Edo Tea Ceremony Utensils
Futaoki
The same moment, today
Anyone who cooks dinner has run into the problem of a dripping pot lid. The soup is boiling on the stove, and it's time to stir the pot. The metal lid is steaming wet, and the knob is too hot to hold upside down. Putting it flat on the counter leaves a greasy puddle or scorches the surface, but holding it in one hand leaves only one hand free to cook. Most people end up scrambling for a spare towel or an empty plate.
The futaoki solves that exact problem for the tea ceremony. It's a small piece of bamboo cut to hold the hot iron kettle lid off the straw mats. It also gives the host a clean spot to rest the ladle head between scoops of water. It isn't a showy tool, and it doesn't take up much room on the floor. But without it, hot iron would burn the mat, and wet tools would make a mess. A tiny stand keeps the whole room clean and orderly.
The lesson
Before you start a complicated task, figure out where you'll set your hot tools down. A clean workspace usually comes down to having one small landing spot ready ahead of time.
Where this comes from
From Chinese bronze to cut green bamboo
During Japan's Muromachi period, tea masters used imported Chinese bronze sets on formal display stands. Tea master Takeno Jōō started cutting plain bamboo for the back preparation room in the early 1500s. Later that century, Sen no Rikyū brought bamboo lid rests into the formal tearoom. Later tea traditions say his son Sen Dōan liked a node cut right in the middle for the winter hearth, while Sen Shōan preferred the node at the top rim for the summer brazier. Green bamboo wasn't expensive, but it did the work just as well as cast bronze.
A tidy routine depends on having a simple place to put down hot things.
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