"I'll watch it a few times to prepare for the day." Those words brought tears to my eyes. Karin Tenku Tea Party ~Seifu Keiga Tea Party~ The Day Before, August 7th DAY 31 [DAY 177]
Tomorrow, August 8th.
We will finally welcome the "Seifu Keiga Tea Party," held with gratitude for Tokusenkaku's 15th anniversary.
Over the past month, while continuing to write these notes leading up to August 8th, I have been looking back on the 15 years of Tokusenkaku.
And today, the day before.
As I was making the final preparations one by one from the morning, I felt overwhelmed, and something happened that brought tears to my eyes.
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Table of Contents
1. In the morning, I was exchanging videos with Seiji Ito
2. "I'll watch it a few times to prepare for the day."
3. The figure of someone who continues to learn even as they approach 77
4. Seiji Ito is an intermediate tea master at Tokusenkaku
5. Pouring 15 years into a single cup of Tieguanyin
6. "Seifu Keiga" — Passing on what has been received to the next
7. Finally, tomorrow
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1. In the morning, I was exchanging videos with Seiji Ito
At tomorrow's tea party,
Seiji Ito,
Yasuhiko Wakasugi,
and I
will stand before everyone and brew Tieguanyin.
Because of this, this morning, I sent Mr. Ito videos of the Tieguanyin tea preparation for tomorrow several times, and we were exchanging messages.
Seiji Ito is a ceramic artist from Jinshu Toen in Tokoname.
For a long time, he has continued to make the teapots that are indispensable for Tokusenkaku's Tieguanyin.
Whenever I thought,
"I want to brew Tieguanyin even more deliciously,"
and sought something, Mr. Ito would give shape to it one by one.
The person who makes the teapots,
and me, who brews tea with those teapots.
It is not just that kind of relationship.
Mr. Ito and I have walked a long time together through tea itself.
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2. "I'll watch it a few times to prepare for the day."
After I sent the video in the morning, a message arrived from Mr. Ito.
"Thank you very much.
I will watch it a few times to prepare for the day.
I look forward to it."
The moment I read these words,
I don't know why,
but tears came to my eyes.
"I'll watch it a few times to prepare for the day."
It is just a very short phrase.
But it resonated with me as very significant words.
Mr. Ito will be celebrating his 77th birthday, his Kiju, this September.
At tomorrow's "Seifu Keiga Tea Party," we will also be celebrating that Kiju a little early.
Even as he approaches 77,
he doesn't say, "I already know it,"
nor does he say, "I've done it before, so it's fine."
For the sake of one tea preparation tomorrow, he watches the video many times, checks it, and tries to prepare properly.
That attitude.
That ambition.
And that sincerity.
It is truly wonderful.
When I thought that, tears overflowed.
And I thought,
"I want to be like this, too."
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3. The figure of someone who continues to learn even as they approach 77
— A tea master is someone who continues to learn —
Even as you age, you do not stop learning.
It is not that because you could do it yesterday, it is fine to do the same today,
but rather, for the sake of the one time right in front of you, you check again.
You prepare for the guest right in front of you.
And you polish yourself from yesterday to today, and from today to tomorrow.
That may be something that applies to tea art, and also to life.
Obtaining a tea master qualification is not the goal.
Learning, obtaining a qualification, that is not the end.
Every time you face a cup of tea, you learn,
you check again for the guest in front of you,
and you continue to polish yourself to deliver a more delicious cup.
In Mr. Ito's short words,
"I'll watch it a few times to prepare for the day,"
I felt as if I had been shown the figure I want to cherish as a tea master.
And I, who have presided over Tokusenkaku, was also reminded of my original intentions.
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4. Seiji Ito is an intermediate tea master at Tokusenkaku
And there is something I really want to leave in today's note.
Seiji Ito is a ceramic artist from Tokoname, and at the same time,
he is also an intermediate tea master at Tokusenkaku.
This is very important to me.
The person who makes the teapot and the person who brews the tea.
They are not in separate worlds.
Mr. Ito himself learned Chinese tea at Tokusenkaku and has faced tea as a tea master.
That is precisely why,
I believe he did not just make a "teapot for brewing delicious Tieguanyin" as a form,
but knew the feelings of the person who actually brews the tea,
knew about the tea leaves,
and knowing the taste of the tea,
he thought together with me and continued to make them.
To me, Mr. Ito is not simply a "ceramic artist who makes teapots."
He is one of the tea masters of Tokusenkaku who has learned the same tea and looked at the same cup.
I can brew Tieguanyin together with Mr. Ito at such an important milestone as Tokusenkaku's 15th anniversary.
When I think about it again, I am truly grateful.
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5. Pouring 15 years into a single cup of Tieguanyin
Tokusenkaku celebrated its 15th anniversary this year.
Looking back, these 15 years were by no means walked by me alone.
The people who make the tea.
The people who make the tea utensils.
Everyone who has learned at Tokusenkaku.
All the tea masters who brew tea with me.
And everyone who comes to enjoy Tokusenkaku's tea.
The connections with each and every person have led to the present.
The connection with Seiji Ito is also one of those important ones.
The teapot that was made through trial and error many, many times to brew Tieguanyin deliciously.
We use that teapot to brew Tieguanyin,
and we have passed on that deliciousness and culture to the next person.
Therefore, tomorrow's Tieguanyin
is not simply one type among seven types of tea.
From the maker to the brewer.
From the brewer to the next person.
There is the time that has been accumulated over 15 years.
I am handing over the 15 years of time itself to everyone in a single cup of Tieguanyin.
That is the feeling I have.
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6. "Seifu Keiga" — Passing on what has been received to the next
For this tea party,
I gave it the name
"Seifu Keiga."
Like a clear breeze,
beautiful things,
authentic culture,
and the heart,
I will connect them to the next person.
This overlaps with the theme of "succession" that I have cherished all year.
I believe that succession does not mean repeating exactly the same thing as in the past.
While cherishing what has been received,
I also continue to learn myself.
I continue to polish myself.
And I hand it over to the next person with all my heart.
Mr. Ito's words that arrived today,
"I'll watch it a few times to prepare for the day."
In those words, I felt as if I had been shown the true form of "succession."
That is why I think I shed tears.
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7. Finally, tomorrow
Over this past month,
while continuing to write these notes leading up to August 8th, I have been looking back on the 15 years.
Thinking,
hesitating,
preparing,
and while being helped by many people,
I have come this far, step by step.
It is finally tomorrow.
Instead of putting too much pressure on myself to be perfect,
I want to believe in what I have prepared until today,
and cherish the time I can spend with everyone.
And tomorrow,
Seiji Ito, Yasuhiko Wakasugi, and I.
At the moment the three of us brew Tieguanyin,
I will surely remember these words I received today.
"I'll watch it a few times to prepare for the day."
Beyond a single cup of tea,
there are people,
there is time,
and there are thoughts.
Thank you so much for these 15 years.
Tomorrow, I will put that "thank you"
into every single cup of tea.
Seifu Keiga Tea Party.
Finally tomorrow, we will welcome you all.
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