Robiraki is the point in November when the hearth, closed for half a year, is opened and hearth procedures begin. It is valued highly enough to be called the practitioner's new year. Properly it is held together with kuchikiri, the cutting open of the jar of new tea, and from this day the next six months are spent with new tea and the hearth.
Timing
Held by study groups in November, around the start of winter in the traditional calendar. There was formerly a custom of opening the hearth on the day of the boar in the month of the boar, transmitted as connected with the boar symbolising water in the five-elements scheme and so averting fire. The changeover from brazier to hearth is a major division in the calendar. Households chose the same day of the boar for bringing out the kotatsu.
Why it counts as a new year
The full set of utensils changes, the tea itself changes to that year's harvest, and the physical arrangement of the room changes. Little of what was in use in October remains in use in November.
Sources
- 炉開き（デジタル大辞泉） / コトバンク
Supports: 炉開きが、冬になって初めて茶事の炉を開いて用いることで、茶の湯では10月の終わりから11月初めにかけて行うこと
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.
Term info
- Category
- Seasonal
Related terms
- Ro (sunken hearth)ro
A hearth cut into the floor mats, used from November to April, that brings the fire close to the guests.
- Kuchikiri (cutting open the tea jar)kuchikiri
Breaking the seal on a jar of new tea aged over the summer and tasting the year's tea; the most formal occasion.
- Fuyu no dogudate (winter arrangements)fuyu no dogudate
Arrangements from the hearth-opening to the deep cold — cylindrical bowls, large kettles, warm colours — built to convey warmth.
- Nagori (regret at a season's end)nagori
The October theme of taking leave of the brazier season, using utensils worn by half a year of use.