The Urasenke Tankokai Chicago Association celebrated its 45th anniversary by visiting Kyoto for a week, timed to be able to attend the 2005 Rikyu-ki on March 28. Thirty members of the association, headed by Dr. Dean Raffaelli, who is the president of the association, participated in this specially arranged visit. The carefully-planned schedule included two mornings of intensive lessons at the Chado Kaikan, taught by members of the Konnichian corps of deputy tea masters (gyotei-bu), a private visit to the Sen family temple, Daitokuji Jukoin, and field trips by chartered bus to Uji to see how powdered tea is manufactured, and to the village in Nara known as "chasen-mura," or "tea whisk village," to see how tea whisks are manufactured.
The Urasenke chado teachers and students of Chicago and suburbs have made visits like this to Urasenke Headquarters on several occasions over the past forty-five years. The last time was on the occasion of the group's 40th anniversary, in 2000. Some of those who came that time were with the tour this time, too.
In the evening of March 29, Daisosho Hounsai and Iemoto Zabosai sponsored a reception dinner party for the group, at one of Kyoto's major hotels. |
