This week, as the first signs of autumn begin to appear, we have added susuki (Japanese pampas grass) to the tokonoma in our tea room. It is a simple seasonal arrangement that brings a touch of autumn into the tea room.

Susuki is one of the plants that best represents autumn in Japan and is also one of the “Seven Flowers of Autumn.” It is often displayed during tsukimi, the traditional custom of viewing the autumn moon, and has long been cherished as a symbol of the season.

In the tea ceremony, a variety of grasses and flowers are used as chabana, or tea flowers, according to the season. In the Urasenke tradition as well, seasonal plants such as susuki are often used to bring a sense of nature into the tea room.

There is a traditional idea in tea ceremony that flowers should be arranged “as though they were still growing in the field.” Rather than arranging flowers too carefully or artificially, their natural shape and character are respected. In this way, a small arrangement in the tokonoma can bring the feeling of a seasonal landscape into the tea room.

Along with matcha and traditional Japanese sweets, we hope you will also enjoy the changing seasons through the tea flowers displayed in the tokonoma.