Weaving Patience: The Komuso Tengai
For many weeks, I’ve been working on weaving a Komuso monk Tengai ‘basket hat,’ or ‘heaven-cover’. This was a big project, to say the least. Big, and utterly bewildering because this was the very first thing I’ve ever woven!
My initial attempt, was less a creation and more a… profound lesson in humility and patience, as well as a reality check. The second attempt, embracing far thinner spines, finally whispered the correct path forward. Yet, the lessons did not cease.
So often, my eager fingers pulled the rattan ‘lead’ (‘weft’) too hard, forcing the crown to curve inward prematurely. Or a slight misstep weaving the twill would go unnoticed until, hours later, I would see the mistake and have to unraveling all of my meticulous work back to that error. Each mistake, a stern and yet subtle teacher.
In the end, as the final lines settled snuggly, I found myself in disbelief. I had, quite clearly, bitten off far, far more than any complete beginner ever should. This was a project meant for hands steeped in years of patient rhythm. Yet, surprisingly, it took shape. The true reward, however, was not in its form but in the quiet satisfaction of enduring to the end.
‘Don’t pull the lead’, J
PS As far as my modest research can tell, I might be the first non-Japanese person to weave a Tengai. This isn’t surprising though, all things considered!
(Update: You can read about my experiences practicing takuhatsu ‘alms begging’ as a Komuso in America here.)
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