Tea Times  Oct., Nov. & Dec. 2004

We conduct ongoing weekly classes in the Urasenke tradition of Chanoyu, the Japanese tea ceremony, from beginner to advanced levels. Classes are open to anyone who desires to learn more about this peaceful Japanese art. Events and classes are held in San Francisco.Please Email us to make arrangements to visit a class and have a bowl of tea.

Mizuyagoto, the various techniques of handling and caring for tea utensils, will be the focus of this workshop. Participants will learn how to display and store scrolls, handle and clean lacquer ware as well as the proper handling of other ceramic and lacquer utensils. This workshop will be of interest to those who want to preserve their Asian collection. Sweets and tea will be served.

This traditional wagashi, Japanese sweet making, class will feature autumn & winter sweets. Included will be kurishigure and yukimochikinton. Kurishigure, "chestnut rain," is a rolled sweet using sweet bean paste on the outside and chestnut bean paste on the inside. It is then steamed and sliced into serving pieces. Yukimochikinton is a traditional Kyoto style Chanoyu sweet made with nagaimo, long yam, and sweet bean paste that resembles a snowball.

This class will include both demonstration and hands-on practice. Tea and sweets will be served after the class.

The theme of the tea will be robiraki, the opening of the hearth that begins the winter season in tea. The hearth is traditionally opened on Nov. 1, at Urasenke. In olden times it was done on an auspicious day, usually a wild boar day as the board is thought to be a protector from fire. Rikyu also said the hearth should be opened when the yuzu, citron, turns from green to yellow signaling the beginning of the cold season.

Traditional seasonal sweets, tea and a tenshin style kaiseki meal will be served. This event is open to anyone wishing to enjoy Japanese culture through Chanoyu, the tea ceremony. No prior experience is necessary.

This traditional wagashi, Japanese sweet making, class will feature hishihanabiramochi and suhama. Hishihanabiramochi is a special New Year's sweet with a soft outer gyuhi skin folded over candied burdock and miso flavored sweet bean paste. Suhama is a dry sweet made by kneading roasted soy bean flour with gyuhi, a sweet rice paste. The dough is rolled and fashioned into seasonal shapes.

This class will include both demonstration and hands-on practice. The freshly made sweets and tea will be served at the end of the class. Easy to follow recipes will also be provided. No prior experience is necessary.

Joyagama, our final tea gather-ing of 2004 , is a time to share tea with friends and enjoy the memories of the past year. It is also a time to bid farewell to the year of the monkey. Utensils reflecting the feeling of the season will be used during this tea.

Joyagama is traditionally held on December 31, in Japan. Toshikoshi, year passing festivities, include the eating of toshikoshi soba, long thin buckwheat noodles, for longevity and good health. Traditional sweets, tea and toshikoshi soba will be served. This tea is open to anyone who wants to experience Japanese culture through Chanoyu, the Japanese tea ceremony.

* Please Email teatimes@chanoyu.com, for more information or to make reservations. Advance payment by mail will confirm your email reservations. As space is limited, cancellations must be made not later than 5-days before each event to receive a refund. Thank you.

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