Sasshi (察し): sensing. The Nihon Kokugo Daijiten defines it as perceiving, being considerate, inferring. Ichi o kiite jū o shiru (一を聞いて十を知る): hear one, know ten. To grasp the whole of a matter after hearing or trying only a little of it.
Warming the Sandals
One winter day, according to a famous story, the warlord Oda Nobunaga went outside and found that his sandals were missing. He asked Saru, Monkey, as he called his young servant, where they were. The servant took them out of his robe and said that he had warmed them. The servant later became Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the ruler of Japan.
The story first appears in Ehon Taikōki, a popular illustrated biography. The magazine Waraku notes that no other source has it, so it cannot be called true.
Three Cups of Tea
A well-known story tells how Ishida Mitsunari entered the service of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Hideyoshi stopped at a temple and asked for tea. A temple boy first served a cup almost full of lukewarm tea. Hideyoshi asked for more. The boy served less tea, a little hotter. The third time, he served a small amount of quite hot tea in a small cup. Hideyoshi was impressed by the boy’s attentiveness and asked the abbot for him.
The story is known as sanken no cha, the three offerings of tea. It first appears in Bushō kanjōki, published in 1716, and was later retold in Ehon Taikōki and Meishō genkōroku. It is most likely a later invention.
Ordering by Hypothesis
Seven-Eleven Japan tells its part-time staff that the weather and local events are important information when ordering. Its parent company calls this ordering by hypothesis: stock and sell according to a hypothesis built on data, check actual sales, and keep improving the accuracy of orders. For each item, staff work out why it sold or did not sell.
Rikyū’s Seven Rules
Seven rules for the tea ceremony are traditionally attributed to the tea master Sen no Rikyū. They are known as Rikyū shichisoku. Make tea so that it is good to drink. Lay the charcoal so that the water boils. Arrange flowers as they grow in the field. Make it cool in summer and warm in winter. Be early. Have an umbrella ready even when it is not raining. Be mindful of the other guests.
A children’s tea ceremony leaflet from the town of Chikujō in Fukuoka explains each rule. The first teaches kikubari, attentiveness. The rule on summer and winter teaches omoiyari, consideration for others.
Reaching the Itchy Spot
Kayui tokoro ni te ga todoku (痒い所に手が届く): one’s hand reaches the itchy spot. Care that reaches every small detail, the mark of someone who is attentive.
Ki ga kiku (気が利く): one’s attention works. Noticing even small things, being thoughtful and quick to see what is needed.
The Snow of Xianglu Peak
In Makura no sōshi (The Pillow Book), Sei Shōnagon recalls a day of deep snow at court. Empress Teishi asks: Shōnagon yo, Kōrohō no yuki ika naramu. Shōnagon, how is the snow of Xianglu Peak? Sei Shōnagon has the lattice raised and lifts the blind high. The Empress smiles.
The question quotes a line by the Chinese poet Bai Juyi: the snow of Xianglu Peak, I lift the blind to see. The other ladies admit that they knew the line and had even used it in poems, but it had not occurred to them. The Empress had not asked for the blind to be raised.
Customer Charts
Japanese hair salons keep a kokyaku karute, a customer chart, for each client. It records the cut and the color, the products used, the hair type and any allergies. It also records the customer’s preferred style, lifestyle, what was talked about, and treatments the customer dislikes.
A guide for salon owners says the chart makes it easier to suit each customer and gives a reason to come back.
Advice on Consideration
In 1982, Kōdansha published Kikubari no susume (Advice on Consideration) by Suzuki Kenji, a former announcer of the public broadcaster NHK. Kikubari means attentiveness to others. The book became one of the great bestsellers in the history of Japanese publishing.
It also drew criticism, because it treated kikubari as a technique.