Edo Senke Master

[aimeekitty]

I occasionally take Japanese tea ceremony classes (Edo Senke) with my kimono sensei, Mme. Akutagawa. (that's her in the pink kimono with the black obi. Her obi has tea items on it!) My kitsuke is more well practiced than my tea, though... (which is not really saying much) I don't think I've done tea ceremony in 8 months due to being so busy, and well frankly, my knee injury isn't really well enough to sit in seiza for that long -_-.

I didn't want to miss today though, because the Grand Master's son (of Edo Senke) was coming to give us special lessons. He came all the way from Japan and brought a team and a whole tea table with him. I mostly just watched because I'm so out of practice, but it was interesting! I wore my purple weeping cherry kimono at my sensei's suggestion.

I'm not sure if he did it intentionally... but doesn't the Grand Master's son's hakama/kimono coordination look like green tea? He had a snowflake embroidered as his mon on the back of his kimono. The snowflake is the symbol for our school of tea.


I thought AJ would appreciate this man's tea purse (Fukusabasami). Doesn't it look like a cow? Normally they're made out of decorative kimono fabrics, etc...

Here's a quick shot of my fan, Fukusa and Kobukusa. See the snowflake design?

Comments

[scruffyrebel.livejournal.com]

ooooo that must be such a great thing to experience.

[kellyhime.livejournal.com]

What a lovely scene! I've never heard of the Edo Senke school, but it's so nice the you got to have a special lesson from the Grand Master's son. I really like the girl on the left's kimono and obi combination.

I really miss studying tea too. I went to one of the demonstrations of my school -- Omote Senke -- this weekend at the Nihonmachi Sakura Matsuri. I couldn't believe how difficult it looked after so long! I did hear that my sensei is still teaching, even though she had a stroke and is 97 years old, and I'm very tempted to see about starting lessons again this summer.

[caerbannog.livejournal.com]

How pretty! That looks like such a wonderful experience. It's things like this that make me envy life out on the west coast.

[taeha.livejournal.com]

How lovely! And it reminds me, did you see these cases on Strapya? http://www.strapya-world.com/categories/12_34_566.html

[rishu.livejournal.com]

The kimono are so pretty! That hakama outfit is so so handsome.

What are the fukusa and the kobukusa for?

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Japanese_tea_ceremony_equipment#Kobukusa

Basically, the larger dark purple one (color and symbol vary) is Fukusa. ( It is used for the symbolic cleansing of various tea things. The people on the "hosting" side of a tea gathering wear the fukusa tucked into the obi of their kimono.)

Kobukusa is put on your hand as you hold the tea you are serving to someone (and other things)

[rishu.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link!

Oddly enough, I'm watching America's Next Top Model and the last 5 contestants have to perform a tea ceremony. It's . . . wow.

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

that's weird, is it this season?

there's no way they could master it, but I guess they could try to memorize the basics in a crash course?

[rishu.livejournal.com]

It's from the third season (the seasons are also called 'cycles'). Episode 11 is the one with the crash-course of tea ceremony. It's interesting, with the opinions of the participants and the kimono worn for the ceremony (furisode from Kyoka Higa that are drool-worthy).

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

hmmm... I wonder if I can find it to watch somewhere?

furisode sounds kinda fancy for tea ceremony... O-o...

[rishu.livejournal.com]

It's on YouTube! If you put "antm cycle 3 episode 11 part 1", it should come up.

They were very fancy. The obi musubi were also pretty ornate.

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

oh, they're not serving, they're recieving, right? That's a lot easier. you might find it interesting to look up someone doing the entire tea service (ie bringing the instruments out, making the tea and then serving) that is the part that is so hard, because there are SO MANY STEPS. Each step and turn of the hand is very specific. even the placement of the items (like the tea container, etc,) Recieving tea is a lot easier, you only have to remember a few things.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tt7NBIVeMY

but, what I'm saying is that, for tea ceremony, you're supposed to dress very subdued. You dont wear any rings, you keep your hair simple, you have no decorative-colorful collars, etc...
normally you wouldnt wear flashy furisode like that. They all have multiple colored collars too, which is a no-no. It's more "OK" for someone on the recieving side to wear a slightly less subdued kimono, but still.
I'm guessing that the producers wanted something flashy for them. I'm sure those tea experts must have told them.

if you look at the older japanese woman who is doing most of the speaking in english, her subdued kimono is much more in line with tea ceremony.
the focus is supposed to be the tea and the ceremony itself, not the participants dress.

[rishu.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I thought you wore kimono that are a single color but perhaps have a design in the fabric (chimon?) and a taiko musubi to a ceremony. The furisode looked out of place, even though they are very beautiful.

Hahaha, oddly enough the next episode features Japanese street fashion. Mainly EGL.

It amuses me to watch the girls reactions to these things that seem familiar to me and totally alien to them.

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

I haven't watched the whole thing, I skimmed it a lil, but yeah, it's kind suprising to me,... I mean, they were probably offered really high quality stuff, and the girls didn't even really appreciate it I think.

I ate a flashing squid when we were in kyoto. It was gross. but it was high quality and it would have been rude for me not to at least eat one of them, right? (even though they knew I was a stupid american)

usually people don't mind if you have a little color, but they really want you to try to have something peaceful and subdued. best is all one color (color on color pattern in the weave is fine)... or to have something all one color but with a subtle or small design. and yes, simple obi musubi, like taiko!

I'll have to watch the rest later. :) thanks for letting me know!