Non-fiction project: a 2010 interview with Miko Kuro

((Masterpost here))

This was something that I had written in 2010 as part of an arts and culture project designed to discover special and unique events happening in Vancouver.

When I had started this project last summer, it had gone through a series of bumps on the road and even went to a full stop for a little while. Eventually however, I did resume said project, and all that research eventually lead me to the site of "Miko Kuro's midnight tea". Though one may think it's but a simple japanese tea ceremony, it's in fact an extraordinary evening mixing together traditionalism with the freedom of the new media, fusing together the old and the new. Because I was unable to make it to the Vancouver ceremony, I asked to get my facts straight from the "Miko" herself, despite the seperation of countries, miles and computer screens. (Turns out she was in Seattle and i'm well, here in Vancouver). The end result was a series of questions and answers which helped shed more light on this exciting, innovative and growing concept.

Interview with Miko Kuro

By Suzanne Helen James

For "Taking a Slice of Life's Pie"

November 2010

1) "Who, or what is Miko Kuro?"

A "miko" in the Shinto (traditional indigenous Japanese) belief system is a shrine or temple maiden -- something of a caretaker. Someone who prepares the space for the ritual. "Kuro" means dark or black. As a character that I created, Miko Kuro is a Caribbeanized Japanese ghost. Imagine Wide Sargasso Sea's Antoinette character as a Japanese ghost geisha who serves tea to strangers at midnight -- this is the essence of Miko Kuro. 

2) "Why not make this a regular artistic musical gathering? Why add the tea culture element?"

Um, it's called Miko Kuro's Midnight Tea because the tea gathering is the heart of the event. I'm not sure how you came about the description "regular artistic musical gathering" but that is about as inaccurate as calling it a baseball game.

3) "Explain the concept of the tea ceremony and the four seasons."

The Midnight Tea ceremony is a complex idea I began to put together after three pivotal life events. The first of these was receiving a substantial grant from the City of Austin to adapt a poetry manuscript I had written into a community arts event which was held at the Asian American Cultural Center for two consecutive years. The second coincided with the first as I had developed a curiosity about the traditional Japanese tea ceremony and began to study in the Urasenke tradition with Suzuki Sensei that same year. Finally, my return to the Northwest, where I grew up, gave me the grounding to put together these seemingly disparate elements.
 
The first year I hosted Midnight Teas every month for thirteen consecutive months at 45WEST STUDIOS in Vancouver, BC. Vancouver has always been home to me, even though I have lived in many places and travelled fairly extensively. And the art-lovers, seekers, and midnight mavens of the city seemed to emerge as if called or drawn to this project and I am still in awe of the amazing people I've met through this underground art endeavor. 

4) "What kind of variations have you done to the midnight ceremony?" (I saw on the site that you had a 1920s ceremony. Do you plan anything else as such, like other theme parties?)

The 1920s or "Special Tea" was a significant departure from the other 19 Midnight Teas that have taken place in that it was essentially a private party for a former tea guest. The idea of a theme, along with the guest list, etc. were all decided by the event's sole patron, who had gone to a previous tea event and wanted very much to celebrate her upcoming wedding in a similar manner.

Otherwise, it is extremely rare for the Midnight Tea to conform to anything as simple as a theme. This year, the Vancouver teas were held seasonally, because I was traveling more and hosting events beyond 45WEST. 

5) "Would you think that this kind of event would be a success in its native Japan?"

Since there are many different kinds of people in Japan, as there are everywhere, I have no way to gauge the potential success of the Midnight Tea there or any where else for that matter. The Midnight Tea does not claim to be anymore "Japanese" than it is anything else. Yes, the principles that I learned while studying chado (the way of the tea) definitely inspired me to create Miko Kuro's Midnight Tea, but the culture of the tea exists in its own universe and is forever shifting depending on the guests who participate.

One of the notions I hope to dispell by doing this work is the thought that culture is a static thing. Culture, like people, and language, is in flux. We are all in conversation with each other and our personal micro-cultures exist within a neverending tide of shifting cultures that crash and coincide and intermingle constantly.

Tea came to Japan by way of China and India before that. So what many people may think of as culturally Japanese, was borrowed, shared, lent and exchanged from its inception. 

6) "Despite the innovation and the originality of the event, you've probably faced criticism for moving away from the traditionalism. Why then mix these two opposite elements?"

I haven't actually. I have served tea to tea ceremony senseis and the senseis of senseis, and not one felt the need to comment on that. It's obvious to most people that the reverence I pay to the tradition of ritual making and tea service is genuine and that the authenticity of the Midnight Tea project is derived from my own spirit. Miko Kuro's Midnight Tea is my art -- like a painting that has come from the depths of my soul. It can't be co-opted, it can't be replicated, imitated with any success, or anything like that because it is an extension of me, my aesthetic, my creative  agenda, and my perspective in the world. Beyond that, it is a tradition in its own right. All traditions began as innovations. Practice creates a body-memory and practitioners of chado recognize that. The elements of the Midnight Tea ritual that are always in place, no matter where or when the ceremony is held, establish this tradition. In a hundred years, maybe there will be a Midnight Tea school where students can learn "the way of the Midnight Tea" ... who knows? 

7) "Did you see any support from the Japanese-American community?"

There are so many communities that have come together to support this project, I am so very grateful for this widespread involvement! Certainly Japanese-Canadians have been involved since the beginning, as featured artists, guests, and as Midnight Tea volunteers. However, only two teas have been held in the United States so far, which is why I make the Canadian distinction, but yes ... our goal has always been to include as many people as possible, regardless of their ethnic, religious, sexual, or educational backgrounds. The people who want to be part of this project seek it out and become part of it. People are people, and looking at everything in terms of pure demographics isn't very organic. I prefer organic to contrived. 

8) "When you brought the tea ceremony elsewhere in the world, did you ever adapt it to suit the destination?"

Since the tea ceremony is a fully immersive and interactive event, I don't have to "adapt it" --- it adapts itself. The guests are co-creators in the Midnight Tea ceremony, so if they are Canadian, they bring a Canadian element. If they are French, they bring a French element and so on. I look forward to seeing what the Midnight Tea will look like in China and India ... and anywhere else where we are invited to go actually!

9) "Who suggested to start bringing Miko Kuro's tea ceremony upstairs to Canada?"

See #3 -- The tea began (per the website) in Canada. 

10) "If Miko Kuro could invite any famous figure to the tea ceremony, dead or alive, who would it be? And why?"

I think it would be pretty rad to serve Midnight Tea at the White House and invite people like Gloria Steinem and the Dalai Lama to let loose at midnight ... the possibilities are endless!

"Well, that's about it! Once again, I thank you for giving me your time and your insight and I do wish you the best for your baby in the winter months!

Ps; Tell me when the Vancouver Spring tea starts. I'm thinking of volunteering."

The next Midnight Tea will be held at ARTXCHANGE GALLERY in Seattle on May 14, 2011 and has been supported by a grant from the City of Seattle.

All of these questions were answered by the Miko, who shall be referred as such for respect of privacy and confidentiality.Though her real name could be displayed, I didn't ask for her permission to use it, therefore I can't, and I would think it better if it wasn't because I was interviewing the Miko in character. To find out more information on future Miko Kuro's Tea Ceremonies, visit the main website: http://www.mikokuro.com/, where you can also access pictures to previous ceremonies and the guests who've played there as well.

Well, with that said,

See you on the flipside.

Suzanne Helen James.

26/11/10.