Rikyū (1522-91) is famous for codifying chanoyu, the tea ceremony. He was an innovator who popularized the aesthetic of wabi/sabi. For adherents of Chado, The Way of Tea, he is considered the founder. Though, now that I say this, he is a distant, almost mythical figure. At least for us in the west, we learn the basic chronology of his life but not many of the details.
Much of what we do know was written years after his death, so there are questions of authenticity. But this is common with many historical figures and does not distract from his significance.
One point of contact for us is a compilation of aphorisms mainly attributed to him. It is called Rikyū Hyakushu or Rikyū’s Hundred Verses (1). The verses resemble waka poetry in form. They were compiled by Gengensai, the 11th Urasenke Iemoto from works by Rikyu himself and from one of his teachers.
The verses are mainly instructional, and of interest to students and practitioners of tea but a few have a wider context. They begin with: To have the mind to enter this path is, indeed, to have an inherent teacher. One must want to learn to gain an understanding of the art or craft being taught. I am afraid many a childhood piano lesson is squandered due to the student’s lack of interest.
Another favorite verse is: In that chanoyu is possible as long as you have one kettle, it is foolish to possess numerous implements. If any of Rikyu’s dictums has been egregiously ignored this is the one. Chanoyu lends itself to collecting. There are multiple levels of formality and seasonal changes. Each requires a stash of utensils, and that brings me to the purpose of this commentary, tana or shelves.
Tana are shelves that are used to display tea utensils in the tearoom. While not a requirement for making tea, they are often used. Early in my study of chanoyu, in pre-internet days, the availability of tana and tea utensils was limited. And since I inherited the handy gene from my father, I endeavored to make several tana. Three were made from rescued southern Illinois hundred year old oak barn wood.
At that time, I had no notion of the parameters that tana conform to, or just how many tana designs exist. When I introduced the tana to my teachers, certain peculiarities in my design were graciously brought to my attention. The orientation of the grain; the location of the nodes on the bamboo posts; the ratio between the width, height, and depth; the materials used and in the simplest of terms, their usability.
As I think back, it was beginner’s luck that each of them, with a little forethought, worked well and brought a sense of the builder and of the land (Southern Illinois) into the chashitsu/tearoom. The provenance and knowledge of how to use them will need to be passed to the next user for it will not be written in a formal text.
And this brings me back to the multitude of tea ware. A book details each tana used in the Urasenke tradition of tea. It explains the appropriate use of each tana in terms of the season, the level of formality, the compatible utensils, and includes a photograph. Though the book is in Japanese, it is a visual treat for anyone interested in design, in architecture, in woodworking, and in fine finishes.
The pandemic has given me time to ponder my tea life. I have made tea ware from the beginning of my study. When the tea season recently changed from Winter (Ro) to Spring (Furo), I saw an opportunity to go to my basement workshop and construct a tana. There were pieces of wood and bamboo saved for such a project.
I had a design in my mind’s eye but confronted by the materials, and limited by tools and skill level, the final shape eluded me. Over the years, Professor Emeritus Shōsō Satō of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has inspired me with his vast knowledge of Japanese arts and crafts. He is a true Maker in the modern sense of the word, so when I am confounded I look to his example and carry on.
The tana took form and will soon be put to the test. Rikyu also stated: Keep tea rustic and, through your heart, give warm hospitality; for the implements, always use items which you have at hand. This I will endeavor to do.
(1) The quoted verses are from Rikyū’s Hundred Verses by Iguchi Kaisen with translation by Gretchen Mittwer. The book is available from Tankosha Publishing Co., Kyoto.
May 2021
