SEN Soshitsu Conducts Chanoyu at G7 Hiroshima Summit Social Dinner
From May 19 (Fri) to 21 (Sun), 2023, the G7 Hiroshima Summit took place, with the Grand Prince Hotel Hiroshima serving as the main venue.
At the social dinner which was held on May 20 (Sat) for the leaders of the G7 countries and invited guest countries and representative organizations, matcha tea service by Urasenke was part of the hospitality, and Iemoto SEN Soshitsu was in charge of the chanoyu presentation. During the presentation, he made an arrangement of chabana flowers and prepared usucha.
To compensate for the limitations of the specially prepared stage at the hotel, Iemoto had a tabidansu (portable chanoyu-equipment chest) placed at the side of the temaeza (sitting spot for the tea-making), to use as a dōko (built-on recessed cabinet for setting items normally carried in and out). He set the kadai (tray for the flower-arranging equipment) on top of this tabidansu.
Both the matcha tea powder and higashi dry-type sweets that were used came from shops in Hiroshima; the matcha tea powder, from Harakotobukien, and the higashi, from Fujiiya.
Members of the Urasenke Tankokai Hiroshima I and II chapters assisted in serving the sweets and tea to the guests. Afterwards, Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio’s wife, Mrs. KISHIDA Yūko, went with Foreign Minister HAYASHI Yoshimasa to pay a visit to the mizuya and express her appreciation to them.