- It's not the normal setup, but sometimes the room forces you to have the guests sitting on the left side of the host instead of the right.
- It's a great exercise to keep a fresh mind, and regain the 初心. In fact, I think as soon as the basic 小習 are mastered, it makes sense to throw this into the rotation so you gain much clarity what movements are about the guest and thus change in the new setting, and which have to do with yourself.
- In such rooms, 長板 and 台子 cannot be done, and only symmetric 棚 are used (if they have a nail or such, they can't be used). For such 棚, the arrangement is mirrored, with the 柄杓 end facing towards the guests.
- 帛紗 on R. To 捌き, fold it up like a woman, transfer to L (👎 don't use the thumb to keep it there), and 捌き away from the guest, over the R knee.
- Enter with L, exit with R
- Carry 建水 with R
- Lid of the 棗 and 茶入 comes directly in front of the 茶碗. I presume this is so that the guest can still see it.
- Dump water first with R into 建水, and then change hands every time you dump either hot or cold water (both 濃茶 and 薄茶). So the bow to receive request to finish in 薄茶 can be with either R or L.
- Pull back 建水 with 茶杓 in the hand, then 捌き.
- 道具 are put out for 拝見 as always.
- 逆勝手, for some reason, in 炉 is always the outer corner.
点前
- The handling of the 柄杓 changes slightly. You still handle it with R for scooping water; but you lift it out of the 建水 with R, give it to L, and move 蓋置 with R (this is just for practical reasons). When lifting the 柄杓 from the 蓋置, you use L and transfer to R; when lifting it from the 釜, use R directly. To put the 蓋置 with R is a bit awkward, especially for 大炉.
- If using the 帛紗, its corner to corner with the R knee for the first time, then lives behind the R knee in 炉, and behind the 建水 in 風炉.
- Clean the tea bowl over the R knee, farther away from the guests.
- Serve the tea with L
- If using a 古帛紗, the turning is a bit more tricky: take out on L, turn fully with R, hold L edge (fold) with L and put out, fold away from the 茶碗.
- When getting up with the 建水, hold 柄杓 and 蓋置 with R, and 建水 with L hiding it behind the 着物 sleeve. Then pivot
⚠️ This is only in a room of 4.5 mats or more. In the 小間, you do it as usual, only mirrored
手前
- In 炉, the 五徳 is arranged differently: The open part is parallel to the front side of the 炉縁!
- 炭斗 is mirrored
- Everything is unpacked with L
- I presume the paper for the 釜 is placed into 着物 with the fold on the right side, because Ulrich once said the fold always points in the direction in which the 釜 is moved at the end.
- In 初炭, the feather is picked up with L, and then taken over with R.
- The 火箸 are picked up with L, then with an underhand grip with R. Apart from that, the coal in the 炭斗 is laid inverted, and it is laid in the 風炉 mirrored.
- For 香, however, you pick them up directly with R with an underhand grip.
- 捌き for 風炉 is business as usual, in 炉 its inverted.
