Chigusa and the Art of Tea

Translated by Andrew M. Watsky

1. Accounting of Karamono [Karamono oyoso no kazu], circa 1570–73.¹ Recorded in the entry for objects owned by Jū no Sōho.

Chikusa, the ōtsubo 千(ち)草(くさ)ノ(の)大(おお)ツボ

2. Tennōjiya Sōgyū, as recorded on Genki 4 [1573].1.24 in his tea diary of gatherings he attended as a guest, Sōgyū takaiki.² The host was Jū no Sōho; the guests were Sōeki (Sen no Rikyū), Kusabeya Dōsetsu, and Tennōjiya Sōgyū.

Same [year], first month, twenty fourth day, morning
Jū no Sōho                  Eki, Setsu, Gyū
On the [sunken] hearth, Mitsuda Jōshū’s futon-shaped suspended kettle; a teoke and a kensantenmoku [tea bowl]. An ōtsubo, the first time I saw it. Chigusa 千草, Insetsu’s tsubo. From Insetsu’s time, there are a [mouth] cover and tsugari.³

3. Tennōjiya Sōgyū, as recorded on Tenshō 6 [1578].12.9 in his tea diary of gatherings he attended as a guest, Sōgyū takaiki.⁴ The host was Jū no Sōho; the guests were Tennōjiya Dōshitsu, Kusabeya Dōsetsu, and Tennōjiya Sōgyū.

Same [year], twelfth month, ninth day
Jū no Sōho                  Shitsu, Setsu, Gyū
Item: [Sunken] hearth, Zenkō’s suspended kettle. At the intermission, a Shigaraki [fresh-water container].

After tea, the chatsubo Chigusa千種was brought out, and later was placed in the alcove.

Item: A tada tenmoku [tea bowl] was on a black [lacquer] stand with a foliate rim. A Bizen waste-water vessel.

4. Tennōjiya Sōgyū, as recorded on Tenshō 9 [1581].1.22 in his tea diary of gatherings he attended as a guest, Sōgyū takaiki.⁵ The host was Jū no Sōho; the guests were Zeniya Sōtotsu, and Tennōjiya Sōgyū.

Same [year], first month, twenty-second day, morning
Jū no Sōho                  Sōtotsu, Sōgyū
Item: Alcove: “Daruma” hanging; it was Insetsu’s “Daruma.”
Item: On the [sunken] hearth, a suspended kettle on a chain. Behind, a teoke and a Bizen waste-water vessel.
Item: A tada tenmoku [tea bowl] on a [lacquer] stand with a foliate rim.
After tea, the ōtsubo was brought out and shown, and then was placed in the alcove.
The above “Bodhidharma,” perhaps on silk, the brush of Jikifu [Japanese: Ko Chokufu; Chinese: Hu Zhifu, 13th century]; the inscription by Eseigan [i.e., Seigan Ryōe; Chinese: Xiyan Liaohui, 1198–1262].
The mounting: the upper and lower borders are light green[-ground] kinsha, the borders are white-ground kinsha, the inner borders and decorative hanging strips are small-figure dark-blue-ground white brocade.

5. Tennōjiya Sōgyū, as recorded on Tenshō 10⁶ [1582].10.7 in his tea diary of gatherings he attended as a guest, Sōgyū takaiki.⁷ The host was Kondaya Tokurin; the guests were Tennōjiya Dōshitsu, Zeniya Sōtotsu, and Tennōjiya Sōgyū.

Same [year], tenth month, seventh day, morning
Kondaya Tokurin                    Dōshitsu, Sōtotsu, Sōgyū
Item: Alcove: the chatsubo Chigusa千草, from the start, by itself. Later it was taken down [to be examined]. Dōshitsu placed it [back] in the alcove.

6. Imai Sōkyū, as recorded on Tenshō 11⁸ [1583].1.27 in his tea diary, Imai Sōkyū chanoyu nikki nukigaki.⁹The host was Kondaya Tokurin; the guests were Imai Sōkyū, Tennōjiya Dōshitsu, Zeniya Sōtotsu.

1583, first month, twenty-seventh day
Kondaya Tokurin                    Sōkyū, Dōshitsu, Sōtotsu
Item: Sunken hearth: an old kettle, on a chain.
Item: In the alcove was a calligraphy scroll [bokuseki] by Kidō [Chinese: Xutang Zhiyu, 1185–1269]. It was hung from the start, and during the intermission, it was rolled up.
Item: Alcove: the chatsubo Chigusa 千種, in a net bag. A tsurube, a tenmoku [tea bowl] with the implements [dōgu] in it, a nakatsugi; a mentsu, [previously owned by] Insetsu.
Item: The calligraphy scroll [bokuseki]: the paper is one shaku, one sun, one bu high and two shaku, five sun wide. The mounting: the upper and lower borders are olive-brown [kobicha] hoken; the middle borders are white-ground gold brocade; the inner borders and decorative hanging strips are light-green[-ground] silver brocade with purple tassels.
Item: The tsubo Chigusa千種: on the bottom there are blisters [kobu], there is the graph shō 祥, and there are also four ciphers. The[mouth] cover is red-colored [tanshoku] [-ground] gold brocade, and the cord is light blue.

7. Matsuya Hisayoshi, as recorded on Tenshō 14 [1586].4.25 in his tea diary, Matsuya kaiki.¹⁰ The host was Kondaya Tokurin; the guests were Matsue Ryūsen and Matsuya.

Fourth month, twenty fifth day
To Sakai, Kondaya Tokurin, at an unspecified time                 Matsue Ryūsen and Hisayoshi, two people
The room [zashiki] was two-and-a-half mats.
Chigusa千種ōtsubo. Displayed from the start. On the underside of the lid is said to be the name in Nōa[mi]’s brush. It was in a light blue net. The [mouth] cover was red [kō][-ground] gold brocade, and its cord [torio] was light brown [usukicha] colored. The two, both, were old. It was reported that Insetsu had them made, and the [mouth] cover was especially remarkable. [The jar] should hold about five to six kin of tea, had lines at the mouth, at the waist no “distant mountain” [tōyama] lines, the one-color glaze was “quail grain” [uzurame], no fire marks [hoguchi], had an uchiai overlap [in the glaze], the clay was red and remarkable. It is a meibutsu.
Haikatsugi tenmoku [tea bowl], without a stand; a yarō; a mentsu; a tsurube; a ceramic lid rest[tsuchi hikikiri].
[A description of the meal follows.]

8. Kamiya Sōtan, as recorded on Tenshō 15 [1587].1.6 in his tea diary, Sōtan nikki.¹¹ The host was Kondaya Tokurin; Kamiya Sōtan was the only guest.

Sixth day, morning.
Tokurin gathering        Sōtan, one person.
Four and a half mat [room]. In the alcove from the beginning a calligraphy scroll [bokuseki] was hung [in the alcove]. At the [one shaku] four sun [square] sunken hearth a pole-and-hook was suspended and an old kettle (a suspended kettle).
A tsurube; in a tenmoku [tea bowl] were implements; a nakatsugi; a mentsu; a lid rest [gotoku]. During the intermission, the calligraphy scroll [bokuseki] was rolled up and the tsubo Chigusa千種 was placed [in the alcove]. The [mouth] cover was red-colored [tanshoku] [-ground] small-figure gold brocade, old, and the closing cord was light blue, and the knot was in the old style, with the knot hanging.
Item: For thin tea, it was a Korean [Kōrai] tea bowl.
Item: The calligraphy scroll [bokuseki]: the paper is about one shaku, one sun high and about two shaku and four or five sun wide; there are twelve columns and the number of graphs is seventy five. The opening is two lines and two graphs, and then it is indented and there are five thin graphs, and then the inner part on the eighth line there are four. The upper and lower borders are olive-brown [kobicha] hokken; the middle borders are white-ground gold brocade (with a pattern of clematis flowers); the inner borders and decorative hanging strips are light green with purple tassels. Flared roller ends (quince). The blank paper is wide. No seal.
[Abstracted illustration of format of calligraphy.]The tsubo Chigusa千種: the clay is coarse and red, the lower part swells, on the bottom are blisters [kobu], there are four ciphers; the graph shō 祥 is above one cipher. The glaze is thick, and there are many downward flows [nadare]. Below that [the glaze] appears to divide. Three potting lines. From the neck, between two of the nipples [chi, lugs] and above, there are small lines in three areas; in one area in the place between the nipples they cannot be seen. The [mouth] cover is red-colored [-ground], old, gold brocade, and the reverse is light blue.

9. The Records of Yamanoue no Sōji [Yamanoue no Sōji ki], 1588¹²

Chigusa 千種                At Sakai, Kondaya Tokurin.
It was Insetsu’s tsubo.

bokuseki: calligraphy scroll by a Chan/Zen monk
bu: linear measurement, about three millimeters
chatsubo: tea-leaf storage jar
dōgu: “implements,” the tea scoop, bamboo whisk, and cloth used for preparing tea
futaoki: lid rest
gotoku: type of lid rest
haikatsugi tenmoku: type of tenmoku tea bowl made at the Chayang kilns in Fujian Province [indent]Haikatsugi means “ash covered,” which refers to the color and texture of the glaze
hoken or hokken: thin, plain-weave silk
kensan tenmoku: type of tenmoku tea bowl made at the Jian kilns in Fujian Province.
kin: a volumetric measurement; one kin is about 600 grams
kinsha: open plain-weave silk fabric with a floating warp pattern in flat gold thread
mentsu: cylindrical unlacquered bentwood waste-water container
nakatsugi: lacquer container for powdered tea
ōtsubo: large jar
shaku: linear measurement, about thirty centimeters
sun: linear measurement, about three centimeters
tada tenmoku: plain black-glazed tenmoku tea bowl
teoke: wood water bucket with a handle
torio: cord tied around neck of jar, over mouth cover
tsubo: jar
tsurube: square freshwater container of unlacquered wood
yarō: lacquer container for powdered tea

ami:

net bag (made for a tea-leaf storage jar)

bokuseki:

calligraphies by Chan/Zen monks

cha:

tea

chaire:

small ceramic jar for powdered tea

chakaiki:

tea diary

chanoyu:

Japanese practice centered on drinking powdered green tea and appreciating the objects used therein

chanoyu nikki:

tea diary

chatsubo:

tea-leaf storage jar

chawan:

tea bowl

chio:

lug cords (made for a tea-leaf storage jar)

dōbōshū:

curatorial advisor

fukuro:

pouch for a tea utensil, especially a container for powdered tea

fukuroshi:

pouch maker, a specialized artisan associated with chanoyu

gyō:

semiformal style; term employed in calligraphy and applied to levels of formality in chanoyu-related practices; see shin, sō

haikenki:

viewing records

haikatsugi tenmoku:

type of tenmoku tea bowl made at the Chayang kilns in Fujian Province; haikatsugimeans “ash covered,” which refers to the color and texture of the glaze

hoguchi marks:

the brightening in the glaze color caused by flames hitting the shoulder during firing; term of tea jar connoisseurship

kaō:

cipher

karamono:

object imported from China

kin:

unit of measurement, approximately 600 grams

kiseikō:

“yellow seikō,” type of tea jar named for its glaze color; see qingxiang

koicha:

thick tea; see usucha.

koro:

term of tea jar connoisseurship that means size

kuchikiri or kuchikiri chaji:

formal occasion for opening the sealed jar and serving the new tea

kuchioi:

mouth cover (made for a tea-leaf storage jar)

kuchio:

cord for securing mouth cover

matcha:

powdered green tea, prepared for drinking by whisking with hot water in a tea bowl

matsubo:

“true jar”; term that distinguishes Chinese tea jars from Japanese products

meibutsu:

“celebrated object”

meibutsugire:

“celebrated textiles” imported from China

meibutsuki:

“records of celebrated objects”

mon:

unit of currency

Mushanokōji Senke:

one of three Sen family lineages of chanoyu

nadare:

drips or flows of glaze; term of tea jar connoisseurship

nagao:

long cord (made for a tea-leaf storage jar)

nanban:

term describing the origins of an object made in Southeast Asia and imported into Japan

nari:

term of tea jar connoisseurship that means shape

ōmeibutsu:

“great meibutsu”; refers specifically to an object singled out by the mid-sixteenth century

Omotesenke:

one of three Sen family lineages of chanoyu

ōtsubo:

large jar

qingquan (Chinese):

mark on jar indicating “clear and perfect” (Japanese: seizen)

qingxiang (Chinese):

mark on jar indicating “clear and fragrant” (Japanese: seikō)

Raku:

family workshop in Kyoto that has produced low-fired, lead-glazed ceramics from the sixteenth century to the present day

renga:

linked verse

rengeō:

“lotus king” mark on jar; used in Japan as the name for a type of jar

rokurome:

horizontal grooves created by turning on the potter’s wheel; term of tea jar connoisseurship

Ruson (Luson) tsubo:

narrowly designates Chinese jars taken to Japan from the Philippines in the 1590s but came to be used for all Chinese tea jars

seikō:

“pure fragrance”; an inscription often stamped on Chinese jars; used in Japan as the name for a type of jar

Senke jisshoku:

group of ten specialized artisan families associated with the three Sen lineages of chanoyu

shifuku:

custom-tailored drawstring pouch for a tea utensil, especially a container for powdered tea

shimofukura:

“swollen lower body”; term of tea jar connoisseurship

shin:

formal style; see gyō, sō

shō (祥):

auspicious graph present on base of Chigusa

sō:

informal style; see gyō, shin

tencha:

dry, unrolled green tea leaves; raw material for matcha

tenmoku:

type of dark-glazed tea bowl made at the Jian kilns in Fujian Province; see haikatsugi tenmoku

toko or tokonoma:

alcove in tearoom for the display of objects

Tomita kinran:

name given in Japan to a Chinese textile of a particular pattern in a gold-brocaded weave structure (kinran)

torio:

securing cord (made for a tea-leaf storage jar)

tōyama:

“distant mountains”; term of tea jar connoisseurship coined in Japan to describe incised undulating pattern on large jars

tsubo:

jar

uchiai:

overlapping glaze effect; term of tea jar connoisseurship

Uji:

famous tea-producing area south of Kyoto

Urasenke:

one of three Sen family lineages of chanoyu

usucha:

thin tea; see koicha

uzurame:

“quail-eye” pattern in Chigusa’s glaze; term of tea jar connoisseurship

yōsu:

overall appearance of an object; term of tea jar connoisseurship