Chado Urasenke Las Vegas School

08/14/2025

Sen Gensh*tsu
　It was announced on the 14th that Sen Gensh*tsu (Hounsai), former head of the Urasenke school of tea ceremony and recipient of the Order of Culture, has passed away. He was 102 years old. He was born in Kyoto City. Funeral and memorial services have yet to be decided.

[Photo] Sen Gensh*tsu reflects on his wartime experiences in March of this year .

　He was born in 1923 as the eldest son of the 14th head of the school, Sekisō Sosh*tsu (Mugensai). He was drafted as a student to fight in the Pacific War, commissioned as a naval ensign, and underwent su***de attack training at the Tokushima Naval Base. The war ended just before he was due to be deployed. After his demobilization, he graduated from Doshisha University in 1946 and also studied at the University of Hawaii. He was ordained under the abbot of Daitokuji Temple, Gotō Zuigan, in 1949, and succeeded to the headship of the school in 1964, taking the name of the 15th Sosh*tsu. In December 2002, in an unusual move to pass the throne to his eldest son, the 16th Zabosai, he assumed the name Gensh*tsu. Having experienced war, during which he nearly died, he sought global peace and harmony through tea, advocating "Peacefulness from a Single Bowl." Since visiting Hawaii in 1951, he has traveled more than 300 times to approximately 70 countries around the world, promoting the spirit of peace based on the tea ceremony's principles of "Wa Kei Sei Jaku." He established 113 overseas bases in 38 countries and regions, and also accepted tea ceremony students. He has continued his international peace activities by offering tea at sites symbolic of war and peace around the world, including tea offering ceremonies at the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, China in 1996 and at the site of the former Berlin Wall in 2000. In particular, in 2013, 2010, and 2011, he held tea offering ceremonies and tea gatherings at the United Nations Headquarters in New York to pray for world peace, and hosted the Secretary-General and representatives from various countries attending the General Assembly, leaving a strong impression of peace.
　In 2011, he offered tea at the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, the site of the outbreak of the Pacific War, to commemorate the war dead and pray for lasting peace, something he had longed for. In 2012, he became a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, and devoted himself to preserving culture both at home and abroad. He was awarded the Medal with Blue Ribbon in 1973 and the Medal with Purple Ribbon in 1980. In 1994, he received the Order of the Rising Sun, Second Class, and the Order of Culture in 1997.

千玄室さん - Yahoo!ニュース(京都新聞)

08/10/2025

Today the Urasenke Las Vegas students participated in Nisei Week in Los Angeles. Nisei week celebrates 2nd generation Japanese Americans and their culture. The week is held in August around the same time as the Obon festival which honors our ancestors.

In the alcove the chapter provided the alcove items. The scroll read Taki-waterfall and was written by Sekio Fukumoto. The flower was Rose of Sharon and cats tail in a basket. The incense container was in the shape of an uchiwa fan with a stick. The pattern on it was grass with young ayu fish.

Aki Stewart performed nagaita futatsu oki(with a kettle and brazier and water container on a long board. Miyuki Oh was the helper. Keiko Araki was first guest and Takako from Miwa Sensei’s class was our second guest. Dry sweets from Finland called Finnish marmalade were served to Keiko and Takako.

The chapter provided and Amidado shaped kettle and Doanburo brazier. The water container was made by Nevada’s most well known potter Tom Coleman. The tea container was Hakone Yosegi Zaiku. The tea scoop was made by Daitokuji Taido and name Zuiun(auspicious clouds). The tea bowl was konko yu glaze and made by Richard Milgrim who is very well known in the tea world. The kensui was made by Joeki.

We enjoyed see our tea friends and sharing a bowl of tea. Thank you so much to the LA chapter managers, teachers, and students who make this such a wonderful event.

06/08/2025

Saturday okeiko. Sweets from El Salvador (sweet potato with a hard sugar coating)—thank you Jessica. In a hand built bowl made by Nevada artist Peter Jakubowski. Flowers are Ditch Lily, Rose of Sharon, Chaste, and Field grass in an Indiana made basket. Charcoal (sumi) made by my husband John.

06/01/2025

Todays tea lesson Chawan Kazari and Chasen Kazari, The water container (mizusashi) was made by Andi Goodman of Las Vegas, Nevada. For these procedures we substituted the beautiful matching lid for a black lacquered lid.

04/19/2025

Happy Birthday to Hounsai Daisosho sama on your 102nd birthday. We appreciate your guidance, bringing us the way of tea (chado). May your lifetime mission of “Peacefulness through a bowl of tea,” continue to change the world.

03/02/2025

Hina Matsuri—Girl’s Day celebration.
water flavored with cherry blossoms.
Miyuki Miyamori prepared thin tea (Shoka no Mukashi from Koyamaen) with the hanging keytle and the tauzurezuredana.

Lunch was ordered in from Sushi
on. The guests transferred the meals to the obento boxes.

Kuniyo Noyori-Berlin prepared hana chabako tea procedure with Aiya no More tea from Kabayashi.

01/19/2025

Hatsugama (first tea) was celebrated on Saturday, January 18th in Las Vegas. Plum kosen ( flavored water was served to the guests. Honorary Counsel General of Japan Las Vegas Representative Kathleen Blakely gave a New Year’s welcome and always interesting information. This is the year of the wood snake. Attendees included Miyuki Miyamori, Kuniyo Noyori-Berlin, Aki Stewart, Jessica Diaz-Drake, Keiko Araki, Seiko Inoue, Paul Schollmeier, Manami Mata, and Michelle Chiu guest
of honor receiving certificates to study.

Thr guests walked outside to the tea room on a bamboo walkway through red gates and a antique Chinese foor into the tearoom. They viewed the alcove which had a copy of a picture Rikyu by Sen Sotan. A camellia flower stood in a celadon vase with a persimmon branch. a traditonal display of kagami mochi and a snake staue (Kazuko Underhill had sent from Okinawa) also were in the alcove. We took a group picture since some guests could not stay until the end. I presented Michelle Chiu her certificates to study Nyumon/ Konarai/ and Chabako (the basic 13 ceremonies and tea ceremonies utilizing a box of utensils).

Jessica Diaz-Drake did Shozumi (first charcoal laying). Kazuko Underhill sent the okashi from Okinawa. The moist sweet was a kinpaku yokan (gold leaf jellied sweet). I made thick tea since Michelle had received certificates. The tea was a gift from Towada Sensei of Otaru who is our sister school. The poetic name of the tea was Keinen no Mukashi from Hoshinoen in Fukuoka.

Miyuki Miyamori was responsible for the the kitchen with helpers Keiko Araki and Kuniyo Berlin. All the students helped putting the food on the dishes. The meal consisted of a clear broth soup with sliced large sh*take mushrooms from the mountains in Yabemura in Kyushu, green onions, plum and fan shaped fish cake. Sashimi of tuna, yellow tail, and salmon roe, smoked pork with a ginger soy sauce, kinpira (gobo, carrots, sesame seeds slices long and thin), sweet black beans, seikkihan (red bean rice), persian pickles, takuan (pickled radish), sweet potato with candied chestnuts, sake, and oolong tea.

After lunch Aki Stewart made thin tea. We were fortunate to have to Midorikai/Los Angeles Chapter Members Michelle Carriger and her husband Damian join us. We served higashi from Okinawa that Kazuko Underhill had sent to us. The tea was Zuisen no Mikashi from Koyamaen. After everyone drank tea wr took another group picture.

Sincere gratitude yo my husband John Potter who made thr smoked pork and always does the cleanup for thr event.

11/16/2024

For usucha we used an ichimatsu Oribe mizusashi and usuchaki made by Richard Milgrim. John made the lid with purple heart wood. The kensui was made made by Hisaaki Miraku and the shakutate was a vase made by an American potter. The chawan was made by Toho Tezuka with the hako signed by the 14th generation grand tea master Tantansai.

11/13/2024

On Saturday, November 9th we celebrated Robiraki (opening of winter tea). Two students Seiko Inoue and Keiko Araki received Nyumon, Konarai, and Chabako certificates to study. Students Aki Stewart and Jessica Diaz Drake were responsible for the menu and the meal. They prepared most of the meal themselves and were in charge of directly the other students in the kitchen to help. Aki included her homemade miso for the soup. The meal was delicious. Miyuki Miyamori flew in from Virginia for the event.

A daisu was used since we presented 2 students with certificates. The kaigu set was made by the 3rd genetation Kato Toshinobu of Kyoto. The chaire was ao Takatori made by the 15th generation Miraku Kamei. The 1st chawan was akaraku. The kasane chawan was onihagi made by Seigan Yamane.

For usucha the mizusashi was an ichimatsu Oribe top hat shaped made by Richard Milgrim. The shakutake was a red shinonmade by an American potter whose name escapes me. The kensui and futaoki were ao Takatori made hy the 16th generation Miraku Hisaaki. The usuchaki was a guinomi cup Richard Milgrim gave me as a gift. My husband made a lid for it out of purple heart wood. The chawan was a flower pattern Kyoyaki made by Tezuka Toho. athe hako was signed by yhe 14th generation grand tea master Tantansai. The second chawan was a temple scene of Wakayama yaki.

First we had a konbu kosen. Then the students walked on the bamboo walkway through the Chinese door for the certificate presentation. After the presentation a sweets from Chikara mochi in Gardena were served. Jodie Cohen did a charcoal ceremony and a daisu koicha ceremony with a kasane chawan. There were 11 guests. After koicha a beautiful meal made by aki Stewart and Jessica Diaz Drake was served. The meal included miso soup with homemade miso, rice with sweet potato, teriyaki salmon on an orange slice with a shiso leave, pickled cucumber, eggplant with yuzu miso dengaku sauce, okra, and apples cut into a rabbit shape. It was delicious.

For usucha Megumi Mizushima Smith sent us beautiful and delicious Rakugan from Suehiro Yoshinobu from Kyoto.

10/20/2024

Last night our class held a Sukkot Tsukimi Chakai. Sukkot is a(Jewish agricultural, historical and religious holiday. The Harvest Festival commemorates the huts that thr Jews lived in when they wandered through the desert for 40 years. Tsukimi Chakai is a Moon Viewing Tea Ceremony. Dinner was held in the Sukkah (hut), The Lulav and etrog(4 species) are only held and shaken in the 6 directions the first 2 days. In Shintoism then indigenous religion of Japan their are 8 directions. So acknowledging the similarities we took turns shaking them in the 6 directions. The religious significance is that God is everywhere and we are rejoicing efore the Lord.

The guests were Kazuko Underhill, George Manska, Linda Schultz, Sharon Blackman, Aki Stewart, Derrick Stewart, Jessica Diaz-Drake, Keiko Araki, Shane Shiroma, and John Potter.

The meal was served in obento boxes in the sukkah. The brisket cooked in sweet cherry wine roasted potatoes, stuffed cabbage, chickpea salad, acorn squash and a non kosher lockshen.

Jodie made koicha (thick tea) on a tea table. The koicha was Keichi no Mukashi from Marukyu Koyamaen. The sweets named ao tsuki (blue moon) were made by Kaziko and me and served in a black Frankoma dish. The water container was Takatori. The first tea bowl was black raku made by the 3rd generation Sasaki Shoraku. The second bowl was a hagi bowl made by Seigan Yamane and named by us dancing women. The chaire a round moon shaped Zeze ware container. The cover was Shishi Jyumon nishki. The scoop was white walnut made by John Potter. It was name Kanza( sit and think). In this case tied to viewing the moon and contemplating.

Kazuko made usucha. The tea was Zuisen mo shiro from Marukyu Koyamen. The sweets were fuki yose (gathered dry sweets) served on a glass mapel leaf. The water container container made by Seigan Yamane(a gift from George Manska). The first teabowl was named Tsuki no Sabaku (desert moon) and made by Waraku. Other teabowls used were Kozayaki(Okinawan pottery), Ao Tamba (green Tamba), Satsuma yaki, and Tokosangama. The tea container was a brown lacquered setsugeka(snow, moon, flower) deeign on a flat container. The t was scoop was maple made by John Potter

08/03/2024

07/08/2024

Getting ready for my tea lesson. It was hard to find flowers with this record breaking heat. Found lantana that looks like a cluster of stars and horseweed. They are in an Andi Goodman of Nevada vase that looks like stars in the sky.