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.

Choosing a tea cake with a name to provoke coolness is also important. Most of them have a transparent look and are served on a light dish, often made from glas to also evoke a feeling of LIGHT when you pick it up.
For example, "water peony", mizubotan　水牡丹, made from red bean paste and kuzu starch.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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



natsu no tsuki 夏の月 moon in summer, summer moon
It refers to a cool evening (tsuki suzushi 月涼し).
It has been the subject of many poems since old times, when people enjoyed the full moon on a cool summer night.


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humanity kigo for late summer



hanagoori 花氷 (はなごおり) "ice flowers"
kooribashira 氷柱（こおりばしら） ice pillar

Flowers of the season are put in a cube of ice or an ice pillar and then decorated on the table to stage the feeling of "coolness" at the tea ceremony or expensive restaurants.

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suzumi 納涼 (すずみ) to enjoy a cool breeze
..... 、涼む（すずむ）
Mostly in the evening of a hot summer day.

suzumidai 涼み台（すずみだい）veranda to enjoy a cool breeze
They are sometimes erected above or near a river and you can eat and drink there.

kadosuzumi 門涼み（かどすずみ）enjoy a cool breeze at the gate
hashi suzumi 橋涼み（はしすずみ）enjoy a cool breeze on the bridge
ensuzumi 縁涼み（えんすずみ）enjoy a cool breeze at the home veranda (engawa)
dote suzumi 土手涼み（どてすずみ）enjoy a cool breeze at the riverbank
iso suzumi 磯涼み（いそすずみ）enjoy a cool breeze on the beach

suzumibune 納涼舟（すずみぶね）boat to enjoy a cool evening breeze . . . CLICK here for Photos !

yuusuzumi 夕涼み（ゆうすずみ）enjoy a cool evening breeze
..... yoi suzumi 宵涼み（よいすずみ）
yosuzumi 夜涼み（よすずみ）enjoy a cool night breeze

sommerliche Abendkühle




kawayuka 川床（かわゆか）riverbed veranda
also called kawadoko, dining decks on the river Kamogawa in Shijoo, Kyoto.
kawara no suzumi 河原の納涼 (かわらのすずみ) coolnes on the riverbed
Shijoogawara no suzumi 四条河原の納涼（しじょうがわらのすずみ）coolnes on the riverbed in Shijoo, Kyoto
.....Shijoo suzumi 四条涼み（しじょうすずみ）
yuka 床（ゆか）riverbed veranda
yuka suzumi 床涼み（ゆかすずみ）
suzumiyuka 納涼床（すずみゆか）


. WASHOKU
kawadoko ryoori 川床料理
food served on a riverbed veranda 　
In Kyoto, near shrine Kibune Jinja (Kifune Junja) 貴船神社 served in the forest restaurants along the clean river.

. Kifune Shrine Festivals and Haiku .


.SAIJIKI ... HUMANITY
Kigo for Summer 　


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Wind Chimes (fuurin) 風鈴.
Another device to make us feel cool.
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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Kobayashi 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


立涼寝涼さても涼しさや
tachi suzumi ne suzumi sate mo suzushisa ya

cooling off standing
cooling lying down...
well, it's cool!

Tr. David Lanoue 　


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- - - - - Yosa Buson - - - - -

涼しさや鐘をはなるゝかねの聲
. suzushisa ya kane o hanaruru kane no koe .
(1777)
the sound of the bell



涼すずしさやかしこき人の歩行わたり
suzushisa ya kashikoki hito no kachi watari

How cool!
A nobleman
Wades a stream.

"Kashikoki hito" is a man of high rank, or a nobleman. "Kachi watari" is to wade a stream.
Tr. Shoji Kumano




涼しさや都を竪に流れ川
suzushisa ya miyako o tatsu ni nagaregawa
(1768)

Coolness--
Through the capital from the north
A river flowing.
Tr. Nelson/Saito



我影を浅瀬に踏てすずみかな
waga kage o asase ni fumite suzumi kana
(1783)

Stepping on my shadow
In the shallows
The refreshing cool I enjoy.
Tr. Nelson/Saito


My own shadow
trodden on in the shallows--
cooling off.
Tr. Sawa/ Shiffert


. Yosa Buson 与謝蕪村 in Edo .


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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


This shows the strong feeling of changing of seasons, everyone longing for autumn to come soon and trying to find a bit of cool in the evening (in the days before air conditioning, of course!)
Kindergardens and other clubs often have a summer festival in the evening called yuuzuzumi.


. 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! "

川風や薄柿着たる夕涼み
kawakaze ya usugaki kitaru yuusuzumi

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

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River breezes -
Dressed in light persimmon
Pleasant evening cool.
Tr. Saito / Nelson

Written in 元禄3年6月, Basho age 47.

. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .



source :　itoyo/basho


. . . CLICK here for Photos of usugaki kimono colors !

. Matsuo Basho in Kyoto .
Cooling off by the river at Shijo - Jeff Robbins -

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. Coolness in autumn
aki suzushi 秋涼い
first coolness, shinryoo　新涼
..... hatsu ryoo　初涼 "first cool"
..... arata ni suzushi 新たに涼い cool again
..... shuuryoo 秋涼（しゅうりょう）coolness in autumn
sooryoo 爽涼（そうりょう） pleasant coolness
kigo for early autumn

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


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***** Cool month, ryoogetsu 涼月（りょうげつ)
kigo for early autumn
The seventh month of the asian lunar calendar. (Now August).


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Wagashi ... Sweets SAIJIKI


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