Here is a picture taken last Saturday at our tea event at the San Antonio Botanical Garden. As teishu (host) I used a chitose bon, a round box, about 12" in diamter, that holds the teabowl, tea caddy, tea scoop, whisk and linen cloth. The lid is first removed and turned over to become the tray and then each utensil is brought out, cleansed, and tea is made and served. Then the utensils are cleaned and put away.

The box is larger than chabako and the procedure is less complicated, but it seems like magic to pull lovely things from a box and then make them disappear again, where they wait patiently in the dark to be used once more. [Photo by Bob Scott]