Saturday, November 23rd
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10:00am -12:00pm
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2:00pm - 4:00pm
Globus Washitsu
(889 Broadway, New York, NY 10003)
Price: $120
NY Seasonal Tea Ceremony
"The Ritual of Kuchikiri 2024"
Let's enjoy the most prestigious tea ceremony together!
While each month has its special characteristics, November is regarded as most important month of the chanoyu 茶の湯 calendar. The “New Year” of the Japanese way of matcha tea is celebrated with the Kuchikiri 口切り ritual.
In Japan, tea leaves are harvested every May, dried, packed into the chatsubo 茶壷 (tea jar), and stored in a cool, dark place for six months to mature. The umami of the tea leaves deepens, just like aging wine or whiskey. During Kuchikiri, the tea master cuts the seal of the chatsubo with a sword in front of the guests and removes the tea leaves. The leaves are ground into matcha and served as koicha (thick matcha/ formal matcha) so everyone tastes the new tea of the year together.
Kuchikiri has been handed down since ancient times as a very important ritual, though nowadays it is rarely performed. Yoshitsugu Nagano, a master of the samurai tea style Ueda Soko Ryu, introduced this custom to the New York City public when he arrived in 2019, and he continues to host the annual gathering.
This time, fresh tea leaves taken from the jar are ground on the spot using a special millstone, allowing visitors to enjoy fresh matcha!
Detail of Kuchikiri ritual 口切の儀:
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Kuchikiri 口切
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Sumitemae(charcoal laying) 炭手前
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Congratulatory sweets 祝いの善哉
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Koicha (thick matcha) 濃茶
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Usucha (thin matcha) 薄茶
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Discussion time
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Explanation of the Kuchikiri Ritual
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the history of Japanese tea ceremony
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the relationships of samurai and tea ceremony
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the spirituality of tea ceremony
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introduction of the tools that we use
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question and answer
Language: Japanese and English
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