As the mornings and evenings turn crisp in November, the tea room marks its most formal turning point of the year. The furo, the portable brazier used since May, is put away, and the ro, the hearth cut into the tatami floor, is opened once more. This is ro-biraki, the opening of the hearth.
Ro-biraki is often called the New Year of tea people. It is a day to celebrate a fresh beginning and to renew one's heart, and for anyone devoted to Sado (the way of tea), the word carries a special resonance.
What Is Ro-biraki: From Brazier to Hearth
Ro-biraki marks the end of the furo season and the start of the hearth season. Together with furo-biraki in May, it divides the tea year into two halves.
It takes place in November. Traditionally, the hearth was opened on the first Day of the Boar (i no hi) of the tenth month of the old lunar calendar. The boar was associated with water in the Five Elements, so the day was chosen with a wish for protection from fire. It is also said that Sen no Rikyu opened the hearth when the yuzu citrus turned yellow, and even today the coloring yuzu in the garden quietly announces the season.
With the hearth in use, the kettle sits closer to the guests, and the warmth of the charcoal reaches them directly. The cool distance of the furo season gives way to a more intimate scene, as if everyone has drawn in around the fire.
Why It Is Called the New Year of Tea
Around the time of ro-biraki, a ceremony called kuchikiri may be held. New tea picked in early summer is sealed in a tea jar and left to mature over the summer; now the seal is cut and the year's new tea is tasted for the first time. It is a fitting way to begin a new year of tea.
The tatami mats are replaced, the shoji screens are re-papered, and the tea room is cleansed for the new season. Inoko mochi, a sweet traditionally eaten on the Day of the Boar, is often served with wishes for good health and prosperity. These preparations, so much like readying a home for the New Year, are what give ro-biraki its name as the New Year of tea.
Utensils for the Hearth Season
There is an old saying that ro-biraki calls for the “three be”: Oribe ware, Imbe (Bizen) ware, and the fukube gourd. The earthy warmth of these ceramics and the rustic charm of a gourd charcoal container suit the opening of the hearth season beautifully.
The utensils change to those made for the hearth as well. The ladle used with the ro is cut on the bark side at the end of the handle (kawagiri) and has a slightly larger cup, and the bamboo lid rest for the hearth has its node in the middle (nakabushi). Incense containers shift from lacquer or plain wood to ceramic ones holding kneaded incense. A single camellia bud, the flower of the hearth season, makes a lovely touch in the alcove.
At Tokumasu, we carry many tea utensils suited to the season of ro-biraki. As you begin the new season's practice, perhaps a piece for the hearth will find its way into your tea room.
When the charcoal glows in the hearth and the kettle begins to sing softly, take a moment to enjoy a bowl of tea beside its warmth.
*Customs and interpretations vary among schools of tea.