ホモテナシ

• 台子 brought from China to Japan in 1267 by a monk together with a 皆具 set and this came to be used for preparing tea. At first in a separate room, then, around 1450, in front of the guests; still with the 台子.
• 珠光 replaced the 真台子 by a bamboo one; and Jōō was then the first to deviate completely from the 台子 with the use of the 袋(ふくろ)棚, a staggered 大棚 inspired by 香道.

• 台子 and 棚 should only be used in rooms larger than 4.5 mats (this is even in the 南方録, arguing that it'll looked stuffy).
• A 仕付棚 is fine in smaller rooms.
• Also, they should not be used in large rooms where, for example, the 風炉 is on the ふみこみ畳, or if the 炉 is in the host's 畳.
• For 逆勝手, only symmetrical small 棚 are fine.
• At evening 茶事, it's best not to use 棚

If you use a 棚, the way of displaying items on it will change during the course of the 茶事. How precisely the items are placed depends on the 棚.

• 初座: You can display 羽箒 and 香合 on them; but you can also opt to carry them in in the 炭斗. Usually also the 薄茶 will be there already.
• 後座: 薄茶 and 濃茶 are present. During the 点前, the 仕覆 will land somewhere on the 棚. When finishing, remember that the 柄杓 first goes on the 建水, and then from there it and the 蓋置 may go to the 棚 (but you can also carry them out). However, the 棚 should look different from before, so the 薄茶 might also move.
• 薄茶:

• For 4 pillar 棚, lift the 水指 out of it to replenish.
• For 3 pillar 棚, you do 半出し. In that case, the lid is handled with 3 hands and placed on the 水指's front (sometimes with both hands holding the lid simultaneously).
• For 2 pillar 棚, no need to move the 水指.
• With 運棚, you move the 水指 out and in in two steps.
• Unglazed wares, which are dampened, are only used for 運棚 and the 山里棚 (where the base board is moistened)
• For 運棚, a bamboo lid rest is used.
• For other 棚, you do 湯返し. Even if you display the 柄杓 on the 運棚, there's no 湯返し. 仕付棚 are 運棚.
• 水指 should be about 80% full (70% for 運び)

• Square shelves are yin, so the 柄杓 is put upwards (to make it yang). Round shelves are yang, so the 柄杓 is put downwards (to make it yin). Usually, more than 5 corners mean the 棚 is treated as round.
• Inherently, the 柄杓 (and 蓋置) is yin, and as such, it likes to live above the yang-y 茶器 (⚠️ The 更好棚 and 千歳棚 are notable exceptions. Here the 茶器 lives above the 柄杓.)
• If there's only one shelf, the 茶器 lives to the R of the 柄杓・蓋置.
  • If the 茶器 lives in the middle, the 柄杓 is placed straight and the 蓋置 to its L
  • If the 茶器 can move around, you can do 蜻蛉荘, where the 蓋置 and 茶器 flank the 柄杓
  • I think for the 五行棚 it is reversed if you opt to put the 蓋置 on the 天板.
• If there's a nail, it's okay to hang the 柄杓. In that case, the 蓋置 likes to live beneath it.
• In the 台子, the 蓋置 stays on it and doesn't touch the 畳, so some of the rules of how the 蓋置 behaves stem from there.

• If there's a nail, it's okay to hang the feather. In that case, the 香合 likes to live beneath it.

• If there's a nail, you may hang it. In that case, no need to turn it towars the fire.

• 台子 is placed in the center of the half-mat behind the 道具畳. That ends up being 17.5 目 (= 18) away from the knees. (
• 長板 and 小棚 are 16 目 away from it (the text is a bit ambiguous, it could also mean 16 目 away from the far back). If the 敷板 is larger than the base board of the 棚, then that's the reference; so that 釜 and 水指 are aligned (as they are on the 台子).

• Usually, with 棚, unless you're doing something formal (like 貴人), you close in 中仕舞い.
• My explanation is that we want to tone down the formality of the 棚.

• When 棚 is used, we don't use a bamboo 蓋置. The exception are 運び棚 and, mysteriously enough, the 長板　二つ置き.
• The 薄茶器 is 陽, the 柄杓 is 陰 (and I suppose the 蓋置, as well). In most cases, this means that the 柄杓 is above the 薄茶器 (on two-tiered shelves). Exceptions are the 更好棚 and the 千歳棚.
• If they are on the same level, the 薄茶器 is always right of the 柄杓.
  • 蜻蛉荘り is used for square or round shelves: Here, the 柄杓 and 蓋置 are place like in the beginning (入荘り), and the 薄茶器 is placed to the R of the 柄杓.
  • For long shelves, the 薄茶器 is in the very middle, with the 柄杓 and 蓋置 (or the 羽箒 and 香合) forming their own group farther away from it.
• 片口 if the 棚 has 3 legs or fewer and for 台子, where you don't need to remove the 水指. こしぐろやかん for 棚 with 4 legs where you're taking out the 水指.
• 総荘: You can display the 茶碗 and 棗 on practically every shelf. If you do, you clean the 茶碗 as in 入子点. However, unlike 入子点, you come in with the 水次 and you don't decorate the 棚 with the 帛紗 (or you leave the 帛紗 on the 棚 or the 水指 and don't use the 水次).

➡️ This I'm not sure about: I think the old books place the 帛紗 on the 棚 even though the 水次 has been used; and the new books don't say anything about that.

• If you start with the 棗 on the 棚, something needs to change before you go. Either take it with you, or put it on the shelf differently.

好み	棚	📸
Jōō (-I)	紹鴎棚
Rikyū	志野棚（しの）
Rikyū	よし
Rikyū	旅箪笥
Sotan (III)	mulberry 及台子
Sotan (III)	及台子 lacquered green with red edges (爪紅)
Sotan (III)	高麗台子
Senso (IV)	桑小卓
Itto (VIII)	老松 台子
Nintokusai (X)	ゆがお (Moonflower) 台子
Gengensai (XI)	更好棚
Gengensai (XI)	寒雲棚（かんうん)
Yumyōsai (XII)	三友
Ennosai (XIII)	吉野. Special, because it displays the 帛紗 on the top shelf!
Ennosai (XIII)	老松台子
Tantansai (XIV)	徒然
Tantansai (XIV)	Ryusei
Tantansai (XIV)	Yachiyo
Tantansai (XIV)	瓢, can be used with or without the bottom board.

Others that I haven't yet listed above:

• 三友棚
• 山里
• 八景棚

• Generally, the 茶杓, when resting on the 棗 or 茶入, never protrudes into the space of the 棚. This dictates the distance of the 茶入 etc. from the 棚. This is also true for boards, as in 中置き, for example.
• When finishing, take 柄杓, hold with L, then turn R away from you to hold from below, and place on 棚. Make sure it's not sitting on the edge of the 棚, but within. For 濃茶, this happens after putting out the items for 拝見, but 薄茶 before.

• Entering and unpacking
  • Depending on 棚, 羽 and 香合 are on it already. In that case, shift in front, put 羽 down in front of it, pick up 香合 and then with both shift to face the 炉. Put down 羽 next to 炭斗, and 香合. Then 鐶, then 火箸.
  • Otherwise, enter with 炭斗 and place it next to the 炉; then unpack: 羽, 鐶, 火箸 and then 香合.
  • Close the lid with the 帛紗
• When moving 釜, shift to face 棚 and move it to its left side.

• 水指 lid with R, L (for opening during tea, and when filling it)
• Closing: first 棗 (one hand), then 茶碗 (two hands)
• For 拝見: Shift to 0° to pick up 棗, clean it at 90°, then to 45° to get 茶杓 and put it down from there.
• After 拝見, shift in front of 棚, place 茶杓 on 水指 lid if it's lacquered, or on the 棚 if it's ceramic (?), put 棗 on 棚, and just go out with the 茶杓