STUDY WITH A PURE HEART Studying Tea under the guidance of a teacher, the student is part of a tradition rooted deep in Japanese history. Like other disciplines, the tradition is passed on in a one-to-one encounter of teacher and student similar to that of a Zen master and novice. In Zen, truth is pursued through the discipline of meditation in order to realize enlightenment. In Tea we use training in the actual procedures of making tea to achieve the same end. In the study of Chanoyu, body, mind and spirit are integrated by combining the practice of tea procedures with the knowledge of utensils, the lives and thoughts of the masters and the discipline of the spirit and heart. Your tea practice can be great or small depending upon your purity of heart and sincerity of mind. With all your might, cultivate a clear mind and pure heart and so achieve “pure tea.” Make this your goal. --Sen Genshitsu XV CLASS DESCRIPTION Keiko to wa ichi yori narai ju o shiri ju yori kaeru moto no sono ichi. Practice constitutes learning from one, becoming cognizant of ten, then returning from ten to one, the beginning. --Rikyu's Hundred Verses To study one begins by joining the fellowship, or shachu, of teachers and students with ties that are deep and strong. The fellowship sustains and supports the transmission and stewardship of Urasenke Chado. Members learn the principles of harmony, respect, purity and tranquility through the care of the tearoom and garden, handling fine and applied arts, selecting and displaying seasonal works of art, preparing the fire and arranging flowers, and the procedures for preparing, serving and receiving tea and other gifts of hospitality. Nyumon or Beginning Level New and continuing students of Chanoyu begin with the fundamentals. New students learn the role of guest, Warigeiko (the forms or kata that comprise all tea procedures or temae) and Ryakubon temae (Abbreviated tray procedure). Transfer students review Mizuya goto (tearoom preparations), Warigeiko and Nyumon procedures that include Usucha (Thin tea), Koicha (Thick tea), Shozumi (Initial charcoal) and Gozumi (Final charcoal) before moving on to other studies. Konarai-Shikaden or Elementary-Intermediate Level Shachu students study the four basic procedures that comprise the Nyumon license (beginning level), the sixteen basic temae that comprise the Konarai license (elementary level) and the four basic temae that comprise the Shikaden (intermediate level). Please see "Urasenke curriculum" in the side bar for a description of licenses and corresponding temae. Shichijishiki or Ensemble Tea Open to all who have studied the thick-tea procedure or Koicha temae. This practice, with its many variations, involves five or more participants who draw lots to determine the roles they will play. Kimono suggested. Okuden (Okuhi) or Advanced Classes Open to students holding advanced certification who wish to become instructors. Kimono required. Koshukai or Workshops Seattle Branch offers one and two-day intensive workshops that focus on particular aspects of Chanoyu practice. Membership in an Urasenke organization is required. Qualification to study varies with each program. Please inquire about details. FEE DESCRIPTION Each student supports the shachu through membership, license and study fees as follows: Membership fee The annual membership fee varies according to the level of licensing and is paid at the beginning of the year in January (see membership page). License fee After the Introductory level, and upon permission of the instructor, the student is issued a sequence of licenses permitting the study of Tea at higher levels. The Nyumon kyojo (beginning) license is $70. Please see the Urasenke Curriculum in the side bar for a full description of the various licenses. Study fee Contributions or gessha supports the transmission of Chado and are not a fee for service. Gessha is due year-round at the beginning of every quarter. Gessha is $225 and payable in January, April, July and October. Classes may be madeup during the quarter. EXCEPTIONAL FEES The following special classes may be taken with permission of the instructor. Fees are separate from gessha: Shichijishiki or Ensemble Tea Class fee is $25 per class and due at the time of instruction. Okuden or Advanced Class fee of $140 per class is divided among participants and due at the time of instruction. Koshukai or Workshop fees are $70 per day. Chaji fees are $35 per half-day of contact hours + food. CLASS LOCATION All weekly classes are held in the Shoseian Teahouse in the Seattle Japanese Garden. Branch students and visitors to Shoseian teahouse in the Japanese Garden are required to pay admission. CLASS SCHEDULE Weekly Classes Introductory through Intermediate (Nyumon-Shikaden) classes are held Monday 11am-2pm, Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 10am-1pm, and Saturdays from 10am-5pm, except on those days, Apr-Oct, when classes are interrupted by public demonstrations that begin at 2:30pm. Special Class Schedule Ensemble Tea (Shichijishiki) and Advanced (Okuden) classes are held monthly as the schedule permits. Please visit the HOMEPAGE for a calendar list of all classes. _______________________________________________________ INSTRUCTORS Bonnie Soshin Mitchell Bonnie M. Mitchell serves as the Urasenke Foundation Seattle Branch resident tea instructor and director. Ms. Mitchell received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from the University of Washington, before embarking in 1974, on a seven-year course of study in Chado, the Way of Tea, in Kyoto, Japan. From 1974 to 1981, Ms. Mitchell studied Chado under the guidance of Mrs. Shizue (Soha) Yanagita. From 1975 to 1981 she studied concurrently at the Urasenke Gakuen Chado Semmon Gakko, a college in Kyoto specializing in Chado studies. In 1981, Dr. Genshitsu Sen, 15th generation head of the Urasenke tradition of Chado, inaugurated a course in Chado and Japanese Aesthetics studies at the University of Washington and donated funds to rebuild the Shoseian teahouse in the Seattle Japanese Garden. Dr. Sen appointed Ms. Mitchell to teach the UW Chado course each quarter at Shoseian teahouse. In 1985, Ms. Mitchell established the Seattle Branch of the Urasenke Foundation as a non-profit educational organization to engage the broader community in the appreciation and study of Chado. In 1992, Dr. Sen donated the Ryokusian teahouse to the Seattle Art Museum. Ms. Mitchell works with community institutions to provide public programs at both teahouses to more than 3,000 visitors each year. In 2008, Dr. Genshitsu Sen honored Ms. Mitchell with the certificate of Seikyoju, the highest rank of merit in the Way of Tea. Timothy Sowa Olson Mr. Olson received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Portland State University. A student of Seattle Branch since 1982, Olson joined the staff in 1999 after completing a master's training course at the Urasenke Chanoyu Institute, the first non-Japanese trained overseas to do so. In 2001, he was awarded the certificate of Junkyoju, a senior rank of merit in the art of Tea. Mr. Olson teaches the 4-credit UW Chado course each quarter as well as Branch classes. |
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