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1
Establish the season's two anchors: one umi no mono and one yama no mono. Both items must speak the same seasonal language — spring elements may not appear on an autumn tray. Confirm that neither element duplicates the other's provenance; two sea items or two mountain items disqualifies the course by definition.
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2
Prepare each element to its simplest honest expression. Hassun does not reward elaborate construction; the season must communicate directly. Each preparation is a tasting portion — sufficient to read the ingredient, not to satisfy hunger.
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3
This is where the dish lives or dies: arrange the two elements on the cedar tray asymmetrically, at differing heights and positions. Nothing is centred; nothing is symmetrical. The placement must read as a seasonal landscape — sea and mountain held in one compositional moment. The arrangement should appear considered but not laboured; the tray's negative space is as deliberate as what it holds.
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4
Handle the hinoki tray by its edges throughout service. The cedar releases its own fragrance into the course; this fragrance is part of the dish. Confirm the tray's inner surface is unmarked before it reaches the guest.