作客丹下明月家

　　2005年11月，正是漫山遍野枫叶红了的时节，应静冈县日中友好协议会邀请，我们在东瀛作了为期半月的友好访问。其间受中国国际茶文化研究会名誉会长王家扬先生委托，我们到日本著名的历史古城仓，拜访了国际茶道・香道丹月流宗家、浙江树人大学客座教授、日本著名茶人丹下明月女士。 　　仓位于神奈川县东南部，是一座具有800多年悠久历史的文化古城，它三面环山，一面临海，以美丽的海上风光和温和宜人的气候以及遍布各地的寺院、神社使它成为日本著名的观光地之一。镰仓时代(公元1192―1333年)初期，日本的荣西禅师两度来到中国学禅，他不仅潜心钻研禅学，而且亲身体验了宋朝的饮茶文化及其功效，回国之后撰写了日本第一部茶书《吃茶养身记》。此后日本的茶道日渐普及，荣西既是日本的禅宗之祖，也是日本的“茶祖”。而茶道更是包含了禅、文学、书法、插花、陶艺、建筑等生活艺术，成为一种文化习俗。 　　我们一行三人从静冈的浜松出发辗转到达仓时，丹下明月女士和她的丈夫立山尚明先生已在车站等候多时。朋友相见自是欣喜万分，立山先生亲自驾车沿着海滨前行，不一会儿就到了他们的府第。 　　丹下明月女士的家坐落在北仓的明月院明月谷中，幽静而古朴，远离城市的喧闹。从外表上看，这里与普通人家的住宅无异，但入得门厅进入里间，方觉得别有洞天。透过书房的窗户可以看到庭院里浓浓的秋意，更妙的是整个茶道丹月流道场丹月庵就建造在山脚下，蜿蜒的小路一直延伸到山上。院子布置得古朴典雅，绿荫树下陈设着抹茶席位，顶上悬挂着茶道・香道丹月流的灯笼，青苔铺地，错落有致地散布着石板、经幢、蓄水池，处处充溢着山野情趣。丹下明月女士和立山先生兴致勃勃地带着我们在院子里转悠，并说他们暇时常坐在庭院里品茗叙谈和沿着山脚散步、爬山，享受着大自然的天趣。 　　作为茶道丹月流宗家，丹下明月女士多次访问中国，十几年来，她不辞辛劳，远渡重洋，不仅积极参与中国各地的茶文化活动，尤其是与西子湖结下不解之缘。我们在她的家中感受到一股浓浓的书韵，各个房间及走廊挂满了国际茶人们送给她的翰墨画卷，书房及外间还摆放着琳琅满目的各类茶具和瓷器古玩，令人目不暇接。她的学生说得好：“如果不是先生几十年来积极参加国际交流和努力贡献，再加上她独特的个人魅力，又何以有如此多的馈赠呢。” 　　为了招待我们这些远方来的客人，她的女儿大岛丽月副教授（也即是她现在教授茶道的助手）亲自下厨为我们做了丰盛的日本料理，还考虑到我们的口味专门为我们炒了中国菜热情款待我们。席间，丹下明月女士向我们介绍了日本茶道的由来以及她创建国际茶道・香道丹月流的经过。她对茶道倾注了全部的热情，视茶为生命的延续，有许多日本妇女跟她学习茶道和香道。为了更好地传播茶文化，她还特意掏钱购买表演茶道的物品，每月到镰仓小学去辅导孩子们表演茶道。 　　丹下明月女士向我们解释道，“茶道有‘一期一会’的说法，也就是说两个人一生中可能只能见到一次，所以日本人通过茶道来了解对方和向对方表示尊重，这也就是为什么对于茶道日本人这么看重的原因。”对于茶和禅的关系她也有独到的看法，在她看来“茶是禅的一种延伸，茶道的目的和最重要的意义就是禅的一种解释。”所以她一直在为这个目标而努力，希冀热爱茶的人越来越多，让茶成为人类的共同爱好，用茶架起国际间文化交流的桥梁。 　　作为一名传播茶文化的使者，她曾经说过，“世界各国人民如果都能平等、和平地饮茶叙情，世界上就不会有纷争。茶，给所有的文化以深远的影响。茶文化作为和平的象征，将指引人们在世界和平的大道上阔步前进。” 　　对于国际茶文化协会名誉会长王家扬先生，丹下明月女士更是将他视为兄长，言谈之间充满了敬仰之情。我们也告诉她，作为著名“龙井茶”发源地的杭州人与茶结下了不解之缘，每逢周末或是节假日，许多人总是举家出动，在美丽的西子湖畔和杭州茶乡龙井、梅家坞喝茶赏景，流连忘返，茶已经和我们的生活联结在一起。她听了我们介绍近期杭州市政府作出了“茶为国饮，杭为茶都”的举措并努力把杭州打造成国际茶都的信息，更为兴奋。 　　饭后我们将带去的礼物――为庆贺《文化交流》杂志创刊20周年特制的茶叶罐和收录了她文章的《岁月如歌》一书赠送给丹下明月女士时，她非常欣喜，表示一定要珍藏起来，作为两国茶文化交流友谊的见证。 　　在我们互赠礼品时，丹下明月女士告诉我们，她怀着对茶圣陆羽的崇敬之情和对茶的故乡中国的深厚感情，一直将我们赠送给她的每一期《文化交流》杂志都仔细地阅读，并将她精心收藏的《文化交流》杂志拿出来给我们看。她还回忆起2004年到中国来的时候，曾在树人大学老师的陪同下特意来我们杂志社参观的经过。 　　我们去时正好碰上树人大学的两位老师在跟丹下明月女士学习日本茶道，在丹下老师的指导下，两位端庄而漂亮的姑娘为我们作了精彩的茶道表演。表演时只见丹下明月女士郑重地取出了一个锦匣，轻轻地把它放在榻榻米上，呈现在我们的眼前的是一只釉色滋润的青瓷碗，这是她来中国时，天台国清寺方丈赠送给她的宋朝哥窑荷瓣形青瓷碗，她一直珍藏着，轻易不拿出来。看着姑娘们的茶道表演，喝着沏出来的抹茶，吃着茶点，我们也沉浸在茶文化的浓浓氛围之中。 　　临别之时，读着书房壁上挂着的一位中国澳门茶人撰写的诗句“莲茶一盏尘心净，半壁山房映月明。留得千秋茶味在，仓镜海续茶经。”这让我们不禁浮想联翩，这正是丹下明月女士推动中日两国茶文化交流的真实写照! 　　 　　A Visit to Tea Master Tange Meigeisu 　　By Du Xiaoying, Wang Xidong 　　 　　In November 2005 we paid a friendly visit to Japan for half a month at the invitation of Shizuoka Japan-China Friendship Association. Entrusted by Wang Jiayang, honorary president of China International Tea Culture Research Institute, we visited Tange Meigeisu at her home in Kamakura. 　　Tange Meigeisu is a celebrated Japanese master of tea ceremony (Chado) and guest professor of Zhejiang Shuren University. Kamakura is a city that shares the name of Kamakura period (1192-1333) in Japanese history. Today, the ancient city attracts a lot of tourists with its enchanting scenery and a great variety of historical and cultural interests such as Buddhist temples and shrines. It was in the early years of Kamakura period that a Japanese monk came to China for studies of Zen and brought Chinese tea rituals to Japan. The monk wrote a book and introduced Chinese tea ceremonies and rituals to his fellow countrymen. The popularity of Chado (Japanese and Chinese pronunciations are highly similar) started in those years. Today tea and Chado are an important part of Japanese culture.

　　When we arrived at Kamakura, Tange Meigeisu and her husband Tateyama Shomei were waiting for us at the station. The delight of meeting friends was beyond description. Mr. Tateyama Shomei drove along the seafront highway and pretty soon we arrived at their home. 　　The house was located in Bright Moon Valley in north Kamakura, far from the noise of the downtown. At first sight the house did not looked special from the outside. But once we went through the hall, we felt it was extraordinary. Through the windows of the study we were able to glimpse into the courtyard in rich autumnal tints. The Chado site was at the foot of the hill. A winding path extended up into the hill. The courtyard was neatly arranged: seats under the lush trees, lanterns on the trees, slabs thickly covered with green lichen, a script pillar and a pond. They took us around the courtyard and told us how often they would enjoy nature and tea there. 　　As a tea master who presides at a Chado school with a large international following, Tange Meigeisu has visited China many times.Her daughter, an associate professor as well as assistant to her mother, prepared a big dinner for the occasion. During the dinner, Tange Meigeisu talked about the origin of Japanese Chado and that of her international Chado.Many Japanese women take lessons from her. 　　She explained to us that Japanese people attach great importance to tea rituals because they understand that any meeting between any two persons may occur only once in a lifetime. On such an occasion, tea is a passport to understanding each other and showing respect to each other. She further explained Chado in terms of Zen: “Tea is an extension of Zen. The purpose and highest significance of Chado is to provide an interpretation of Zen.”As an ambassador of tea culture, she often says. “Tea is universal. If people of all countries can sit down to enjoy tea together in peace and equality, there will be no dispute in the world.”She believed that tea could exert profound influence on all cultures and that as a symbol of peace, tea culture can direct people to a path to world peace. 　　Tange Meigeisu regards Mr. Wang Jiayang as her elder brother. She talked of him with reverence. We also talked about tea events in Hangzhou. Having a cup of tea with family members or friends in a scenic rural environment is now a vogue in Hangzhou, home of Dragon Well Tea. At weekends, local residents go to Dragon Well Village and Plum Valley Village, two most favorable sites, and enjoy tea there. She was excited to learn that Hangzhou, the tea capital of China, was doing its best to promote tea as the national drink. 　　After dinner, gifts were exchanged. We presented the master with a tea caddy that was custom-made in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of Cultural Dialogue and an anthology of articles published in the periodical in the past 20 years. The anthology has a story written by Tange Meigeisu. She told us that she read every issue of Cultural Dialogue and all the issues were kept well in her library. She recalled her special visit to our editorial office when she was in Hangzhou in 2004. 　　 　　 (Translated by David)