Background
Tea is made in a new tea bowl that is set on an unlacquered wooden stand called 貴人台. Sweets are served on a pedestalled tray called 高杯 (with 懐紙 folded noticeably), and when the tea is ready, the assistant for the host brings the bowl to the personage. When there are two 貴人 as guests, the assistant serves the first bowl to the first 貴人, then brings a second bowl from the preparation room. After the host makes tea in the second bowl, the assistant brings it to the second 貴人. It is a rule to serve tea in an independent bowl in both the case of
濃茶 and
薄茶.
It is the first of the 小習, and while it is against the spirit of 侘び茶, it is useful to learn the importance of consideration for the guest (CQ57). My interpretation is to learn deference by contrast (貴人 🆚 normal person), and then carry that same deference towards everyone.
Theoretically,
茶碗, 台 and all bamboo
道具 are new.
The
点前 are directed towards the
outer corner of the
炉. It always closes 本仕舞い
All bows, if possible, are 真 (says CJ)
CQ28 says it is usually done in a large room, and
棚,
長板 and
台子 is usually used. With KM25 we also did it without
棚.
Handling the 茶椀台
Always touch first with R, then L (but can come quite naturally); and let go in reverse (
台天目 is L, then R).
If there's not enough room to hold from the side, hold at 3 or 9, respectively, and 6; then shift to 3 and 9
while lifting or putting down fluidly (this, again, is different from
台天目).
Don't hold the 台 at the rim (since it might break off), but well within the inside of the plate.
When walking, hold 茶椀 with four fingers (for 台天目, it's three)
Wide grain indicates front side.
When taking 茶椀 from the 台 (or returning it), it is always assisted with a straight hand. (However, it is not assisted when discarding water into
建水, or when adding water to it.)
Sweets
Sweets are served on a special stand, on paper folded slightly (top layer goes towards R. If you get this wrong, you're serving sweets to a dead person.)
Lift the stand by holding the plate with both hands, then the L goes down to hold the stem (so you conceptually still hold it with both hands at the rim).
They are brought in by the host, not by the assistant.
貴人濃茶
貴人清次濃茶
Do 貴人濃茶 as you always would.
After 「服加減」, you come in with the 共茶碗 and
建水.
千鳥茶巾 stays in its spot (unlike
薄茶).
The 詰 returns all the
道具 that are entrusted to the 貴人, and the non-貴人 初客 returns the 共茶碗.
Everything is normal: Since you have the 清次, you don't need a はんと. Bow at the door (because it's 貴人), then prepare
濃茶, but only scoop the tea (like in 重茶碗).
When you serve the tea, you scoot back. The first “normal” guest will get the
茶碗 for the 貴人, who will place it L inside.
Everyone 総礼 here. Then 台 to the R inside, and
茶碗 into the hands.
until the 貴人 has taken their first sip. Then (from the back) you inquire about the かげん. When the 貴人 is content, you go on to make the 2
nd 濃茶. (In
薄茶, here you'd say 「お共の方にもさしあげます」). Scoot forward, then turn towards the
建水 and leave with it. Meanwhile, the guests will ask to
拝見 the 貴人茶碗, and the
last guest will return it.
Open door, come in with 共茶碗 and
建水.
➡️ This 建水 can either be the same as before, or it can be a different one. As for the 共茶碗, it can be 楽 or something else. Since the 貴人茶碗 is new, it stands above the 一楽二萩三唐津.
The 千鳥茶巾 goes to the back of the
釜 lid, and
stays there (unlike
薄茶, where you might need it still).
Second 茶筅通し is raised only once, and then when finishing it's just サラサラ・コツン・の字.
For the 共茶碗, it's お先に amongst the normal folk (just like in 重ね茶碗). No need to include the 貴人, they've had their tea.
When the 貴人茶碗 returns, everyone bows, and you say 「お仕舞い」once (unlike
薄茶, where the normal folk might want to continue to drink tea).
Because the
茶杓 is also used for normal people, no need to put it on the
仕覆 here.
貴人薄茶
If you use the
帛紗 to open the
釜, you take it with L after the 貴人 has drunk their tea.
茶杓 goes out on the
帛紗 for
拝見 (the 貴人 then separates it, returning them split).
Open door, bow with 茶椀 on 茶椀台, pick up 茶椀台, then stabilise and walk. Place down, shifting L to 6 of the 茶椀台. Get
棗 from
棚; or if not using a
棚, come in with
棗 and
建水 together.
When
柄杓 is put on
蓋置, 半東 opens the door, bows, slides in, turns by 180°, closes the door in winter, pivots again, directed at the 貴人, and places the hands on the floor. (Make sure to keep wrists straight here.)
L stabilises the 茶椀 from the top when doing 茶筅通し.
When tea is prepared, pick up 台, then shift. Then put R at 12, L at 6 (
in the air), turn, and turn again; and put down (shifting L). Shift back, rest hands on
畳.
半東 stands up, sits down at about 30° from 茶椀 as not to intrude too much into the 貴人's space, but turns it
on the 畳. Put's it in front of the guest, slides back, bows, and returns.
Bow when guest says
お点前ちょだい, then hands back on the
畳. When they've taken the first sip, pick up
帛紗 with L if it was used to close
釜.
半東 stands up, sits in front of 貴人, bows, picks up 茶椀, and returns it.
➡️ Theoretically, after お仕舞い, it would be the good moment for the 半東 to pick up the 干菓子. However, KM26 thinks, this creates a lot of movement in the room, so you could pick them up after delivering the 道具 for 拝見. Then you keep them by your side on the waiting 畳 (KM26, I think I would have brought them outside and then come back in to wait).
Clean, and after closing
水指 lid, guest will ask to see the
道具; bow.
After cleaning
棗 for
拝見, take
帛紗 on L, shift towards
棚, pick up
茶杓 and put it on
帛紗, securing it with the thumb. Place down, turn again to face
棚. 半東 places
道具 in front of 貴人, shifts back and bows, then sits in the
畳 beside the ふみこみ畳 so the host can exit.
Guest takes
道具 inside his
畳, separating
茶杓 and
帛紗; only looks at the
道具 when host has taken
建水 and 台, and replenished
水指. The host leaves the door open for these steps, and closes door in winter after replenishing, keeping the 水次 in front of him when closing it.
半東 returns
道具 (
帛紗 and
茶杓 remain separate), the host converses, then takes
帛紗 back, take
棗 and
茶杓 and shifts towards
棚. Put
茶杓 on
水指,
棗 on
棚, then take
茶杓 again (R, L just below node, then R again in the middle).
Leave, bow, close door.
貴人清次 薄茶
For 薄茶, it's 茶巾-茶巾, 茶筅-茶筅. Also, bow with the 貴人碗 at the door when leaving and entering. Finally, there's 2 times おしまい, once for the 貴人, and once for the servant.
This is a 点前 for serving a nobleman and his attendants. The point is to make a distinction between the nobleman and his attendants, so a separate tea bowl, whisk, 茶巾, sweet container, smoking set etc. are used.
This is the only
点前 where 裏千家 get to use a smoked bamboo
茶筅 called
煤竹 Placement of
茶筅 at the 建水の肩
There are some cues when what needs to happen:
Handling the 千鳥板
-
Invented by
玄々斎, so maybe he's a good one here for
茶杓's maker.
If it has a
花押, the side the
花押 is on is upside (and closer to the body when carried in the 着物); if it has another design, it's the other way round.