Trip of Blessing Breeze 恵風の旅

Nara / Kyoto Trip : Trip of the Blessing Breeze (September 22nd & 23rd)

I went on a short trip to Nara and Kyoto for 2 days, came back on last Sunday. 

As it was an inspiring trip with places and events that relate to tea, I'd like to share about the trip here.

＊On the first day, I visited the Sencha-do Utensils Gallery, "Muichimotsu 無一物" in Nara.

This gallery has been my oasis of Sencha-do and Bunjin-shumi (the literati culture come from ancient China), since it was opened in last December by a Iemoto (master) of a Sencha-do school. There is a Sencha cafe, "Cafe Utsugi カフェうつぎ" run by his daughters next to the gallery as well.

A large Yamato-cha (Regional tea in Yamato, Nara) event has been held in this September, and Sencha utensils exhibition for the festival is held at Muichimotsu now.

I enjoyed looking at the pieces by the artists I have seen at the permanent exhibition and the pieces by the artists I haven't seen, taking time.

【 Muichimotsu 】

Address : 〒630-8325　奈良県奈良市西木辻町600-62 (15 min. walk from JR/Kintetsu Nara station)

Opening Hours : 10:00(open)～19:00(close)　Holiday : Tuesday

Tel : 0742-22-3802 

The time I spend at Muichimotsu is always very special.

It's more than being able to see the beautiful Sencha-do utensils in the lovely space. There are  paintings and calligraphic works (by the master), arrangement of Sencha-do, tea, refined conversations, learning ... 

Every time I visit there, I walk on the way back to Nara station with a big smile.

＊And, every time I meet people through tea, they said to me "You really love tea, don't you!" or "I'm impressed by your passion towards tea."

Even though I love tea, the way of tea, the Japanese culture of tea, the world of Bunjin-shumi (the literati culture come from ancient China which I've just started studying little by little), and everything relating to tea, 

for me, ”THE EVERYTHING" is everything I meet and learn from the past, present to the future, and every feelings and thoughts I have everyday, 

therefore, I think the life of tea (loving the life of tea) is too natural to realize how people point out. And I don't think I'm a tea enthusiast or I study about tea very keenly.

So, I feel both flattered and embarrassed by being pointed about my love or passion towards tea. 

Since I re-met with tea a few years ago, 

From things I felt ashamed, desperate, hurt or sad in the past (and the present) to things I felt happy, touched, overwhelmed, inspired, warm or peaceful...

I really feel that everything : I have experienced, learnt, done, the memories of my emotions, or things/moments/scenery/people I could have met helped my way of tea in some way. So, I can say nothing is useless. 

I want to keep growing and improving myself from everything I meet and learn.

This moment, NOW, is my precious gift. 

I always wish (and try) to serve my heart for people with what I could, the tea I could in return to what I'm given. Small things by great love. ♡　

＊On the second day, I went to the museum "EKi" KYOTO in the ISETAN building next to the Kyoto station, for the exhibition of Tatsuaki Kuroda.

Tatsuaki Kuroda (1904 - 1982 ) was born in the Gion district of Kyoto. In 1970, he became Japan's first woodworker to be designated a living national treasure.

Kuroda's work in lacquered wood encompassed a wide range, from small items such as tea ceremony utensils finished with urushi lacquer and raden inlay, to large works such as his imposing chairs and display cabinets. Extremely creative, he produced a large number of masterpieces that display his superb craft and design skills. The breadth of his output attracted domestic and international acclaim, becoming the focus of exhibitions around the world. Surprisingly, until now there has been no exhibition celebrating Kuroda in his Kyoto hometown.

Kuroda's wood work is still alive in Kyoto today. The Shinshindo cafe near the north gate of Kyoto University has tables and benches that were created by Kuroda early in his career, and have been loved and appreciated by generations of students. There is a massive display cabinet at the Kagizen Yoshifusa confectioner in Gion, and a carved signboard at the entrance to the Kawai Kanjiro's House museum.

There are all excellent examples of Kuroda's handwork.

Late in life, Kuroda was commissioned to create furniture by the Imperial Household Agency and by film director Akira Kurosawa, and he was designated a living national treasure. The scope of his activities grew as the years went by, but they can all be traced back to encounters in Kyoto that developed into deeper relationships. Those encounters include Kanjiro Kawai and Muneyoshi Yanagi, who he met while in his twenties, and the Kyoto clients who recognize his talent, supported his work, and remained devoted to his products. This exhibition provides a new opportunity to look back at his achievements in the city that provided their original context.

Beginning with wood, Tatuaki Kuroda was a master skillfully turning natural materials such as urushi lacquer and lustrous pars of seashells suitable for raden inlays into things exquisite beauty. "When you're carve, there's only one chance to catch the beautiful line in the wood. Carve too much or too little, and you miss it." he said. His formidable aesthetic sense and skill are conveyed by the beautiful lines of teach of his products.

I highly need to mention that he was a "woodworker", not only a "lacquer artist".

The lacquer coating process has a high division of labor, so, there are few artists like Kuroda who does every step of making a piece - from designing, curving wood, painting lacquer and decorating (such as raden). It could be said that therefore he could express his own way of designing, own beauty, but when I imagine his talent and devotion to master all techniques ... I am astonished.

All his works have the irresistible beauty of the lines and forms and the elegant vividness. 

I had been enchanted and excited all the time... I came back and came back to the pieces I loved and watched closer and further. 

＊In the afternoon of the second day, I participated a work shop by Murin-an, Fostering Studies <Moss> .

The word, "fostering" means "to grow". In this sequential work shop, Fostering Studies, you can learn the thoughts of Japanese garden's fostering which has been kept growing and remained till now by an actual gardener of Murin-an.

I knew about this work shop, sadly after the first work shop <Pruning> was already finished.

In the beginning, we heard about the basic organism of moss and how the mosses at Murin-an were grown.

Then we went for an activity with people in the same group !

There were four groups, up to the seats we sat by chance. Each group was given a section of the garden and a mission to search for "what kind of mosses (trees and plants) are grown, what kind of environment is it, is there any relationships/reasons between the kind of moss and the environment (that the moss is grown) etc. Then, after the observations we came back to the room and created a miniature of the section, using actual mosses. 

It was very interesting to think about what kind of the environment was easy for a kind of moss to grow, observing in the garden and talking with people in the same group.

There are various kinds of mosses in Murin-an, and it makes enjoyable and calm to walk around the garden.

What I learnt the most was that the gardeners of Murin-an take care of the garden including moss and other plants subject to nature. They don't try to plant the plants which won't fit the environment artificially. They try not to spoil the plants there for not making the plants weak.

Instead of adding, they eliminate unnecessary things by weeding, pruning or getting rid of the dead leaves.

In the end of the workshop, we made our own Moss Ball (Bonsai).

It was such an enjoyable opportunity to learn about how to care of the moss and garden.