Katsura Rikyu

I visited Katsura Rikyu (Imperial Villa) in Kyoto for the first time.  When I go to Kyoto, I’m always  wearing Kimono as I go there for tea ceremony lessons and/or related events,  but I went there with pants and sneakers, and I was so relaxed.  

From Shinkansen, I was lucky to see Mt. Fuji with a   trace of snow, and enjoyed  eating 3 packs of onigiri (rice ball) for my breakfast.

Meanwhile, I booked a tour of Katsura Rikyu starting from 9:00.  The tour was consisting of more than 10 people with a guide.  It was one hour short tour, but enjoyed it so much.  There were small stone bridges         and a lot of stepping stones.  It was so slippery due to yesterday’s rains and so I walked carefully.  Trees, grasses and moss are shining with dews, and were vivid green color.  I felt so refreshed.

By the way, Katsura Rikyu was started to build about400 years ago  and completed in era of  Emperor    Gomizuno.  There were no fire accidents afterwards, and so almost all constructions have been remaining as they were, but due to flooding of Katsura River,  some of them were damaged.  The surrounding  sceneries have been maintained by taking over neighboring fields.

In old days, guests of tea gatherings moved from a waiting hut to a tea house with a small boat,  guided by moon and stone lanterns on the opposite banks.  Tea rooms are not gorgeous at all,  but  simple,  rustic and aesthetic tastes.  Fusuma (sliding door)   and Tokonoma (alcove) with checkered patterns and allow-style catches of Fusuma looks so modern and innovative.  I’m so much impressed with those  detailed works.

But it is regrettable that those tea rooms  have been not used for tea gatherings for almost 200 years.   Tsukubai (washing stone vasin) are not filled with water but with sands and cannot be used anymore. Though periodical renovations have been done, thedaily cleaning and care might be not enough as they have been not used.  

Some old tea rooms like Urasenke and Jyukoin have been well cleaned and taken care, as routinely used. Old wood polls of those tea rooms are shining with  black luster, and nicely aging, but Katsura  Rikyu are not like them.   I realized that tea rooms can keep its beauty when they have been nicely used for a long  time.   

It is said that after moving of Meiji emperor from  Kyoto to Tokyo, loyal families have been away from  chanoyu maybe due to active introductions of  western culture and due to separation of Shintoism and Buddhism.  Empress Tofukumonin and similar age people like Sotan, Shokado Shojo and Kogetsu Sogan might come to the tea gatherings at Katsura Rikyu.  On my way home, walking along the Katsura River, I enjoyed imaging how those tea gatherings were performed.  

桂離宮

たいへんご無沙汰しています。昨日、初めて桂離宮に伺いました。京都はいつもお茶に関係することで行くので、たいてい着物を着ての道中ですが、今回はスニーカーにパンツの軽装なのでとても楽ちんでした。久しぶりに美しい夏山の富士山を拝み、おにぎりを3個も食べて準備万端。

見学はweb予約済で9時から。当日予約の方も多くいらっしゃいました。ガイドさん付きで一グループは10人ちょっと。外国人は3人ほど、外国語の説明もイヤフォンで聞けるようです。見学は1時間ほど。池の橋を渡ることや飛び石の上を歩くことも多く、足元に注意して歩きました。昨日までの雨のおかげで緑が鮮やかで、苔がみずみずしく気持ちいい散策でした。今から400年位前に造営がはじまり、後水尾天皇のときに完成したそうです。創建以来、火災に遭うこともなく殆ど完全に創建当時の姿だそうです。近くの桂川の氾濫により建物が水に浸かることはあったとのこと。周りの田んぼも買い取り景観保持をしているそうです。

当時は、外待合から池を対岸の灯籠の明かりをたよりに小舟で渡り茶室に入ったそうです。侘びた風情ですが市松模様の襖に床の間、胡粉をおきあげた唐紙、矢を形どった取手など今も斬新なデザインで、至るところに匠の技が見られて、なんてセンスがよいのかとため息ばかりでした。

残念なことは、明治時代以降、これらの茶室で茶会をすることはなく、つくばいは小石で埋められいました。畳や襖も傷みがひどく、大改修工事はされたていますが、実際に茶室は使わずに細部が朽ち果てもったいない限りです。裏千家や聚光院の茶室などは普段から大事に使われて柱が黒光りして、いい年の重ね方をしていますが、桂離宮の茶室には残念な年の重ね方を感じました。やはり茶室は使われて生きる、いわゆる用の美だということを実感しました。

明治維新以降、天皇が東京に移られてからは、西欧諸国の文化を積極的に取り入れて、神仏分離令もあり仏門に入る皇室の方もおられなくなり、茶の湯から遠くなられたのかもしれません。後水尾天皇の奥方の東福門院と裏千家三代家元元伯宗旦は交流があったとのこと。同じ時代の松花堂昭乗、江月宗玩や宗旦も後水尾天皇の茶会に招かれたことはあったのかしら。桂川の辺りを歩く帰り道、どんなに雅で美しい茶会をされていたのか暫し妄想して楽しみました。今秋は修学院離宮へ伺う予定です。

Kanjizai (Look at yourself)

It's been a long time since I stopped blogging.  After my mother's very sudden death in last August, I did not feel like to write a blog.

On June 22, I visited Yakushiji Temple Tokyo branch where I have a tea ceremony class succeeded from my mother , and attended  the anniversary event of  Takada Koin (1924-1998), former head priest of Yakushiji, who did raising funds to reconstruct Yakushiji temple complex through O-shakyo (making a handwritten copy of sutra), and devoted his life for people's salvation. 

Otani Tetsujyo, a butler chief priest of Yakushiji, lead the event, and I could listen to his very precious speech.   The most memorable words in his speach was :   All people must be patient, and are frustrated for a long time.  People are wielded by information, and missing to look back oneself. 　　We should not blame others, and should not forget that people make the decisions by oneself and decide one's life by oneself.  (Sorry for my poor explanations.)

Genjo Sanz, known as Sanzo-priest with Son-goku,  faced death for many times on his journey from China to India in Taklamakan Desert and Tianshan Mountains.  Even though he was know as a high priest in the Buddism history. He should have regretted why he had started such a difficult and hard journey.  However, he never gave up, and finally succeeded with a spirit of  "No return to East".  Ultimately, people make a decision with one's will and cannot blame other people.  The first word of HannyaShingyo (Heart Stura) was translated by him as Kan-ji-zai (Look at yourself).  I always start my O-shakyo with Kan-ji-zai, and that common word became more meaningful for me.

By the way, Tetsujyo priest wrote Hyohaku;  a speach for that anniversal event, but he did not add his name in the closing of his speach, because he is one of the people of Yakushiji-temple and he is learning and spreading the teaching of Budda with all other people.  Budda had the same way of thinking.   Still hard days of COVID-19 crisis are continuing, but I woudl like to consider these days as a good chance to learn Chanoyu deeply together with my students.    Wishing good health and peace of mind of people all over the world !

Myoga (Japanese jinger) flower, found on the way back from Yakushiji Tokyo branch