Three Years On[June 2013]

KOBORI Sojitsu (the 13th Grand Master of the Enshu Sado School )

When approaching June, a confectionary called the ‘ice room’ is often used during tea ceremonies and in the training rooms. While I usually prefer strained bean paste to sweet bean jam containing whole beans, for some reason I really enjoy this snack which can contain the beans in their original size. As one takes a bite of this confectionary, one also can’t help but be reminded that half a year has already passed.

This April has been very busy. I have had to attend various ceremonies and cultural exchange activities in Warsaw, Poland and Budapest, Hungary in Eastern Europe.

And having safely completed the annual memorial service for my father on the 24th of the month, I immediately left for Nagoya, completed a tea ceremony, returned to Tokyo and on the 28th and 29th attended a tea ceremony held in Nezu Museum commemorating my father.

Time really does fly. The weather both days was refreshingly clear and the kakitsubata, a Japanese iris, had blossomed and were looking just right. The wisteria too had also blossomed, providing our guests at the tea ceremony a great feast for the eyes.

I would like to thank Mr Matsu Chokuan and Mr Sekiya for very kindly assisting in the tea ceremony. I am particularly grateful to Mr Matsu Chokuan for preparing tea for all attendees despite the small room. I am very happy to have had this opportunity to think of my father.

As I had recently written in the book I wrote about my father, at a Kouetsukai meeting I took the time to explain to every single guest how I conducted the tea ceremony. This time was the first time I conducted two tea ceremonies at the same time. I did this because I wanted to challenge myself. Mr Asai Socho also spent two days serving tea.

In the past, during the 13th year of the Kanei period, my ancestor Kobori Enshu conducted a tea ceremony in Kurotani to commemorate the 33rd year since his father passed. At this event I also wanted to do the same and am very satisfied with how it went. Recently there are a lot of occasions that remind me that my father is not here. As such, I would like to treat this tea ceremony as a new beginning.