Coolness (suzushi)

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Coolness (suzushi)

***** Location: Japan, other areas
***** Season: All Summer
***** Category: Season

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Explanation



In Summer 2006, NHK broadcasted a program on the subject of "Finding coolness (ryoo o mitsukeru 涼を見つける)" in the tea ceremony during summer. The head of the Urasenke Tea Ceremony, Sen Soshitsu (Sen Sooshitsu)　 裏千家の家元、千宗室, 　 　talked about ways to stage the coolness, for example using a large fresh green leaf as cover of the water container (habuta　葉蓋) or wringing the little linen cleansing cloth in a way it produces the fresh sound of clear water (arai jakin 洗い茶巾). The intention is to create an aesthetically cool feeling, not to physically cool anything.

Using fresh water from one of the many famous wells in Kyoto (meisuidate　名水点) was also enjoyed in summer. After a sip of clear cool water, thick tea (koicha　濃茶) was served to the guests. The water from the well was carried to the tea house in a special square cedar box (tsurube mizusashi つるべ水差し), purified by a rope with white Shinto paper strips (shimenawa　注連縄).

During the old times without airconditioning, people had to live with the seasons as they where and try to enjoy them as best as they could.

There are many kigo evoking the coolness during the hot summer of Japan. Let us examine some of them. In Autumn, when it gets really cool, there are other kigo with the word "coolness" to express this feeling, see below.

Gabi Greve, Summer 2006

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coolness, suzushisa　涼しさ
..... ryooki 涼気、すずしい、涼しい
"taste of coolness" ryoomi　涼味

forgetting the summer heat, natsu no hoka　夏のほか
..... natsu no yoso 夏のよそ

coolness in the morning, morning cool, asasuzu 朝涼
cool evening, yoisuzushi　宵すずし
cool at day's end, banryoo, banryō 晩涼
evening cool, yuusuzu, yūsuzu 夕涼
night cool, cool of the night, yaryoo 夜涼, ryooya　涼夜

a bit of coolness, biryoo　微涼

refreshing breeze, cool breeze, suzukaze 涼風
..... ryoofuu ryōfū 涼風

cool rain, ryoou ryoo u 涼雨
cool water, mizu suzushi　水涼し
cool dew, tsuyu suzushi 露涼い
cool moon, tsuki suzushi 月涼い

coolness in the garden, niwa suzushi 庭涼い
cool light of a stone lantern
..... hi suzushi　燈涼い
cool shadow, kage suzushi 影涼い
cool sound of a bell, kane suzushi 鐘涼い

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Wind Chimes (fuurin) 風鈴. Their sound is making us feel a cool breeze.

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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way

Greetings from SEN Soshitsu XVI



The 20th century will go down in history as having been a century of war, as well as a century of momentous scientific developments. I believe that the 21st century should be made into a century distinguished by mankind's care for the global environment, as well as by the importance people place on culture.

The Urasenke Homepage contains a wealth of information for those who seek knowledge about the various aspects of chado. I sincerely hope that each visitor will find something of value in this internet site, and that the ethos of chado, the value it places on pure-hearted interchange between fellow human beings, is conveyed.
© Urasenke Homepage


Interview with Sen Soshitsu (Sen Sooshitsu) 　

"Chanoyu: an Anthropological Approach to Tea,"
Jennifer Anderson 　

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HAIKU

miya suzushi baba wa kami o katari-ori

coolness in the shrine -
an old woman
talks about God

Kuehle im Schrein -
ein altes Weib
redet von Gott

Gabi Greve

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Issa has more than 50 haiku about the coolness.

涼しさは直に神代の木立哉
suzushisa wa sugu ni kamiyo no kodachi kana

coolness--
straight from the holy grove
it comes

Tr. David Lanoue 　

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suzushisa ya kane o hanaruru kane no koe

Yosa Buson

Coolness –
the sound of the bell
as it leaves the bell.

(Tr. by Hass 1994)

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tsuki suzushi tesso suke-te sanga ari

Brisk moon—
through the window’s iron bars
mountains and rivers.

Itaru Ina
Tr.by Hisako Ifshin and Leza Lowitz　 　

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Related words

***** Taking the cool night air, yuusuzumi　夕涼み
kigo for summer


uri tsukuru kimi ga are na to yuusuzumi

You, who raised melons--
if only you were here too,
taking the night air

--Basho [1687]

Tr. by Carter
"Traditional Japanese Poetry:An Anthology"

In Carter's book, in addition to the haiku "You, who raised melons," Carter gives another haiku by Basho on the same topic, with a haibun headnote, presumably by Basho:

"Taking the Night Air at Fourth Avenue, Riverside" *

*The east end of Fourth Avenue, on the banks of the Kamo River [Kyoto]

"They call it 'taking the night air at Fourth Avenue, Riverside': people lining up their stands in the riverbed from moonrise early in the Sixth Month, on until the dawn moon of mid-month--drinking sake the night long, eating, and partying. The women bind themselves with the showiest sashes; the men deck themselves out in long jackets.
And there in the throng are priests and old people too--and even apprentices to coopers and smiths, all looking smug and at ease, singing and reveling. Now, that's life in the capital! "

kawakaze ya usugaki kitaru yuusuzumi

Ah, the river wind--
in robes of persimmon color,
taking the night air.

Basho


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***** Coolness in autumn, aki suzushi 秋涼い
first coolness, shinryoo　新涼
..... hatsu ryoo　初涼
..... arata ni suzushi 新たに涼い
kigo for autumn

***** WKD : Tea Ceremony Saijiki 茶道の歳時記


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