Rites of tea to bring Japanese imperial couple to Honolulu
By Shayna Coleon
Advertiser Staff Writer
Imperial Prince Norihito and Princess Hisako Takamado of Japan will visit Honolulu on July 15 for weeklong festivities celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hawai'i Shibu, a chapter of the Urasenke school of tea ceremony.
The couple will be attending various events at the Hilton Hawaiian Village and the Hawai'i Convention Center, which were planned by the Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu, the Foreign Ministry and Hawai'i Shibu.
They also will join a kenchashiki, or tea offering, from 9 to 11 a.m. July 20. The event, which is open to the public, will take place at 'Iolani Palace.
Prince Takamado, who is cousin to Japan's Emperor Akihito, was invited to the ceremonies because of family ties. Takamado's older sister is married to the young tea master, Muneyuki Zaboasai.
Zaboasai's father, Grand Tea Master Dr. Shoshitsu Sen XV, is conducting the tea ceremony. Sen opened the branch — the first Urasenke chapter set up outside of Japan — in 1951 while attending the University of Hawai'i.
"It's a significant anniversary since members of the imperial family will be here," said Chance Gusu-kuma, the commemoration spokesman. "It's comforting to know that members of royal families want to attend our cultural events, and that Hawai'i does fulfill the niche of being a cultural meeting place."
More than 1,300 Urasenke chapter delegates from 32 different countries will also attend the event, said Gusukuma.
A number of branches have stretched through all corners of the world from the United States, Canada, Russia, Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland and Hungary.
"Although we always celebrate the chapter's birthday, this is the big one. The once in a lifetime event," said Dr. Satoru Izutsu, chairman of the event and University of Hawai'i's senior associate dean at the School of Medicine.
"It's amazing how far we could spread the word about Urasenke throughout the years," Izutsu said. "It's not only our 50th anniversary for the Hawai'i chapter, but more like an international celebration."
