Masterworks of Japanese Tea Tradition: Part 5

Embodying the Maker's Spirit:
​Appreciating Rikyū's "Namida" and Other Chashaku Tea Scoops

live via Zoom on
Thursday, November 12, 7 pm
OR access recordings through a weblink afterward
single session $10 / six-session series $55 (CAD)

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Bamboo tea scoop, known as "Namida," by Sen no Rikyu, 1591. Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya.

Following on the past two lectures, which explored the aesthetics of the late 16th-century tea master Sen no Rikyū through tea bowls and flower vessels for tea, part 5 of the Masterworks series will focus on the unassuming bamboo tea scoop. Arguably one of the most difficult tea utensils to appreciate fully, the chashaku tea scoop can be seen as embodying the spirit of the individual who made it. This lecture will examine the evolution of this humble utensil, culminating in what might be considered one of the most famous and most deeply revered examples, a bamboo scoop hand-carved by Rikyū just before his tragic death.

The series "Masterworks of Japanese Tea Tradition" is presented in conjunction with the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre. All lectures are presented by Maiko Behr of SaBi Tea Arts.