Memorial Tea Offering Ceremony for Maui Fire Victims
Conducted by Daisōshō SEN Genshitsu
On July 13 (Saturday), 2024, a tea offering ceremony (kenchashiki) was conducted by Daisōshō SEN Genshitsu at the Wailuku Hongwanji Mission on the island of Maui, State of Hawaii, USA.
It was in August 2023 that a wildfire broke out in Maui and became the worst natural disaster in the history of the island, burning to the ground the historical town of Lahaina, which was the capital of the old Kingdom of Hawaii and was Maui’s main tourist site.
About a year has passed since then, and this time’s Memorial Tea Offering Ceremony was conducted by Daisōshō in response to a request from the Urasenke Tankōkai Maui Association, who said that it was their wish to realize it “as a process to help the disaster victims overcome their painful experiences and work positively toward recovery.”
At 10:00 A.M., Daisōshō entered the main hall. There was a greeting speech by Rev. Kerry KIYOHARA of the Makawao Hongwanji Mission in Maui, and then a Buddhist memorial service was performed by priests from three local temples. As they did so, Daisōshō took his seat for performing the tea-making, and he solemnly made a bowl of thick tea (koicha) and another of thin tea (usucha) as offerings, praying for the souls of the disaster victims and for their earliest possible recovery.
Approximately 180 people attended this Memorial Tea Offering Ceremony, including Madam Isabella Kaihi BISSEN, wife of the Mayor of Maui County; Consul General Yoshinori KODAMA of the Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu; and Mr. Arthur TANIGUCHI, Honorary Consul of Japan in Hilo (President, Urasenke Tankōkai Hilo Association).
From Maui County, Daisōshō was presented with a Letter of Appreciation, which was handed to him by Madam Bissen.
After the close of the program in the main hall, the Urasenke Tankōkai Maui Association, with the cooperation of Urasenke members from other islands (Urasenke Tankōkai Hawaii Association, Hilo Association, Kauai Association), treated the attendees to a bowl of tea at the tea service venue which they had arranged for this.
Tea service venue (Urasenke Tankōkai Maui Association)
