Page 373 - JAPAN THE SHAPING OFDAIMYO CULTURE 1185-1868

290 Flower container that flowers for tea should appear as if containers and tea scoops may be per-
Sen no Rikyü (1522-1591) they were growing in the field. This re- ceived as presenting excellent opportuni-
bamboo flects the general philosophy that the nat- ties for the expression of the host's
h. 31.5 (l23/8) ural beauty of flowers must be respected, personal tea spirit. The secret in making a
Momoyama period and tampering kept to a minimum. As good bamboo flower container is an un-
Eisei Bunko, Tokyo anyone who has tried to place flowers for yielding commitment to finding the best
tea realizes, it is no easy task. possible piece of bamboo. Often, before
Sen no Rikyü has been credited with in- The inexperienced hand tries to "ar- this is attained, several pieces of bamboo
venting bamboo vases for tea. Earlier, range" and rearrange the blossoms. An im- may have to be sacrificed.
bronze or celadon flower vases, which portant feature of tea flowers is that the This two-layer, cut bamboo flower
arose from a traditional preference for most quick-fading and evanescent blos- container has two sections, which can be
Chinese wares, had been considered ap- soms or buds are greatly desired. Rikyü used separately or simultaneously to hold
propriate. Four bamboo vases alleged to supposedly disliked cockscomb because it flowers. Viewed from the side, this piece
have been made by Sen no Rikyü have be- was too hearty a flower. Tea flowers must of bamboo has a natural backward sway. It
come part of the Hosokawa family collec- be used sparingly to avoid the display of a is said to resemble those made by Rikyü in
tion. This one, of the single-layer cut type, luxurious and overly abundant bouquet. size and bulk. This is no coincidence, as
has a bulky, heavy shape typical of Rikyü's Flowers in tea are not outward decora- Sansai represented a conservative branch
style. It is commonly believed that this tions. On the contrary, they are placed to of tea that remained loyal to Rikyü's teach-
shape vividly expresses the iron determi- reveal the inward spirit of the host. Choos- ings even after the master's death by sui-
nation Rikyü needed to introduce so many ing an inanimate container to capture the cide. Another famous student of Rikyü
innovative ideas. When Rikyü first pre- living spirit of the flowers requires a keen was Furuta Oribe (1544-1615), who later de-
sented Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) sensitivity coupled with years of tea expe- viated from Rikyü's tea.
with a bamboo flower container, the dis- rience. In the tea ceremony, the container A complete modern-day tea gathering
pleased ruler is said to have hurled it into becomes the chief mediator between host . covers a period of several hours and in-
the garden. The large crack that resulted and guest. cludes not only the preparation of tea, but
when this bamboo container hit a rock in The legend of Rikyü's morning glory the serving of a light meal and placing of
the garden has only caused it to become tea for Toyotomi Hideyoshi is told and re- the charcoal before the guests. Whereas a
more valued. told to beginning tea students. Hideyoshi, scroll, often with a Zen saying or classical
A bamboo flower container is made hearing of Rikyü's gorgeous array of morn- reference, dominates the first half of the
from a cylindrical piece of bamboo. Two ing glories, asked to be invited to tea spe- gathering and is said to set the general
straight cuts across the body open a large cifically to view the blossoms. When he theme, in the latter half of the gathering
enough space to hold flowers, while a sub- entered the garden he noticed that all the the scroll is removed from the alcove and
stantial back portion is left to form a sup- blossoms had been cut away. The solitary replaced with flowers in a container. It is
port. The naturally hollow interior of the remaining blossom had been left in a vase in the second half of the gathering that
bamboo, which is separated at intervals by in the tearoom. This action reflected Ri- the host is able to communicate more inti-
nodes, forms the bowl to hold the water. kyü's belief that simplicity, bordering on mately his own personal expression of the
The bamboo nodes are one of the areas of the understated, is the best practice in tea. theme. Conversation in the tearoom
appreciation. Before cutting, these nodes A flower container, when placed in should be limited to a discussion of the
are positioned carefully so as to enhance the tearoom, provides a tranquil resting utensils. If using his own bamboo flower
the beauty of the piece. As with the bam- place for blossoms, grasses, or buds chosen container, it might be appropriate for the
boo tea scoops, the natural variation in the to highlight the mood of that particular host to provide an interesting narrative of
bamboo helps create the overall contour season, whether it is a spray of pampas how he found the bamboo and shaped it.
of the container. Often the inside of the grass or a tightly closed pink camellia bud. The flowers chosen for the second
container is lacquered to prevent possible A sixteenth-century account of the way half of the gathering usually last only until
leakage. A hole has been chiseled in the Rikyü used a flower container survives the end of the day, lending a poignant feel-
back of this container so that it may also from the twelfth month of 1567. In the al- ing to the ceremony. This feeling of eva-
be hung from a peg in the alcove. The cove, on a board, he placed a vase that nescence did not develop solely out of the
cracks in this flower container have been held nothing but water. In turn, Rikyü medieval culture associated with tea. The
noticeably repaired with lacquer and metal asked each guest to contemplate the set- tale of Genji, written during the Heian pe-
staples. Large pieces of bamboo, unlike ting and imagine for himself the flowers riod, includes an especially moving chap-
other more durable materials, are vulnera- he might have used. Rikyü probably could ter in which the accomplished courtier
ble to dry heat and changes in the not have predicted that twentieth-century protagonist, Genji, chances upon an un-
weather. Despite the numerous lacquer museum visitors would be required to known maiden living in obscure surround-
strips, which are now all th.at keep this make a similar leap of imagination. JIK ings. He notices the moonflowers growing
flower container from cracking into frag- alongside the plaited fence outside her
ments, this piece still maintains its dignity, 291 Flower container dwelling and asks to receive a single blos-
much like an aging warrior whose outside bamboo som. A young serving girl from inside the
battle scars cannot mar the still powerful Hosokawa Sansai (1563-1646) house is sent out with a fan upon which to
spirit lingering underneath. h-35-8(H) place the frail flower. Later, an affair blos-
The art of chabana, or flowers for tea, soms between the maiden of the house
differs considerably from what is popularly Eisei Bunko, Tokyo and Genji, only to wither suddenly with
known in the West as ikebana, or flower ar- Bamboo flower containers and tea scoops her unexpected death soon after their
rangement. In tea, one does not con- are the two types of tea utensils most meeting. Genji is left filled with great re-
sciously arrange the flowers in a certain likely to have been personally made by tea morse over the very evanescence of life. JIK
way. Instead, the desired practice is merely people. A tea student tries to learn how to
to place the flowers with a lightness of make many of the lesser tea paraphernalia,
touch. Rikyü's famous precept stipulated such as the cloth utensil bags or bamboo
chopsticks for the meal. Bamboo flower

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