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aspenforest732 · 4 months

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Bello Licentiae Chapter 4: Discoveries

Summary:

tw: arrest, mentions of: bribery, child endangerment, child abuse, and neglect Akira meets the League properly this time 'text' JSL Text thoughts

As Akira walked up to their door, they belatedly realized they didn't make enough onigiri to feed ten people. Maybe they already ate? With a huff, they jimmied the door and placed their crutches a little harder as they walked through the genkan to signal who entered. The smell of miso soup wafted out from the living room tinted with alcohol.

"Aki-tan!" Toga cheered, running full tilt at Akira out of the living room.

Startled, Akira pivoted to the side and whipped out a crutch against her shins. They blanched and quickly signed, ' Sorry! Wasn't expecting that, ' as they helped her up.

Dabi and Twice cackled from the living room as Magne ducked through the doorway, concern written on her features. "Are you kids okay? She didn't stab you, right?"

Gaze flicking between the two, Akira shifted slightly away from the towering woman. 'I'm fine, and no, Knife Dancer just startled me. I brought onigiri, although I wasn't expecting this many people, ' Akira signed awkwardly.

"Good, we told you to avoid that at least the first time," Magne gently scolded her. Toga pouted but let Magne herd her back into the living room. "My JSL is a little rusty, but that's a cute call sign for Toga. Come on, we'll introduce everyone properly now that you're one of us."

The first time? Akira hesitantly followed, giving a small, awkward wave as they eyed the cramped space. Shigaraki sat with his back against the closer armrest of the couch. Twice sat closest to him and Dabi on the far side. Toga flopped in between them as they sobered up under Magne's disapproving glare.

Kurogiri leaned lightly against a tiered cart with multiple types of alcohol and mixers set up by the sliding glass doors. Magne grabbed a fancy pink drink off it and settled on one of the floor cushions between a tense Aoyama and Mr. Compress. He tipped a cup of tea to her that was definitely not from the apartment. Spinner stood brooding on the far wall while looking out onto the balcony, which was empty of even stray birds.

Akira froze, lightly worrying their lip as all eyes turned to them. After a moment, realization crossed Dabi's face and he stood up. "Double Trouble, off. Stabby, slide over by Hand Job." Shigaraki bristled at the nickname but just flipped him off as Toga slid over.

"Okay," Twice piped up. "Fuck off!"

He scrambled off the couch when Dabi swirled cerulean fire from his hand. Akira flinched, taking half step back. ' It's fine, I can manage for today, ' they hurriedly signed.

"Pipsqueak, you're fine," Dabi drawled as he settled in the middle of the couch. "They're just here to officially meet you." His calculating eyes promised a conversation after they left, but his body language held the protective tension they'd come to recognize whenever he spoke of the League.

Akira hesitantly moved to the couch and set their crutches against the side furthest from Shigaraki. Dabi lightly rested an arm across their shoulders without weighing them down. They let themself lean into the grounding touch while looking around at the assembled villains.

After a long moment, Kurogiri broke the silence, "Would you like some tea?"

Akira nodded and busied themself with taking the yaki onigiri out of their backpack. They set the bag of treats on the low table next to a pot of miso soup and unzipped their dedicated medical compartment for some cold compresses. Magne introduced herself with the call sign Polaris, Aoyama said Sparkles was fine, Mr. Compress with Marbles, Shigaraki with Calamity, Spinner with Gecko, Kurogiri with Black Fog, Toga liked Knife Dancer, and Twice with Double Trouble.

"Are you okay, Aki-tan?" Toga asked, leaning forward to look at them more closely past Dabi.

Akira nodded and gestured for Dabi to explain as they unhooked the lower part of their pants and adjusted their braces to hold the compresses in place.

"Their family's a bunch of bastards like my old man, so they need pain management," Dabi said bluntly. Akira snorted but nodded again as they felt the room refocus on them. Sitting back up, they noticed Aoyama in particular looking at them strangely. He quickly looked away, taking interest in his own tea.

"Why'd you main hero brat if your family's so awful?" Shigaraki spat out.

Akira took a long swig of tea before signing, ' Justice. Or revenge, depending on how you look at it. ' Chamomile. Good for calming nerves. After a moment of focusing on the warmth from the mug, they added, ' All for One offered the resources and quirks I need to carry that out. His solution would've resulted in the least deaths and least innocents and civilians in danger. '

"My dear, we would certainly like to help you take down the Inoue. I think I speak for all of us when I say that from what we've seen of you, they must be truly horrific individuals," Mr. Compress said.

Akira shook their head, ' There's not much you can do right now without the Doctor and All for One. They have the quirks I need for testing the viability of my Plan A. Since Wildfire said everyone was here, I'm assuming you don't have a way to contact the Doctor? '

"No," Kurogiri said before Dabi finished interpreting. Akira looked over to him in surprise even as the mist briefly flickered and shifted. After a moment, he continued, "Will you require contact with the Doctor before you start working with us?"

Akira swallowed thickly around the lump in their throat and took another sip of tea. Eyeing the League, they tried not to linger too long on Dabi. Who knows what they'd discovered about his situation. ' What would you want me to do? All for One never got to specifics. '

"Sparkles told us about you and the green brat's habit of cataloguing peoples' quirks, strengths, and weaknesses," Shigaraki said, standing up with a gaming console hanging from its wrist strap. "Bring us some of your assessments on the students and teachers, and we can talk."

Akira briefly froze before letting their now-shaking hands set the cup of tea on the low table. ' I'm not giving you information that could get them killed ,' Akira signed stiffly as they tried to hide the tremors. ' You can't forcefully take them, either, since they're heavily encrypted. '

Shigaraki scowled and started scratching at his neck, drawing Kurogiri closer. Akira cocked their head as they recognized the agitation and the scar patterns. With a glance at Dabi, they dug back into their pack and pulled out moisturizer. ' Pink Queen insisted I add it to my kit. This should help Hand... Calamity, ' Akira explained as Dabi gave an amused snort at their slip.

Kurogiri shifted back to them and asked, "What is that?"

' Moisturizing cream? Pretty sure they make ones specifically for dehydration quirks, too. I thought the scar patterns looked a bit off for disintegration... ' Akira's fingers twitched towards their notebooks, but they just made a mental note to correct their entries later. As Kurogiri helped Shigaraki apply the cream, Akira was struck by a thought. They reached back into their backpack and fished out two of their notebooks.

Aoyama's eyes went wide as he stiffened, and Spinner finally looked up with interest. His voice dripped with contempt, "So what, now you're going to help us?"

Akira waved him off as they flipped to the entry for Shigaraki. All the villain entries were in plain text, so they just erased his quirk description and scribbled down a few notes next to questions about the scar patterns and lingering effects. ' I have entries like this for each of you. I can give my analysis, and if you answer my questions, I can tailor it more. ' Akira flipped to Toga's entry and handed it over.

She pouted, "What do you mean, 'severe fluctuation repercussions?'"

'You don't drink blood on a regular basis, right?' At Toga's nod, they continued, 'Quirks fueled by blood require daily intake. Otherwise, you go into starvation mode, which negatively affects your physical and mental health. You wouldn't need much, only twelve ounces or so once you get used to not needing to gorge yourself.'

"Do me!" Twice said eagerly before his expression under the mask darkened. "We don't need to know more about our cursed quirk," he snapped.

Letting Toga keep the notebook for now, Akira hesitantly signed, ' I was actually hoping to get your help at some point. I'm trying to figure out an aspect of my own quirk that is similar to yours and Ectoplasm's. My clones should theoretically be able to use my quirk, but I'm struggling to get them to activate it. Your quirk is one of the few Stranger primaries I've seen trained. Knife Dancer's is another, but blood quirks work very differently. ' They passed their nomu notebook to Dabi to give to Kurogiri, who watched them with an unreadable expression obscured by the haze. ' Calamity's entry is later in the notebook Knife Dancer has, but this is what I have on you and other nomu. '

"Kurogiri's not a nomu," Shigaraki snapped, but he seemed marginally more relaxed with the moisturizer shining on his neck.

Akira cocked their head, ' You're listed as one, though, in All for One's files. I didn't look much into your file since I was pretty familiar with your quirk, but... ' Taking in the League's shock, including Kurogiri, they frowned. ' You really didn't know? How far back can you remember? '

Kurogiri hesitated then his mist started to distort and whip about, exposing flashes of a more solid form underneath. Shigaraki stumbled back as Magne leapt to her feet and took an uncertain step forward, hand outstretched. After a moment, the mist settled and Kurogiri answered flatly, "I can recall very little before All for One. Approximately fourteen years ago."

Akira squinted at Kurogiri, trying to make out the flash of a face they saw underneath. ' We can try to find out who your base is from breaking down your quirk but seeing your face would probably help. '

"I..." The mist distorted and stretched as Kurogiri clutched his head. Leaning forward supported by Dabi's arm, Akira could just make out ashy, tanned skin and fluffy blue hair before it settled again, and Kurogiri stiffly straightened. "That will be unnecessary."

Something about the blue hair tugged at the back of their mind, but Akira brushed it to the side as a wren darted onto the balcony, landing to rest on the railing. Their phone dinged a reminder. ' The arrest should be happening soon. I don't know if you want everyone here...? ' Akira trailed off, glancing between Dabi and the others.

Dabi huffed and started playing with a small flame over his knuckles, "You should go before someone sees you. You've met Pipsqueak now, so fuck off."

"Bye, Aki-tan," Toga waved, tossing back their notebook before she followed the group through Kurogiri's gate. After a moment, Kurogiri gave them the nomu notebook back then disappeared through his own gate.

Akira slumped back into the couch, utterly drained. Curling up, they switched on the news as Dabi lazily rolled a glare their way. "So, All for One?"

Akira silently groaned and shifted to lean against Dabi, carefully avoiding his skin grafts. As they explained what happened after All for One took them, Dabi carded his hands through their hair and awkwardly rubbed gentle circles on their back. As Akira finished explaining why they couldn't go to the heroes they otherwise trusted, Dabi froze and stared at the screen.

Embarrassed heat flooded their cheeks as Akira remembered why they'd requested the weekend off campus in the first place. They jolted up, signing a quick ' sorry ' and setting up the onigiri and tea. Tsukauchi, Fat Gum, and Present Mic led Endeavor in quirk suppressant cuffs out of his agency while sporting a few burns that seemed mild from what they could see. Eraser slipped away with a flicker of movement the reporters didn't comment on. Endeavor was clearly fuming and glared daggers at the arresting heroes and any who dared come close to the group as he was roughly maneuvered into Tsukauchi's patrol car.

Dabi stared at the screen as the reporters started speculating on the charges and whether the people arresting Endeavor were under some kind of quirk. Akira hesitantly started to reach out but retracted as they realized he wasn't aware of his surroundings at the moment. Instead, they poured a bowl of soup and pressed it into his hands. His shaking hands slowly slowed as warmth seeped into them.

Once Dabi's fingers curled around the bowl instead of simply supporting it, Akira shuffled a little closer and draped a cool, damp towel on his neck. Eventually, the news cut to a press conference hosted by Tsukauchi and Fat Gum giving an overview of the charges of child abuse, neglect, bribery, and child endangerment. Dabi finally let out a shaky breath and set the soup down before reaching a hand up to the towel and glancing over to Akira.

"Hey, Pipsqueak," he said with a rough voice. "It's finally happening, huh?"

' Yeah, ' Akira smiled back, ' it finally is. '

Both jumped as Akira's phone dinged several times in a few seconds. Unlocking it, Akira snorted and showed Dabi.

flamingo: did you know about this?

what did he mean four counts?

child endangerment not manslaughter?

is Toya alive?

Sorry, he probably changed his name

reaper: yes, all Endeavor's children

Akira hesitated, looking to Dabi. "Pretty bird can figure it out himself," he drawled.

flamingo: he's got a blue fire quirk

probably some scarring from Sekoto Peak

Dabi opened his phone as Akira muted theirs, the chimes grating on their nerves. Akira looked over and gave a small, lopsided grin.

wildfire changed unknown's name to flamingo

wildfire: stop spamming my friend

flamingo: ???

Who's this?

Wait

Are you the sometimes nice one?

Dabi rolled his eyes and flipped Akira off as they silently snickered.

wildfire: mcnugget, the don't spam me was implied

flamingo: *gasp* I thought I was a flamingo!

When did I get downgraded to a chicken nugget?!

...or is that an upgrade for you? 😉

I'm more of a fried chicken man myself, but I don't judge

Akira groaned and lightly shoved his upper arm before teasing, ' Kami, why did I think this would be a good idea. '

Dabi didn't quite cackle but it was close enough for Akira to relax back into the couch. Keigo could be a good distraction for now, the bi disaster continuing to flirt with their roommate from the rolled eyes and light blush creeping onto his cheeks. The Mad Banquet group chat, which now included Shoto, had a video call going, but Akira let the others handle it since they hadn't been tagged.

Akira spent the rest of the day making sure Dabi ate and felt safe while he made poor attempts to flirt with Keigo. As the last beams of sunlight filtered through the doors, Dabi turned to Akira with a serious frown. "You should have someone in your network you can talk to about this. If you can't get in touch with Fat Gum, you should talk to Aizawa on Monday at the latest. You're not doing this without someone on the outside."

Akira nodded, letting out a breath in a woosh. ' Thanks. I probably shouldn't be late to my own send-off. Don't wait up. '

The much more tolerable night air still left a light sheen of sweat on Akira as they took the slightly longer way to base. They passed a few familiar faces on the mostly barren streets and stopped to reassure them that yes, they were fine but no they wouldn't be around as often.

As Akira made their way deeper into Blue Fang territory, the hair on the back of their neck rose, and Akira made a point to not check over their shoulder every few steps. They adjusted their path to be more directly on Eraser Head's patrol route for the night, but the feeling of eyes on them only increased. About halfway to base, Akira purposefully stumbled and checked the rooftops just in time to see a familiar shadow duck back.

With a heavy sigh, Akira ducked into an alleyway and gestured at the roof with one of their crutches. ' I know you're there, Eraser. Why are you following me? '

Eraser lowered himself into the alley past a nesting pigeon that cooed at being disturbed by his capture weapon with a huff. "I wanted to check how you were doing after the arrest today.'

Akira rolled their eyes, ' You would just ask if that was the case. You gave me a phone for a reason. ' They rolled some of the tension form their shoulders, wincing slightly at the crackles.

"You're walking alone through gang territory – yes it's your own, but still – at night," Eraser stared flatly. "Is there a reason someone isn't with you?"

Akira shrugged, clock ticking in their head as they tried to act casual. ' Roommate's had a rough day, and base isn't that far. Didn't think I needed someone with me 24/7. '

Eraser sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You were kidnapped by the League, which has a long-distance warper. One of the conditions for you leaving campus was that you wouldn't be alone."

Akira bristled, gaze snapping up into a glare. ' I'm fully capable of getting away or at a minimum getting help! Why do you think I stick close to your patrol routes? If something happens, I just warp to a roof and start hopping to where I see or hear you. ' Aizawa snapped his mouth shut and stared at Akira. They pulled back slightly at his confusion. ' Was that not obvious? Sticking to your routes is a roundabout way to get to any safe house, so I assumed you'd notice. '

"Are you alright, kiddo?" a familiar voice called from the mouth of the alley.

Pivoting around, Akira smiled brightly at Cho as ey eyed the pair. They signed ' safe adult ' and eye relaxed. Turning to the hero, Akira signed, ' Just checking in. Not a great look to onlookers for an adult to be towering over a child. '

"Weren't ey the night cashier for the corner store?" Aizawa asked, eyes darkening slightly as Cho froze.

Akira sighed, ' Yes, and ey've helped many people out of bad situations with that trick. I didn't trust you that much yet, so ey got me out of a compromising situation. ' They gestured for em to go on, repeating the sign for ' safe adult ' but pushing it forward slightly. Catching on, Cho nodded and continued on eir way.

Taking in Eraser's slightly more vigilant than usual posture and tension, Akira sighed. ' Would it make you feel better for me to ask who's available to walk me there? '

"I'd feel better if I walked you there," Eraser said, expression tightening as he peered at them. "I'm not losing you again."

' And what would you do with that information? ' Akira asked slowly and pulled their phone out.

"What makes you think I don't already know its location?" Eraser shot back, crossing his arms.

Akira gave him an incredulous look. ' It hasn't been raided yet. We recognize the delicate balance between helping the community and stopping crime, so we give you the courtesy of not putting the decision in your hands when possible. '

Eraser rattled off base's address.

Akira froze in their one-handed typing of a message to Boss and slid their phone back into their pocket. ' How long have you known? '

"The trafficking investigation," Eraser said simply. "I needed to know who would be handing off one of my kids, and watching your base was the logical choice."

Just over a month and nothing's happened... Akira quickly deleted their message to Boss and instead informed her of the development. ' And why haven't you initiated a raid since then? There would've been sufficiently illegal deals for you to have sufficient cause several times over by now. '

"I'm aware of Fat Gum's arrangement with gangs in Esuha," Eraser started, eyes darting to their phone as it lit up. "I'd like to work towards something similar with the Blue Fang, and he's been advising me on gaining their trust."

Glancing between him and their phone, Akira eventually replied, ' Boss wants to meet you. She's not happy about your spying but understands the complexity of the situation we were in. You're fine escorting me back, but you're to stay on the ground. While we're in base, refer to me as Mortis. '

Eraser raised an eyebrow but nodded and started to lead the way. "Your hero name is your street name?"

Akira smirked slightly, ' Of course, that way people from around here can immediately recognize who I am. It's just Mortis, though. ' Their expression fell at the reminder, 'Umbra is the name my twin and I picked out. '

Akira occasionally caught glimpses of runners and muscle spreading out in a net formation as they drew closer to base. A glance at Eraser told them he noticed it, too, as his neutral expression ticked into a slight frown and his gait became a little more tightly coiled. Mortis hoped the talk wouldn't come to that, but they couldn't blame Boss for being cautious of who would be entering and milling about the area.

As they entered base, the few heads in the room turned to scrutinize them. Ayaka and Azumi were fortunately absent, only Haru, Isao, Au, and the night's bartender, Itoh, present.

"Eraser Head, Mortis," Au started, pushing off from the wall. "Boss will meet you in her office. Mortis, would you feel more comfortable having Haru or Isao with you?" As Mortis started to protest, Au narrowed her eyes. "You're getting one of them, nonnegotiable."

Mortis huffed and signed for Haru. He was Quirkless, so Erasure would be of limited use if it came down to a fight. He startled but gave a warm smile to Mortis and a calculating look to Eraser. Placing himself on the opposite side of Mortis, Haru's suspicion was met with a steady, protective look from the hero. Mortis sighed and pushed on, leading the group to Boss' office as Au joined behind them.

"I hope you understand our position, Eraser Head," Boss said as Mortis and Eraser sat down. "We do our best to respect your boundaries as an underground hero, and here you come knocking at our door with the threat of dogs hot at your heels."

She put up a hand as he opened his mouth. "That's not to say I do not also understand your position, but this puts our tenuous relationship on rocky ground. Up until now, I have respected Mortis' need to keep your personal affairs private for the sake of their relations. But that was always contingent on you or the information not posing a threat to my people."

Boss leaned forward, hands forming a pyramid over her desk as her eyes searched his face with a dangerous glint. "So, tell me, Shouta Aizawa," Eraser stiffened near imperceptibly at his civilian name, "are you a threat?"

Notes:

comfort? In one of my hurt/comfort fics? Unheard of XD Fun fact: the hand print in Akira's design is specifically to leave a mark from necrosis. That no longer lines up with my story's canon but I've kept the design element because it's a nice distinctive feature that's easier to replicate and recognize than their eyes. Along those lines, I should technically warm up their skin tone since the initial ashiness was (I think) from anemia due to their constant fluctuation at the start of Mortem ad Wrens, but meh Note for the Twice has DID tag: his characterization does start out as pretty canonical because everyone is off-kilter. I have a whole section in my Characters document for alters with triggers, personality, etc. so it does move to better representation as the story goes on. I guess another fun fact: my initial deep dive into DID was because of a Big Hero 6 fanfiction. The author wanted to give people a better look at what at least a 2-alter system looks like irl, and it piqued my interest. Since then, I've been more conscientious of doing research before writing about anything even in fanfiction. Me: oh we'll have a nice lil scene reinforcing the positive aspects of their relationship with Dabi Also me: takes like 1600 words to get the two alone

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chanoyu-to-wa · 4 months

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Nampō Roku, Book 7 (75b): Appendix: the Genpon [原本] Version of Entry 75.

75) Mizusashi with three feet, incense trays with three feet, kiki-kōro [聞き香爐] -- [in the case of] all of these, [the side with] one foot is the front¹. In accordance with this, the legs of the furo [that is used] on the daisu [should also be arranged in the same way], [you] must understand². Naturally, with things like [three-legged] candlesticks, one foot should be the front when viewed [by the guests]³.

If, thinking that because [we] are making offerings to the centermost of the [three] images of the Buddha, [we] then orient [the kōro] so that two feet are used as the front, with [the side with] one foot facing toward the painting [of the Buddha], and so on -- there are people who argue [in this way]⁴. [But] this is a serious misunderstanding⁵. It is always the case that the utensils [arranged] on the oshi-ita [押板], when it is placed in front of things like an image of the founder [of a school or sect], or the Buddha, the kōro is placed so that it is from the central image [that blessings are showered] upon those who come forward to worship: the act of burning incense with one’s own hands serves to edify [the worshiper’s] own heart; [therefore] there is no doubt that [the side with] one foot should be placed as the front [facing toward the worshiper]⁶.

Even those people who adhere to the opinion that the front is [the side with] two feet, still [turn the lid] so that the face of the creature faces in this direction, while only the [side with the single] foot faces toward the central image⁷. [Such nonsensical behavior] makes [those with a knowledge of the truth] break out in a loud guffaw⁸!

With respect to the utensil mat of the three-mat [room], always -- always -- all of the utensils should be arranged so that they face toward my front⁹. Because the arrangement [of the utensils] is an expression of the heart that is committed to the service [of one’s guests], in whatever circumstances, there is no case where the back side [of a utensil] should ever be placed so it is toward me¹⁰.

_________________________

◎ This version of the entry, while clearly based on the toku-shu shahon text, has been changed (and expanded) by the editor so that it better focus on the trends and developments in the world of chanoyu at the end of the Edo period -- while also linking the teachings more directly to the practice of chanoyu.

¹Mitsu-ashi no mizusashi, mitsu-ashi no kō-bon, kiki-kōro, mina-mina ashi hitotsu mae nari　[三ツ足ノ水指、三ツ足ノ香盆、キヽ香爐、ミナ〰足一ツ前ナリ].

Mitsu-ashi no mizusashi [三つ足の水指] means a mizusashi with three feet. Furuta Sōshitsu’s Iga-yaki Yabure-bukuro [破れ袋] (shown in the previous post) is said by some to have established this precedent. It seems that most of the early “mitsu-ashi mizusashi” were actually similar cases to the piece made by Oribe -- where one or two legs were (subsequently) added to pieces (usually from the Shigaraki, Iga, or Bizen kilns -- kilns that often fired the pieces intended for chanoyu for very long periods of times, sometimes exceeding 2 months, in order to build up an accumulation of natural ash glaze) that had partially collapsed during firing.

Mitsu-ashi no kō-bon [三つ足の香盆] means an incense tray with three feet. This is not referring to the large tray on which the objects necessary for mon-kō [聞香]* were arranged (which is what the word kō-bon originally meant). Rather, it means the smaller tray (usually no larger than 8-sun in diameter in Jōō’s and Rikyū’s period†) on which a kōro was displayed (such as on kō-dana, the shelf above the ji-fukuro, of the fukuro-dana). This is the sketch from the Rikyū chanoyu sho [利休茶湯書] -- the collection of Shū-un-an documents (published in 1580) that inspired Tachibana Jitsuzan to seek permission to investigate the remaining documents in Nambō Sōkei’s wooden chest (since he had been told that much yet remained that had not been included in this collection) -- that shows a bon-kōro displayed on the kō-dana of the fukuro-dana (please note the depiction of the orientation of the feet).

Trays intended for this purpose usually had feet -- to provide a cushion of air between the bottom of the tray and the shelf, so as to protect the shelf from the heat of the kōro‡.

Kiki-kōro [聞き香爐] refers to the special hand-held censer used when appreciating incense in this way.

These kōro always had three feet that were not evenly distributed around the base (the space between the front foot and that on the left was a little greater, since the fingers of the left hand were passed between these two feet when resting the kōro on the palm of that hand). This can be seen in the photo on the right.

Haku-Raku [白樂] -- white Raku -- seen in the above example, was created especially for kiki-kōro**.

Mina-mina ashi-hitotsu mae nari [皆々足一つ前なり] means in the case of all of these, one foot is the front. __________ *Mon-kō [聞香] refers to the appreciation of a small piece of kyara incense that is burned in a hand-held censer, which was passed around three times so that each of the three stages of its fragrance could be appreciated by all of the guests (and the host).

The term mon-kō originally meant the appreciation of incense as a way to enter into a state of samadhi through the sense of smell, a practice that, like chanoyu, arrived from Korea during the fifteenth century: this term was intended to distinguish this approach to incense from the earlier Japanese kō-awase [香合わせ] competitions -- where distinguishing the identities of the different varieties of incense that had been burned (usually in relatively rapid succession) was used as a way to score points (and win prizes). When the last scion of the expatriate Shino family died (in 1571), the school was taken over by their Japanese disciples, who soon began to imitate the older Japanese practices, entirely abandoning the meditative emphasis that had been placed on the burning of kyara incense by the original Korean members of the Shino family.

†Yoshimasa, however, displayed the Chidori kōro [千鳥香爐] by itself on the naka-marubon [中丸盆] (which measures 1-shaku 2-sun 3-bu in diameter).

This, however, was because the original tray had a brass plate inlaid into the face of the tray, which was specifically intended to protect the tray from heat damage. (This particular tray had originally been made, on the continent, for carrying hot dishes of food from the palace kitchens to the residential apartments, so it would easily support a kōro that would never get hot enough to burn the palm of the human hand, much less damage a lacquered tray.)

‡Jōō created the fukuro-dana by modifying the very similar tana that had been used by the Shino family (he replaced the pair of hinged doors that enclosed the ji-fukuro with a lift-out panel -- this process mirrored the way that Jōō took the Shino family’s kō-kai [香會] and modified it slightly to create his own cha-kai [茶會]); and, with respect to the appreciation of incense during his early tea gatherings, adopted their conventions without question.

As tana such as these were always custom-made in that period, care had to be taken to protect them from damage, since replacements were expensive.

**This makes use of the same glaze commonly used on red-Raku chawan (though, by the Edo period, the glaze had been refined to the point where it was virtually colorless, allowing the color of the clay body to show through unchanged). Here, however, a refined white clay was used (rather than red clay, or natural clay covered with a red slip made of clay mixed with powdered red iron oxide [Fe₂O₃], the clay modifying the intensity of the red color) to produce white pieces. The crackles naturally turn black when exposed to moisture.

²Daisu no furo no ashi wo motte shiru-beshi　[臺子ノ風爐ノ足ヲ以テ知ベシ].

Daisu no furo no ashi wo motte shiru-beshi [臺子の風爐の足を以て知るべし] means “accordingly, the legs of the furo (that is arranged) on the daisu (should adhere to the same orientation), (you) should understand.”

³Shoku-dai-tō mochiron, hitotsu-ashi wo shōmen yori miru-yō ni kazaru　[燭臺等勿論、一ツ足ヲ正面ヨリ見ルヤウニカザル].

Shoku-dai-tō mochiron [燭臺等勿論] means “naturally, with things like candle-sticks....”

Hitotsu-ashi wo shōmen yori miru-yō ni kazaru [一つ足を正面より見るように飾る] means (such things) should be displayed in accordance with (the idea that) one foot should be the front, when (the object is) viewed (by the guests).

In other words, the candlesticks should be oriented so that the single leg faces the guests. This is so not only when the candlestick is arranged on an altar or oshi-ita [押板] (here this word is used to mean a small table set up as a temporary altar in front of a Buddhist image), but when it is placed in the tokonoma, and also set out on the floor of the tearoom (such as during the meal, or when the bowl of koicha is passed from the host to the guests accompanied by a candlestick).

⁴Butsu-zō chū-son ni sonaetaru-kokoro nareba, futa-ashi wo shōmen [h]e shite, e no kata [h]e hitotsu-ashi wo mukae shikaru-beki nari nado iu-hito ari　[佛像中尊ニソナヘタル心ナレバ、二足ヲ正面ヘシテ、繪ノ方ヘ一ツ足ヲ向カヘ可然也ナド云人アリ].

Butsu-zō chū-son [佛像中尊] means the central image* (in a Buddhist trinity).

Butsu-zō chū-son ni sonaetaru-kokoro nareba [佛像中尊に供えたる心なれば] means “if (we) are thinking that (the incense, light, and flowers) are being offered to the central image in the (trinity of) Buddha images†....”

Futa-ashi wo shōmen [h]e shite [二足を正面へして] means “‘then two feet should be placed as the front....

E no kata [h]e hitotsu-ashi wo mukae shikaru-beki nari nado iu-hito ari [繪の方へ一つ足を向かえ然るべきなりなど云人あり] means “‘...so that one foot faces toward the painting is the appropriate way,’ and so on -- there are people who say (this kind of thing).” __________ *Usually either Shakamuni or Amida, or Kannon. Amida was more common in the Ashikaga period (since chanoyu was based on the teachings of the Ichi-nen ikkō shū [一念一向宗], the Amidist Sect of Buddhism that had been imported from Korea); but from the Edo period, an image of Kannon, or less commonly Shakamuni, appears to have been preferred in the center.

Cf., the triptych of Kannon, Crane, and Monkey by Mùxī Fǎcháng [牧谿法常; 1210? ~ 1269?] (above), that is preserved in the Daitoku-ji in Kyōto.

†Here the connection with the classical teachings, as represented in the O-kazari ki [御飾記] (where the reference is to the arrangement of objects in the tokonoma of the room that will be used to serve tea) seems to have been forgotten, and the author appears to assume that the text is describing the arrangement of the objects on a Buddhist altar.

⁵Ō-naru kokoro-e-chigai nari　[繪ノ方ヘ一ツ足ヲ向カヘ可然也ナド云人アリ、大ナル心得違也].

Ō-naru kokoro-e-chigai nari [大なる心得違なり] means that is a serious misunderstanding.

⁶Oshi-ita no gu izure mo, so-shi butsu-zo-tō, sono hon-zon yori no rai-hai no hito ni tai-shite, kōro wo oki, nen-kō wo sase, kyōge-shi tamau-kooro nareba, ika ni mo hito-ashi wo shōmen ni shite oki nari　[押板ノ具イヅレモ、祖師佛像等、其本尊ヨリノ禮拜ノ人ニ對シテ、香爐ヲ置、拈香ヲサセ、教化シ玉フ心ナレバ、イカニモ一足ヲ正面ニシテ置也].

Oshi-ita no gu [押板の具] means the utensils (arranged) on the oshi-ita.

Oshi-ita no gu izure mo [押板の具何れも] means the utensils on the oshi-ita are always (handled in the following manner).

So-shi butsu-zo-tō [祖師佛像等]: so-shi [祖師] originally meant the founder of a religious sect, but by this point in the Edo period the designation was being used to mean the founder of a school of chanoyu (or one of the other traditional arts); butsu-zō [佛像], as above, means an image of the Buddha; -tō [-等] means things of this sort, objects of this class.

Sono hon-zon yori no rai-hai no hito ni tai-shite, kōro wo oki [その本尊よりの禮拜の人に對して、香爐を置]: sono hon-zon yori [その本尊より] means from that central figure (the image of the principal Buddha-form, or that of the founder who is being revered here); rai-hai no hito [禮拜の人] means the person/people who have approached the altar to venerate (the image); ni tai-shite [に對して] means toward (the people who have come to do reverence to the image); kōro wo oki [香爐を置] means the kōro is placed. In other words, the focus of the kōro is shifted from the image that is being honored toward the worshiper who approaches the altar to express his veneration through the act of sprinkling incense on the burning piece of charcoal in the censer with his own fingers (the significance of this was discussed in footnote 9, subnote “†,” in the previous post).

Nen-kō wo sase, kyōge-shi tamau-kokoro nareba [拈香をさせ、教化し給う心なれば] means if (the worshiper) offers incense with his own hand, this serves to edify his own heart....

Ika ni mo hito-ashi wo shōmen ni shite oki nari [如何にも一足を正面にして置きなり] means (therefore,) certainly one foot should be (arranged) as the front when (the kōro) is placed (on the altar).

Shōmen [正面], meaning the front, is the side facing toward the viewer, or, in this case, the person approaching the altar to perform his act of worship.

⁷Ka no futatsu-ashi shōmen ni suru setsu wo mochiiru-hito mo, iki-mono no tsura ha konatae muite, ashi bakari hon-zon ni mukaeru　[カノ二ツ足正面ニスル説ヲ用ル人モ、生物ノツラハコナタヘ向テ、足斗本尊ニ向ル].

Ka no futatsu-ashi shōmen ni suru setsu wo mochiiru-hito mo [かの二つ足正面にする説を用いる人も] means even the people who follow the opinion that the front is (the side with) those two feet....

Iki-mono no tsura ha konata [h]e muite [生物の面は此方へ向いて] means the face of the creature (on the lid of the kōro) is (oriented) so that it faces towards this direction.

Ashi bakari honzon ni mukaeru [足ばかり本尊に向える] means the foot alone faces toward the central image.

In other words, though those people who subscribe to the opinion that one foot is the front (and that it should be oriented toward the image of the Buddha) arrange the kōro in that way, they nevertheless turn the lid so that the little figure (usually of a Chinese lion, shīzi [獅子] or shishi) faces toward the viewer*. ___________ *Because, in Japan, it is considered extremely rude for the rear end of a person or animal to be arranged so that it faces the viewer.

⁸Ō-warai-suru-koto nari　[大笑スル事也].

Ō-warai-suru-koto nari [大笑いすることなり] means this (foolishness) makes (me) erupt in a loud laugh!

⁹Dōgu-tatami no san-jō mono ha izure mo izure mo sho-dōgu wo waga-mae ni shite　[道具疊ノ三疊モノハイヅレモ〰諸道具ヲ我マヘニシテ].

Dōgu-tatami no san-jō-mono ha [道具疊の三疊ものは] means with respect to the utensil mat of the three-mat room....

Izure mo izure mo [何れも何れも] means always, always*...; absolutely always....

Sho-dōgu wo waga-mae ni shite [諸道具を我前にして] means all of the utensils should be arranged so that they face toward my† front‡. __________ *The doubling makes it emphatic.

†Waga-mae ni shite [我前にして] should be understood to mean the utensils should face toward the host.

‡This is emphatically declaimed because, during the Edo period, certain schools had begun to arrange the utensils so that they faced toward the guests at all times -- including during the temae (the chaire and chawan were handled so that they were facing the guests).

The combination of a complete ignorance of the orthodox tradition, coupled with the notion that the iemoto is infallible, made it open season on the proselytizing of whatever nonsense came into his head (the purpose of which being always to do things as differently as possible from every other school based on the authority of so-and-so ancestor -- and when a thorough search indicated that so-an-so’s teachings could not be found, it was always declared that they had been lost in this or that calamity, an argument which the period of civil wars had conveniently made highly plausible to the chajin of the Edo period).

¹⁰Tsukau-kokoro no oki-awase nareba, izure ni sei wo ware ni mukaete oku-beki-yō nashi　[仕フ心ノ置合ナレバ、何レニ背ヲ我ニ向ヘテ置ベキヤウナシ].

Tsukau-kokoro* [仕う心] means the heart that is committed to the act of service.

Tsukau-kokoro no oki-awase nareba [仕う心の置き合わせなれば] means because this arrangement is an expression of one’s desire to be of service (to the guests)....

Izure ni sei wo ware ni mukaete oku-beki-yō nashi [何れに背を我に向えて置べきようなし] means in whatever circumstances, there is no case where the back (of something) should be placed so that it is toward me.

The argument that is being rejected is this: since the host is devoted to the sincere entertainment of his guests, there were people who argued that, since one of the ways the guests derive pleasure is from the utensils, then they should always be arranged and oriented to the best advantage, so they may enjoy them throughout the gathering†. But this is wrong. “Service,” here, means arranging the things so that the host can make the best use of them, because his being able to do so will mean that he can perform his various tasks effectively. Thus, when the things are oriented for the host’s convenience, he can make a better fire, and prepare a better bowl of koicha than where the utensils arranged for the guests’ visual pleasure. This is the point that the author wishes to emphasize. __________ *Today it would be tsukae-kokoro [仕え心].

†This is also an occasional point of contention regarding the arrangement of the utensils when placed out simply as decorations -- whether in a room through which the guests might pass (or where they might be asked to wait), or in a setting such as a museum where a small exhibit has been erected to resemble a tea room. In all of these cases, even though nobody will ever sit and use these things to serve tea, the utensils should nevertheless be oriented toward the place where the host would sit on the utensil mat. And if the guests want to appreciate them, then they should move into that seat (or as close to that seat as circumstances permit), in order to inspect the utensils, and the arrangement as a whole, appropriately.

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