Thursday, April 11, 2013

Introduction to my blog

Welcome to my research blog. I'm a Ph.D. candidate in premodern Japanese history at the University of Kansas, where I'm currently at work on a dissertation which concerns early modern tea practice in Japan. This blog is designed to be a public outlet for sharing some of them more compelling glimpses into the world of early modern tea practitioners that are being uncovered by my ongoing research in the field. I imagine this content may be of interest to tea practitioners, fellow historians and all Japanophiles. Comments and questions are welcome! Let's share a (virtual) bowl of tea together! View Melinda Landeck's profile on LinkedIn

3 comments:

  1. I have a question that you might be able to answer: how did early chanoyu practitioners light the charcoal they used to heat water? I'm talking about the initial ignition, not the charcoal that's added to already-lit charcoal in a hearth or brazier. And by "early" I mean at any/every time in Japanese history until, say, the Meiji era. I'm just curious.

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  2. You know, Katie, the bulk of my study has taken place in the US, where we rarely use charcoal, so my experience with sumi-temae is quite limited to a few instances in Japan, where I seem to recall that a live coal was laid first and then other unlit pieces arranged over it, but I must admit that my level of confidence in the accuracy of this answer is low. I will consult with my sensei and follow up!

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  3. I found your blog very interesting, and wonder if it would be possible to see a copy of your dissertation. I study and teach chado in the Urasenke tradition, in the San Francisco Bay Area.
    thank you,
    Meiya

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