Bokuseki is the collective term for calligraphy written by Zen monks, and is the most highly ranked category of hanging scroll. What is valued is not skill in writing but the state and character of the writer taken to be present in it. Hung in the alcove, a bokuseki fixes the theme of the entire sitting. It is the object that most directly embodies chazen ichimi.
Origins
Since Murata Juko obtained calligraphy connected with Ikkyu Sojun, bokuseki has been placed at the centre of tea practice. The content varies — Zen phrases, verses, certificates of awakening, death poems, letters — and works by senior monks of Daitoku-ji and other Zen temples have been especially prized.
In practice
At a full gathering a bokuseki is hung in the alcove and guests examine it on entering, before taking their seats. Because it states the theme, everything else in the arrangement is chosen to answer it — which is why the scroll is selected first and the utensils afterwards.
Sources
- 村田珠光（日本大百科全書） / コトバンク
Supports: 村田珠光が一休宗純に参禅し、印可の証として圜悟克勤の墨蹟を与えられたこと。これを初めて茶掛に用いたことから「墨蹟開山」と称されること
About this article
Edited by the operator of Chaen (a one-person operation) / Last updated:
Tea ceremony descriptions can vary by school and source. Where interpretations differ, this glossary avoids definitive claims and focuses on broadly shared understandings. If you notice an error, please let us know viaContact. To learn about our organization, seeAbout Chaen.
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The Japanese practice of preparing and serving powdered green tea, treated as a lifelong discipline rather than a beverage ritual.
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Finding sufficiency of mind within insufficiency and plainness; one of the root concepts of tea practice.
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The principle that every gathering is unrepeatable, and should therefore be treated as if it will never occur again.
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The record of which households and people a utensil passed through; part of what constitutes its value.
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The history and associated stories attaching to a utensil or a sitting; broader than the physical transmission.