茶味　INTRODUCTION 1

 It has been three years since Prof. Haruji Nakamura built the tea room Fugenan (*1).

*1 Hermitage of silence* Haruji Nakamura Pioneer of free education in the Taisho era. Founder of Seikei Gakuen.

I was given a valuable lesson that I should wait and cultivate my mind and enjoy that, because it is a Fugenan.
With that in mind, I just dealt with the children, as long as I couldn't hear from the house. And two years later, I realized the enjoyment of this mind for the first time.However, recently, Professor Nakamura told me to write about its story.
At first, I refused, as I am not a writer, and it is difficult for me to write down the fun that I feel from this life.It is very difficult for someone like me, who is not a writer, to write about the deep interest that can be felt from the life of the tea ceremony, so I declined for first time.However, I have even recieved the title of the book "Chami (The taste of tea)" from professor, so I thought it is disrespectful to disobey its word, and took the pen.

First of all, I would like to tell you one interesting story.Dainagon Yorinobu Kii had a deep friendship with Muneshige Tachibana, Tadaoki Hosokawa and Masamune Date through the tea ceremony since he was young.One year, when Tadaoki just before returning to the country, Yorinobu's vassal Naotsuna Ichigaku Watanabe and said,

"I'm getting older, and I don't know if I can come back to Edo again. Then, in the last memory, I would like you to see the the Kii's family treasure, Ink mark of kodo."

Naotsuna told his master Yorinobu to that effect. Yorinobu heard this and replied,

"That's easy request. I will invite."
The tea ceremony was held at the Kii family on a fixed day.On the due date, Tadaoki visited the Kii family. However, when he entered the seat, what was hanging on the floor was not the desired ink mark, but the ink mark of Seisetsu Osho(*2). Moreover, it was a hanging scroll for the celebration. Tadaoki thought that it was not what he expected, but it couldn't be helped.The tea ceremony was completed without delay, and retreated after talking loosely at the Shoin (*3). Tadaoki was not convinced by today's hospitality, but when he approached the corridor while going to the Omote-Shoin(*4), Naotsugi was withheld behind cedar door. He took a hanging scroll out of the box he had placed in front of him and said,
"This is a message from my master."

Hearing that, Tadaoki sat quietly and put his hand on his lap, and Naotsuna spun the following words."My master, Yorinobu, says that it will be difficult to come to Edo, where the shogunate is located, so he would like to see the ink marks of the Kyodo as my last memory. However, that makes me truly lonely to that words. He didn't intentionally show the ink marks today to celebrate the fact that you can come to Edo many times in the future. Thus, we would like you to take a look at the ink marks when you come to Edo, living peacefully and safely."Yorinobu proceeded to Tadaoki, leaving the hanging scroll on the box."I was completely unaware of such considerations, and was disappointed that I could not see the handwriting that I wanted to see. I would like to visit Edo again and again and see it again and again.”Saying this, Tadaoki left the room without looking at the Sumiato and went back home."Ceremony gratitude for guests of recepetion" and "The harmony of conversations" (the part that blends when discussing various things) is what he wanted to do.
And he considered that this feeling can only come out from the tea ceremony.