JCC E-Magazine December 2023

Chado Urasenke giving a brief introduction to the tea ceremony before the start of the demonstration.

Guests are handed a sweet before tea is served. The sweet acts as a palate cleanser to balance out the bitterness of the tea.

The Chado Urasenke Tankokai Singapore Association held a one-day exhibition in commemoration of the Daisosho Sen Genshitsu’s 100th birthday. The exhibition – Spirit of the Way of Tea – celebrated his contribution to the Way of the Tea and showcased kakemono (Japanese hanging scroll) written by the Daisosho himself, as well as tea utensils that were favoured by him.

There were also tea ceremony demonstration sessions which were attended by members of the public and students from the SIM Japanese Culture and Gaming Society. According to Ms. Nakabayashi – Chief Administrator of Chado Urasenke – during her talk, it is believed that as long as there is human-to-human interaction, anywhere can be a tea room. Hence, JCC was transformed into a space where guests get to witness the tea ceremony demonstration.

Each tea ceremony is treated as if it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and we hope that our guests were able to take away a newfound appreciation for the cultural tradition of the Japanese tea ceremony.

Thank you to ITO EN Singapore for kindly sponsoring refreshments to our guests!

An Urasenke member in the process of making tea. Each gesture is meticulously carried out.

The exhibition of the Daisosho Sen Genshitsu’s scrolls and preferred utensils. Guests start and end the tea ceremony by bowing to the kakemono as a sign of respect and appreciation.

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