It was really difficult to cope summer heat before air conditioning. Chajin tried very hard to make their guests feel a little cooler by special 点前 temae and utensils .
Here are some examples ;
・名水点 Meisui-date ( serving koicha with sacred water ) Photo 2
亭主 teishu gets some special water from a sacred spring and prepares in 木地釣瓶水指 kiji tsurube mizusashi ( timber bucket ). 水指 mizusashi is wetted as if it just comes from well and decorated with a sacred rice-straw rope with paper. The water is served to the guests before koicha.
・平水指 Hira-mizusashi ( large and flat mizusashi ) Photo3
A large water surface make you feel cool. It is used for both 濃茶 koicha and 薄茶 usucha 点前 temae.
There are different types of lids for it ;
大蓋 oobuta ( one piece large lid ) – The lid is leaned against 風炉先屏風 furosaki-byoubu or back of 水指 mizusashi opening.
割蓋 wari-buta ( two piece lid )
– with hinges Set 水指 mizusashi with its slit vertical and open left side .
– without hinges Set 水指 mizusashi with its slit horizontal and open front lid.
・葉蓋点前 Habuta-temae ( usucha-temae with a leaf as mizusashi lid ) Photo4
This was made up by 玄々斎 Gengensai XI using a lacquered cylinder of basket 花入 hanaire favoured by himself as 水指 mizusashi. He picked a leaf of paper mulberry tree form the garden and put it as a lid. The lid is sprinkled with water. Various leaves can be used if they don’t have nasty sap. After the lid is opened, the leaf is folded and put away in 建水 kensui.
・洗い茶巾 Arai-jakin ( usucha-temae with chakin floating in the water ) Photo 5
茶巾 chakin is folded triangularity and floating in the water in 茶碗 chawan. 茶杓 chashaku and 茶筅 chasen are set as usual. Before 茶筅通し chasen-tooshi, 茶巾 chakin is lifted over 茶碗 chawan to show water dripping and squeezed and folded properly.
・Use of glass ware Photo4 and 5
In old days glass ware were very precious. They were called 義山 Giyaman and most of them were imported from Europe. 水指 mizusashi, 茶碗 chawan, 蓋置 futaoki and 薄茶器 usucha-ki are often made with glass.
・Cool looking 菓子kashi Photo 6
Jelly-type sweet is popular in summer. Agar-agar and 葛 kuzu ( arrowroot ) starch are often used
・ Several flowers in 籠花入 kago-hanaire ( basket vase ) Photo 7
Three, five or seven different kinds of flowers are arranged in 籠花入 kago-hanaire.
籠花入 kago-hanaire doesn’t require 薄板 usuita ( board under vase) even in 畳床 ( tokonoma with tatami ).
