Japan tea ritual to be honored
By Jessica Webster
Advertiser Staff Writer
June Aono absorbs every aspect of a Japanese tea ceremony.
Deborah Booker • The Honolulu Advertiser
As she demonstrates this art before novice and veteran tea guests at the University of Hawai'i teahouse, she relishes how the modest tradition incorporates so many aspects of Japanese culture — the tea, flower arrangements, food, calligraphy, sweets, traditional dress, architecture, history, religion and language.
Imperial Prince Norihito and Princess Hisako of Japan are greeted by Gov. Ben Cayetano and his wife, Vicky, after arriving in Honolulu yesterday for a celebration of the Japanese art of the tea ceremony.
Aono will join more than 1,000 people in a celebration of the art of Japanese tea ceremony this week in Honolulu, as the Urasenke Hawaii Chapter marks its 50th anniversary with its international convention. The theme: "sharing peace through a bowl of tea."
The week includes elaborate tea ceremonies, banquets and events that will cater to community members and high-profile guests, including Japan's Imperial Prince Norihito and Princess Hisako and Grand Tea Master Soshitsu Sen, the 15th-generation grand tea master of Urasenke Konnichian.
Sen, who has served tea to visiting dignitaries such as Princess Diana and Mikhail Gorbachev, will conduct the week's biggest tea ceremony at 9 a.m. Friday on the steps of 'Iolani Palace. Sen, who attended the University of Hawai'i in 1953, recently donated $1 million to the UH Asian Pacific Studies program.
Urasenke organizers have been somewhat frenzied as they prepared for the week's events, which are expected to cost more than $1 million.
Convention chairman Satoru Izatsu, senior associate dean of medicine at the University of Hawai'i, said the week's events ultimately celebrate the art of the tea ceremony.
"The precepts come from Zen Buddhism, and it's simply a time to sit and share — that is the theme of our conference," he said.
Chado, or the Way of Tea, is anchored by four basic principles: harmony, respect, purity and tranquility. The ceremony is designed to bring aesthetic, intellectual and physical enjoyment and peace of mind to the guests.
A typical tea ceremony takes place in a teahouse. The host brings carefully chosen tea utensils into the room, and offers sweets to the guests.
The host prepares the tea in a precise and elaborate sequence of movements, including placing powdered tea into a bowl and adding water that has been heated over a charcoal brazier. The tea is passed from hand to hand. A discussion and appreciation of the utensils' quality often follows.
