Motenashi(Hospitality)・Shitsurae(Arrangement)・Furumai(Manners)

　Motenashi, shitsurai and furumai compose the trinity of Japanese hospitality—the refinement of “thoughtfulness” and “care” for others, which manifests itself most clearly in the receiving of guests.
　Motenashi, the term for “entertaining,” originally referred to the adept “handling” of utensils. In other words, it was believed that the level of one’s care for guests was directly reflected in the way one selected and handled objects in front of the guests. A simple example might be to choose special cedar chopsticks rather than cheap disposable ones. Such care in the selection and use of utensils would naturally affect the entire presentation of the meal. Hence, motenashi became the general term for the etiquette and manners with which one welcomes guests.
　Shitsurai—literally “room” and “respect,” refers to harmonizing a space through the right arrangement of furniture and various ornaments. The combination and coordination of items to achieve harmony and balance would depend on one’s intended mood or tone in atmosphere, and as such could include rustic or weathered items as well as gorgeous or refined ones.
　Furumai is a combination of the words for “shake” and “dance (or twirl).” Originally it described the ceremonial dancing that announces and welcomes the appearance of visiting kami (spirits). This in turn became the word for welcoming and entertaining guests with food and drink.
　Orchestration of three—motenashi, shitsurai, and furumai—was traditionally overseen by women. Female servants in the Heian period arranged the rooms of their mistresses skillfully to create salon-like environments of sophistication and wit. And, to this very day, at any traditional inn, it is always the okami, the lady of the inn, who runs the show. She leads me team, instructing staff members in cooking, arranging, and etiquette. This includes how to greet guests at the entrance, how to arrange the flowers, which tea and sweet to combine. where to place the cushions, at what temperature to serve hot towels, how to open and close the sliding doors, and even how to move when serving the food. In delighting guests, the host aims for perfection of motenashi, shitsurai, and furumai in each and every detail.