Japan Creative Centre (JCC), Embassy of Japan in Singapore, Chado Urasenke Tankokai Singapore Association, and Water and Ink Singapore Pte Ltd are delighted to present an exhibition entitled 'Chado ~ The Spirit of the Way of Tea ~'. This exhibition features the utensils used in chado and by extension, its history and underlying spirit, culture and indeed way of life which we call the Way of Tea. There will also be a series of ink paintings by local artist Mr Stanley Chng, providing a window on his perspective of zen masterpieces of Hasegawa Tohaku, a contemporary of Sen-no-Rikyu in the Momoyama or pre-Edo period.

Besides the exhibition, there will also be workshops and a tea ceremony demonstration. Do not miss this unique opportunity to experience another side of Japanese tea ceremony!

Among Japanese traditional craft, tea utensils are particularly known to represent the skills and techniques of their craftsmen. Through this exhibition, we showcase a variety of artefacts ranging from pottery in the form of tea bowls (chawan) and tea containers (cha-ire), to lacquerware such as makie used in tea caddies (chaki) and kaiseki utensils, as well as fabric (kireji) such as those used to wrap the items above and to mount hanging scrolls.

Since the time of founder Sen-no-Rikyu, the hanging scroll (kakemono) has occupied an important position among the assortment of tea utensils, often conveying the central theme of the gathering. We feature a series of ink paintings by local artist Mr Stanley Chng, providing a window on his perspective of zen masterpieces of Hasegawa Tohaku, a contemporary of Sen-no-Rikyu in the Momoyama or pre-Edo period.

This will be accompanied by a photo exhibition of confectionery served in tea gatherings, representing the key seasonal events in chado.

Chado Urasenke Tankokai Singapore Association was established in June 1991 as a membership non-profit organisation and registered by the Singaporean government.

Its aims are to engage the broader community in study of Chado and to promote a better understanding and appreciation of the rich cultural heritage of Japan as expressed in Chado in Singapore.

Chado Urasenke Tankokai Singapore Association was a recipient of The Foreign Minister’s Commendation for FY2022 for its promotion of Japanese culture in Singapore.

Born in Singapore in 1980, Mr Stanley Chng studied under the calligraphers and painters Luo Juntao, YuGuolang and Chen Jishen. He writes and paints under the soubriquet Shede (舍得), from whence the name of his studio derives (舍得庵).

In 2016, he took his leave of the legal profession and subsequently founded Water and Ink Singapore Pte Ltd in 2018.

His core of his pieces is informed by the aesthetics of the 11-16th Centuries, having studied and been deeply influenced both by the Chinese painters of the Song Dynasty such as Ma Yuan and Xia gui, and the Chan monk painters Muxi and Yujian, as well as those of the Japanese Zen monk painters of the Kamakura and Muromachi periods including Shubun, Gukei and Kao amongst others.

As for calligraphy, his focus is the writing of Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, Zhang Xu, Huai Su and Huang Tingjian, as well ancient and modern Japanese calligraphers such as Kukai and Murakami Santo.

It was whilst reading a biography of Ashikaga Yoshimasa that Stanley was first introduced to the sublime aesthetics of the of Zen art of the Muromachi period. This expanded to include the notable painters of the Azuchi-Momoyama period, which he continues to research enthusiastically.

In addition, Stanley received his Menkyo in Katori Shinto Ryu , a classical school of swordsmanship, from Sugawara Tetsutaka Sensei, and also practiced Taniha Fukeshu Kyotaku (an instrument similar to the shakuhachi but distinctively longer and with a wider bore).

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Getting to Japan Creative Centre
4 Nassim Road Singapore 258372
Tel: +65-6737-0434

By Public Bus:
Bus services: 7, 36, 77, 105, 106, 111, 123, 132, 174, 174E, 502, 502A, 502B (Alight in front of Delfi Orchard)
For latest information on bus routes and fares, please refer to SBS Transit.

By the MRT:
You may also take the MRT to the nearest MRT station, Orchard (NS22).
Train fares, travel times and route maps are available on the SMRT website.

Driving to JCC:
Nearest parking is at Orchard Hotel, Delfi Orchard and Orchard Rendezvous Hotel.