Sōmu Shachū Events 2019
January 24, 25 & 26
Paris Hatsugama
The first of three hatsugama chaji was conducted on Friday 24th between Ueda Ryū and Sōhen Ryū friends.
Saturday 25th was a yobanashi (night time) chaji with Adam as host and some of his European students as guest.
On Sunday 26th the roles were changed and Kyle (U.K.) performed the host’s role and Adam enjoyed Hatsugama as head guest.
January 26
24 Hour Tea Meditation for World Peace
Hannah performed a 24 Hour Tea Meditation at Rainbow Serpent Festival in rural Victoria, Australia.
Hannah offered one host one guest tea rituals every 20 minutes for 24 hours as a prayer for World Peace.
February 3
Sydney Hatsugama
On Sunday the 3rd of February 2019 Tae hosted Hatsugama at Terrey Hills. Lauren, Pete and Jon were the guests. Emily was hanto.
February 5
Lunar Wabicha
One Dawn Together
The morning of Tuesday, 5th February 2019, saw the inaugural Lunar Wabicha, “One dawn together”, roll out across our Earth. This event extended past Sōmu Shachū. On the morning of the Lunar New Year, many chajin around the world participated in the spirit of tea, together. The event was inspired by one of the tea records attributed to Sen Rikyū in the Nampō Roku.
Please read the account of the event via this link.
March 4
Hatsu発Gama- Hosted by Yumi
The experimental Hatsu「発」Gama was conducted in Preston, Melbourne.
Hatsu- can be translated, as set off, depart, start from, emit, discharge, disclose and occur.
The Chaji was conducted around the theme of Hatsu「発」through Koicha, Tension- Kaiseki, A dance, and Usucha.
The dance was based on the individual card, they picked up (e.g. 発音、発煙、発進、発揮）and Usucha was served by the host and the guests as a relay style, accompanied by Vivaldi's Four Seasons.
March 17 (Sunday, 6am - 6pm)
Autumn Equinox Tea Meditation
Hannah offered tea ceremony to friends and passers by on a beautiful day at the Labyrinth by Merri Creek in inner Melbourne.
March 17
Tabigarasu 旅烏 chaji
Petr held a chaji for his friends to celebrate the return of crows to their nestling trees in city parks of České Budějovice (Czech Repulic). Their return marks the coming of Spring.
The theme "Tabigarasu" was illuminated with the Bashō's haiku:
旅烏 tabigarasu
古巣は梅に furusu wa ume ni
なりにけ narinikeri
A wayfaring crow
Returns to its old nesting tree -
Covered in plum blossoms
- Bashō (Spring 1685)
March 24
Sydney Chaji
Summer was definitely holding on strong as the Sydney cRyu welcomed in Autumn at Pete’s ever-growing tea complex on March 24.
Peter was host with Tae, Jon, Lauren & newcomer, Alex (Urasenke lad) as guests.
Tae-san laid the charcoal in response to Pete’s sumi-shomo request and Pete’s tenshin meal incorporated some homegrown elements from his own micro garden.
Koicha rites took place in the koma chashitsu (hakobi mizusashi/Haseh natsume) and a light chabako usucha was offered in the Hiroma room.
All in all it was a very relaxed, fun Sunday afternoon chaji with a definite Aussie-Ueda-world-town vibe.
March 28 - Anniversary of Rikyū's Death
One Host, One Guest Nodate Chaji, Parc de Sceaux, France
While
Yin
Yang
Hold us
in
Balance
This day
Is where
I
Choose to love
For
Eternity
For
Earth
For our
Past
Future
And the
Division
Of this
Moment
Feel the warm
Equator
Of this
Vernal
Equinox
一亭一客野点茶事、利休忌、平成31年
One Host, One Guest Nodate Chaji, Rikyū Schooling Nirvana on Wabi Day, 31st Year of the Heisei Era aka 2019.
April 13
Autumnal Wabi-cha, Mittagong, New South Wales, Australia
Lauren welcomed the arrival of autumn by opening the ro in a casual chaji held on 13 April 2019. Pete was head guest and Jon was last guest.
Fresh shimeshibai was made for this occasion from last year’s charcoal remains, plus a generous dusting of stale matcha. The guests enjoyed two rounds of monkō during the sho-iri. The go-iri was conducted in ultra-wabi style with the katte being converted into a mizuya dōko and two rounds of usucha following koicha immediately using the remaining tea from the nakatsugi.
April 16
In the belly of Jinshin-Uwo
Chaji, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Erika recieved her guests inside the installation of the Brazilian visual artist Sandra Lapage at VÃO, an independent art space in Sao Paulo.
Inspiration: Jorge Luis Borges fantastic creatures, tectonic movements, nature’s cycles and feminine energy, intimacy, syncretism, assemblage.
April 21
Rikyū Memorial Nodate Chakai, local park - Mittagong, New South Wales, Australia
On 21 April 2019, the 428th anniversary of Rikyū’s death, Lauren offered tea in his memorial at a local park, serving bowls of usucha from a tanzakubako. The remaining water from the kama was used to make instant ramen at the follow-up picnic.
April 28
Fukurodana no Chakai, Mittagong, NSW, Australia
On 28 April 2019, Lauren hosted a casual chaji for a well-known local potter and her husband. Lauren owns quite a few of her pots and re-purposed some of them as mitate dōgu for this chaji. For example, ceramic whisky cups served as sayu cups, espresso cups held cold tofu, and coffee saucers were used as meimeizara. Taking into account the guests’ preferences and seiza tolerance, the proceedings were abbreviated to sumi, tenshin, nakadachi and two rounds of usucha.
May 10
First Porteño Chakai,
Banfield, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Federico held the first chakai at Fudōmyō, a multidisciplinary dōjō (bujinkan, qigong, shiatsu, and soto zen, among other practices). Guests enjoyed some wagashi courtesy of the principal buddhist teacher and Federico performed the bondemae (ceremony on tray). Given the location’s mojo, the gathering was held in a meditative fashion, attempting to take the guests to a deeper state through tea.
June 14
The Last Leaf of Autumn Chaji,
Mittagong, NSW, Australia
On 14 June 2019 Lauren hosted a chaji for four guests from her neighbourhood. The impetus for and consequently the theme of the chaji was a painting of autumn foliage on shikishi which Lauren received from her neighbour. The guests also brought plants for the work-in-progess tea garden as gifts. As this was the first matcha/tea ceremony/tatami experience for two of the guests, koicha was omitted and a 10-minute “chaji primer” at the machi-ai was added.
June 21
"Mouvement",
Coplet, Saint-Jean-en-Royans, France
A Sōmu Chanoyu to mark the Summer Solstice of 2019.
To seek a new meaning of 'home'. Where to return when there is nowhere and everywhere to go?
The answer lies in the two pieces of poetry for this chanoyu. The first piece was placed at the beginning of the 'roji' path to the tea space.
« Ne te courbe que pour aimer. Si tu meurs, tu aimes encore. »
“Do not submit except to love. For when you die, you still love.”
- René Char
The second piece of poetry was placed near the head guest's seat. The two pieces of poetry formed a 'kōan' (Zen riddle to be solved by breaking through the limitations of reason).
« l'éternité n'est guère plus longe que la vie »
“eternity is scarcely longer than life”
- René Char
June 22
Ittei Ikkyaku 一亭一客 (one host - one guest) chaji,
České Budějovice, Czech Repulic
Petr held a dawn chaji for his friends to honour the summer solstice.
The chaji started at 4 am with kaiseki, followed by koicha.
With a mix of luck and fate, the koicha was served right on sunrise.
As the morning light poured into the tea room, a guest performed jiku-kazari - (display of his hanging scroll) before usucha.
June 23
Winter Solstice Long-durational Tea Meditation
Melbourne, Australia
On June 23 Hannah honoured the Winter Solstice with a 12 Hour Tea Meditation in her home chashitsu.
She performed the Diamond Tea Meditation, meditated and made line drawings throughout the day, contemplating with her guests the time of deepest yin through which yang is born.
July 6
Tea memorial on the anniversary of Furuta Oribe's Seppuku
České Budějovice, Czech Repulic
Furuta Oribe committed seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment) on the 6th of July, 1615. To honour the anniversary of Oribe's death, Petr held a private tea memorial for Furuta Oribe, followed by a simple bowl of tea for himself.
August 4
Community Chanoyu
Melbourne, Australia
On August 4th Hannah performed Chanoyu with a local Kirtan group Chant and Chai Cartel. They were interested in the parallels between these devotional practices, and the interplay between call and response, host and guest.
August 6
Tea Memorial for Hiroshima
Melbourne, Australia
On August 6th Hannah made tea to acknowledge the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima at FORM an exhibition by Patrick Belford and Aviva Reed.
FORM explored shape, energy and practice, the celestial to the singular. Installations were animated by performance inspiring contemplation on the mysterious aspects of our world and the energies and patterns that create us.
August 6
Tea Memorial on the Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima
České Budějovice, Czech Repulic
In memorial of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Petr held a private tea memorial starting at the time Enola Gay took off from Tinian Island carrying the A-bomb named 'LittleBoy' (02:45 GMT+10, August 6 1945).
The tea offering was followed by a simple bowl of tea for himself and by 4 hours of silent meditations and Heart sutra chanting.
August 10
Cosmos Chanoyu
Melbourne, Australia
On August 10th Hannah made tea for exhibition attendees at Cosmos, an exhibition by street artist Vexta.
Cosmos was a show that considered the role of the artist in times of climate crisis.
September 21
Setsugekka - Jon's 1st chaji
Pavillon de thé de Pierre (aka Pete's chashitsu)
Sydney, Australia
On September 28th, 2019, the Memphis Botanical Gardens hosted the annual Memphis Japan Festival. As part of the event which focuses on multiple areas of Japanese culture, Josh Frain held a tea ceremony presentation. Assisted by his wife, Jackie, the presentation he performed the tray style ceremony and welcomed some of the audience to be apart of the ceremony.
September 28
Memphis Japan Festival Autumn Tea Gathering
Memphis Botanical Gardens,
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
On September 28th, 2019, the Memphis Botanical Gardens hosted the annual Memphis Japan Festival. As part of the event which focuses on multiple areas of Japanese culture, Josh Frain held a tea ceremony presentation. Assisted by his wife, Jackie, the presentation he performed the tray style ceremony and welcomed some of the audience to be apart of the ceremony.
November 8
Opening of the 4th Tea Route in Brazil
Registro, State of São Paulo, Brazil
Erika performed nagaita usucha temae at the Hongwanji Buddhist Temple in Registro, the city where camellia sinensis is cultivated in Brazil. The guests were tea farmers and producers, Ume and Teresinha Shimada, Miriam Yamamaru family and Juliana Amaya, the monk Ichiin, and the tea route participants Eloína Telho, Fabio Pedroza and Gustavo Garzón. The participants had oolong tea as a welcoming refresher (from Amaya tea plantation). Some dry black tea leaves (from the Shimada producers) were warmed as mitate incense. Tea sweets were made from azuki beans and juçara fruit (native from Yamamaru farm) shaped as tea seeds.
Thanks to Cláudio Brisighello and Frederico Telho for their generosity in sharing these pictures on our events page.
