Newcastle Group – Hatsugama Keiko report 2020
The first of the New Year gatherings was held at Shizue Sensei ‘s house on the 13th of January. It was hot in Newcastle but a perfect day for celebrating the start of the new year. Five students attended the gathering. Otemae was Nagaita sokazari using Shimadai chawan.
We all enjoyed Shizue Sensei’s handmade delicious Hanabira Mochi.
On Sunday, 2 February 2020, we had Hatsugama at Leura.
Hatsugama（初釜) – first tea ceremony of the year.
Sydney Ryoko Group
It was a hot day, the temperature was 36 degrees. Even though 25 people joined koicha. Sachiko did temae and Megumi, Yuko and Irina helped mizuya. After koicha, we enjoyed lovely kaiseki tenshin, cooked by Mr. Shibata with Yoshi and Tamaki. Students separated into three groups. One group studied kazucha, the other did temae with Nagomi-dana and 4 and a half tatami mats’ group did hakobi-usucha. Ms. Toshimori showed Hayami-ryu temae.
We had our annual chakai at the Maiden Theatre in the Botanic Gardens on Sunday, 13 October 2019.
We were fortunate enough to have beautiful weather. Our theme this year was Reiwa, the name of Japan’s new Imperial era.
Association members made tea for 180 guests at the Cowra’s Sakura Matsuri on Saturday (Sept 28). It was a perfect sunny temperate Spring day with the Cowra Japanese Gardens in full bloom.
The festival of Japanese cultural events and performances attracted 2,500 people and members raised $895, which was donated to the gardens.
all photos by Mark Symonds
Chakai for 10 th Anniversary of AikiLife Aikido Dojo
Kyoko McKay
On 1 September, the first day of Spring, the Sydney Association Canberra Group
was invited by aikido sensei Ann Reekie to celebrate the 10 th anniversary of the
founding of her dojo by holding a day of chado demonstrations for aikido students
and their families at the dojo.
The Canberra Group made use of the dojo’s beautiful tatami room to conduct
So Kazari temae. We displayed a kakejiku that read ‘Nichi, nichi, kore koujitsu’
(Every day is a good day) and Kyoko Sensei made kangori (寒氷) and gyuhi (求肥).
Members set up a mizuya in the training area and the sound of martial arts was
temporarily replaced by boiling water and tea-talk.
We held four sessions and served a total of 66 guests. Host and assistant duties
were performed by Takako Mizogami, Megumi Eddison and Dirk Staunton; MC was
conducted by Dirk and Chika Staunton; kitchen assistants included Letha Chang,
Rumi Brown and Nobu Ohashi; while Kyoko Sensei kept everything running
smoothly.
The guests were impressed with the demonstration and enjoyed matcha with
Japanese sweets. Although most were familiar with Japanese culture from their
aikido studies, none had previously seen chado. The guests enjoyed the atmosphere
of tea and asked many questions afterwards. We received excellent feedback from
Ann Sensei following the chakai, who was very happy that her tatami room had been
used for a traditional Japanese practice.
Thank you to the helpers for giving up their Fathers Day and putting so much
enthusiasm into this event. It was a fantastic way to usher in Canberra’s finest
season.
Association members held a very successful Chado demonstration on Saturday, August 31, for the Friends of Everglades House and Gardens, a renowned National Trust estate in Leura, with 5.2 hectares of gardens.
The gardens were constructed in the 1930s by Danish-born landscape gardener Paul Sorensen.
The demonstration, by the Leura tea group, was attended by 40 people. A specially designed Nagomi-dana style tea-table, made in Canberra by Yamaguchi-san, was used.
On display was a fan Kacho Fugetsa O’Tanoshima, written by Zabosai Oiemoto, and a Chabana arrangement of early spring flowers.
Some members of the audience said they could feel the meditative atmosphere during the demonstration.
