On the occasion of the Chado Urasenke Tankokai Incorporated Nonprofit Organization's annual spring national general meeting, held on February 25, 2005, at the Righa Royal Hotel Kyoto, the presentation ceremony took place for the 3rd Chado Culture Award. The recipient was the present head of the Raku family and pottery tradition, RAKU Kichizaemon XV (b. 1949). He was selected in recognition of his endeavors in carrying on the pottery tradition of his family, and also his outstanding work as a modern potter both in Japan and internationally, which has effectively boosted the public estimation of the cultural realm of chado. RAKU Fujiko attended the ceremony and accepted the award on behalf of her husband, who was unable to attend the presentation ceremony.
The five-member selection committee included SEN Masako (Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Chado Urasenke Tankokai Inc. NPO); USHIO Jiro (Elder, Urasenke Foundation); UTSUMI Hitoshi (Advisor, Urasenke Foundation); KUMAGAI Nobuaki (President, Hyogo Prefectural University); and HAGA Toru (President, Kyoto University of Art and Design).
A Chado Culture Encouragement Prize (Chadô Bunka Shinkô shô) was awarded to the Shumei Gakuen Educational Foundation (est. 1978), which runs a boarding school for junior high and high school boys and girls. The school is located in Saitama Prefecture. Among its aims is to give students a strong education in Japanese traditional culture. Chado is included in the regular curriculum, as an important facet of the school's program to build students' moral and spiritual character. The school furthermore encourages graduating students to always keep up their chado practice.
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