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Commemorative Tea Gatherings |
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For the Urasenke International Convention in Hawaii registrants, the first event on the program was
the commemorative tea gatherings held at three locations in Honolulu. Around lunch time, a light meal
(tenshin) consisting of traditional Japanese foods was served at the Hawaii Prince Hotel Waikiki.
Shuttle bus service was available between the four sites. Tea gathering sponsored by Konnichian Place: Japanese Cultural Center "Seikoan" tea house |
| Konnichian, represented by the Grand Master and SEN Soshi, together with the tea masters of Konnichian who serve directly under them, welcomed convention participants to the JCC "Seikoan" tea house for koicha (thick tea). The original "Seikoan" was an independent tea house which the Urasenke Grand Master presented to the Honolulu Japanese Chamber of Commerce in 1960. In 1992, it was redesigned and rebuilt at its present site on the top floor of the newly built JCC of Hawaii. Due to the restricted space within the tea house itself, for the commemorative tea gathering on July 19, it was put to use only for the koicha service to the special honored guests, and the tea service to the majority of the convention participants took place in the JCC banquet hall. |
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| The Grand Master makes the tea for Prince and Princess Takamado within the "Seikoan" tea house |
SEN Soshi greets convention participants in the large hall |
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Tea gathering sponsored by the Urasenke Hawaii Chapter Place: East-West Center "Jakuan" tea house |
| The Urasenke Hawaii Chapter members welcomed convention participants to enjoy a bowl of usucha (thin tea) at the "Jakuan" tea house, located at the spacious East-West Center at the Manoa campus of the University of Hawaii. SEN Soshitsu XV donated this traditional-style tea house and attached garden to the Center in 1972. Enrollees in the non-credit "Introduction to Chado: The Way of Tea" course taught by OGAWA Yoshibumi, administrative manager of the Urasenke Hawaii Branch, have their weekly classes here. To accommodate the large number of convention participants, a space equipped with ryurei-style (table and chair) tea-preparation furniture, where guests could have tea brought out to them, was also arranged within Jefferson Hall, behind which the garden and tea house are located. The sweets served by the Chapter members were homemade by the members |
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| Convention participants make their way through the "Seien" garden to the "Jakuan" tea house |
Scene within the "Jakuan" tea house |
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| Scene within Jefferson Hall |
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Tea gathering sponsored by the various Urasenke associations outside Japan Place: Hawaii Convention Center |
| A spacious hall on the 3rd floor of the recently built Hawaii Convention Center was used for the tea gathering jointly sponsored by the Urasenke associations outside Japan. One corner featured a pavilion specially designed in Thailand to represent Asia; another featured a raised platform the size of a 4.5 -tatami tearoom and covered with a striking carpet specially designed and woven in France for this occasion, representing Europe; and another featured a cabin-like arrangement designed in Brazil, representing Central & South America. The serving of sweets and usucha (thin tea) to the convention participants took place in the central area, designed to reflect Hawaii. It featured an 8-foot Hawaiian canoe on which a glass extension was created as a tea-making table. The utensils and accouterments in each of these tea spaces all reflected the "color" of the respective world region. Furthermore, there was a raised tatami stage in the remaining corner of the hall, on which members from the various Urasenke associations outside Japan joined in demonstrating different styles of Shichijishiki (teamwork chanoyu exercises). At the Central & South America corner, members of the Urasenke Brazil Chapter, wearing colorful national attire, also treated visitors to a taste of the traditional maté tea that is a popular beverage in South America. |
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| The Asia corner | The Grand Master has a bowl of tea at the Europe corner |
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| The central arrangement reflecting Hawaii |
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| The Central & South America corner | The Shichijishiki corner |
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