Fukusa, an essential item in the Japanese tea ceremony, holds profound significance in the meticulous purification rituals performed before handling tea utensils. Its literal translation, “cloth for wiping,” belies its deeper role in the spiritual and ceremonial aspects of tea preparation. Fukusa is not merely a piece of fabric; it embodies reverence, precision, and cultural heritage within the serene realm of tea rituals.
The utilization of Fukusa extends beyond the practical act of cleaning tea utensils; it symbolizes purification and respect. Its touch upon the tools during a specific part of the ceremony is a ritualistic act, an embodiment of the meticulous care and reverence paid to each utensil.
Here, based on the following video, we will explain the purification methods for the natsume (tea caddy) and chashaku (tea scoop).
How to Purify a Natume (Tea Conteiner)
The first thing you must know is to hang the fukusa from the obi belt when you are a host. The way it is hang differs from male to female.
If you are a male, your fukusa needs to hang from under your obi belt. To properly hang the fukusa, you tuck the corners of the fukusa in your obi belt from the bottom of the obi belt and pull the corners from above the obi belt. As a result, about one third of the fukusa will be showing from the bottom of your obi belt.
Female tea practitioners need to tuck the fukusa in the obi belt from above. The fukusa should show about two thirds outside of the obi belt.
In both cases, the folded side of the fukusa should be at the bottom and should be level to the floor.
Now let us move on to fukusa folding for the purification of tea utensils. The first item to purify is a tea container.
Both men and women use their left hand to take the fukusa out of the obi belt.
Men pull the fukusa from below the obi belt by folding the bottom part of the fukusa towards the body and pull the folded part.
Women take the hanging fukusa by also folding the bottom part towards the obi belt once and pull forward the folded part.
Once the fukusa is pulled out of the obi belt and brought to the center of the body, then with the right hand, hold the upper right corner of the top layer of the fukusa and drop the rest and hang it in front of your body from your right hand. The fukusa will make the triangle shape.
With the left hand, take the folded side of the fukusa immediately below the right hand and slide the left hand along the long fold of the fukusa all the way to the other corner as you bring the fukusa up sideways to form a reverse triangle in front of you.
Please remember that your arms are keeping a round shape as if you hold a tree trunk with your arms. This means that the fukusa is now above your knee line held apart with both hands.
Try not to hold the edges of the fukusa when holding it. Make sure your fingers are placed about half an inch from top and two inches from both edges respectively.
Now, bring three of your left fingers from the other side of the fukusa to your side while your thumb and forefinger are holding the corner. Right hand stays the same. Push down your left hand and turn the wrist towards you and at the same time, bring your right hand above your left hand and make your right arm straight with the back of your hand facing the ceiling and your arm almost level to the floor. Both your left hand and right hand are vertically aligned on top of the left knee.
With your left thumb catch the fold which is naturally formed due to this movement, and let go of the corner of the fukusa which was held with your left fingers.
Move your left hand up along the fukusa and fold the inner layers towards your body using your left fingers. Catch the layers with your left thumb. Lower your left hand and bring both hands in front of you as you fold the fukusa in half. Your left thumb is inside the fold, and your left fingers are supporting the fukusa from the bottom.
With the right forefinger, draw a line from left to right on the surface of the folded fukusa and push the right side of the fukusa downwards to fold into half again. With your right hand, hold the newly folded part and take your left hand out of the old fold.
Align your left thumb and fingers together and with the tips of your fingers, gently push the left edge of the fukusa down and catch the edge with your right middle finger, ring finger and pinky finger from the bottom to fold the fukusa in half again.
Finally, take your right fore finger out and align with the rest of the right fingers.
How to Purify a Chashaku (Tea Scoop)
For the purification of the tea scoop, the process of fukusa folding is very similar to that of tea container purification.
There are mainly two differences.
Firstly, the fukusa is not taken out of your obi belt, because the purification of the tea scoop follows immediately after the purification of the tea container.
Therefore, once the tea container is purified with fukusa, then the fukusa will be transferred to your left palm, and the far right corner of the top layer of the fukusa is held with your right hand and the rest of the fukusa is dropped from your hand, then you repeat the same process.
With the left hand, take the folded side of the fukusa immediately below the right hand and slide the left hand along the long fold of the fukusa all the way to the other corner as you bring the fukusa up sideways to form a reverse triangle in front of you.
Again, remember not to hold the tips of the fukusa when holding. Make sure your fingers are placed slightly inwards.
Bring three of your left fingers from the other side of the fukusa to your side while your thumb and forefinger are holding the corner. Right hand stays the same. Push down your left hand and turn the wrist towards you and at the same time, bring your right hand above your left hand and make your right arm straight with the back of your hand facing the ceiling and your arm almost level to the floor. Both your left hand and right hand are vertically aligned on top of the left knee.
With your left thumb, catch the fold, which is naturally formed due to this movement. Let go of the corner of the fukusa, which is held with your left fingers.
Move your left hand up along the fukusa and fold the inner layers towards your body using your left fingers. Catch the layers with your left thumb. Lower your left hand and bring both hands in front of you as you fold the fukusa in half. Your left thumb is inside the fold, and your left fingers are supporting the fukusa from the bottom.
With the right forefinger, draw a line from left to right on the surface of the folded fukusa and push the right side of the fukusa downwards to fold into half again. With your right hand, hold the newly folded part and take your left hand out of the old fold.
Unlike folding the fukusa for purification of the tea container, this is the end of fukusa folding for purification for the tea scoop.
Place the folded fukusa on the left palm and you are ready to pick up the tea scoop now.