted the going price for it. Stunned.
>>
>> I came home and thought about the discovery for a while.
>> The big question was why he gave me such a valuable teabowl.
>> I don't know.
>> The next question was why this was his favorite tea bowl even
>> it looked an ordinary simple bowl. Then I realized the secret
>> is not how it looked. He was a blind koto master, he could not
>> see the color of the tea bowl. So I opened the box and took out
>> the tea bowl onto my hands. I closed my eyes and felt the bowl
>> in my hands. No wonder.
>>
>> Although I could not convey my appreciation to him
>> while he was alive, I decided to cherish the tea bowl
>> by using it as often as I can and remember him and his music.
>> We play his music " Sakura" for the Cherry Blossom festival
>> opening ceremony by the Tidal Basin in
>> Washington DC every Spring.
>>
>> Thank you.
>>
>> Aiko Ichimura
>> NW DC 20036 USA
>> aikop@erols.com
>> 202-293-3039
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: rickmahaffey
>> To:
>> Sent: Monday, April 17, 2000 4:43 PM
>> Subject: Re: other teabowls
>>
>> > ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>> > > who made 20 or so tea bowl sized/ shaped pots today.
>> >
>> > mel jacobson wrote:
>> > >
>> > > ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>> > > the term 'cha' or tea seems show up in many oriental cultures.
>> > >
>> >
Lee Love on sat 22 apr 00
----- Original Message -----
From: Rick Hugel
To:
Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2000 4:20 AM
Subject: Teabowl attitudes
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Why do I get the feeling that Westerners writing about tea bowls think
> Easteners have got things more together than themselves. I use tea bowls
> here, but it seems that almost every time there is talk about things
> Japanese(anything at all) the West gets the short end of attitudes.
Rick, it is pretty simple. Each culture has its strength. They use tea
bowls here, so they tend to be better (form follows function.) Now,
handles is where the West excels. Handled pitchers and mugs tend to be
better in the west, where they have a long tradition.
If we can drop the culture baggage and just look at the created object
for what it is, then we can have clear judgments about them.
--
Lee Love
2858-2-2 , Nanai , Mashiko-machi ,Tochigi-ken 321-4106 JAPAN
Ikiru@kami.com Voice Mail and Faxes (a USA number): (303) 256-0374
Don & Isao Morrill on sun 23 apr 00
At 21:04 4/22/00 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Rick Hugel
>To:
>Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2000 4:20 AM
>Subject: Teabowl attitudes
>
>
>> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>> Why do I get the feeling that Westerners writing about tea bowls think
>> Easteners have got things more together than themselves. I use tea bowls
>> here, but it seems that almost every time there is talk about things
>> Japanese(anything at all) the West gets the short end of attitudes.
>
>Rick, it is pretty simple. Each culture has its strength. They use tea
>bowls here, so they tend to be better (form follows function.) Now,
>handles is where the West excels. Handled pitchers and mugs tend to be
>better in the west, where they have a long tradition.
>
> If we can drop the culture baggage and just look at the created object
>for what it is, then we can have clear judgments about them.
>
>
>--
>Lee Love
>2858-2-2 , Nanai , Mashiko-machi ,Tochigi-ken 321-4106 JAPAN
>Ikiru@kami.com Voice Mail and Faxes (a USA number): (303) 256-0374
>
Lee, Isao points out to me that Japanese is,(has been throughout the
past) an "internal" language. English is an "external" language.
Many island peoples having been isolated from the
greater,more diverse world develop unusual cultural differances. All
bullshit aside,INMHO Japanese culture is much
overrated...overemphasised....Much of what we call, " Japanese culture" is
not the province of the overwhelming majority of Japanese persons who have
been,not only peasants but, virtual peons under the heel of an upper-class.
Look about you and see the changes taking place. Japaese capital has left
Japan by the billions, to be invested in industry in other countries. This
leaves Japan as the "Jewel in the Pacific". A lovely artifact to visit.
Sorry for the diatribe but please, always ask yourself: "Who
benefits?" Certainly not the majority of Japanese people, held forever in
the thrall of cultural isolation from the rest of the world. An isolation
which is deepened daily,by thousands of gai-jin.
Don & Isao
| |
|
