Media

"Peacefulness through a Bowl of Tea"

18 Mar 2008

 

Dr SEN Genshitsu, former Grand Master of the Urasenke Tradition of Tea, will give a talk entitled, The Cultural Realm of The Way of Tea "Peacefulness through a Bowl of Tea" at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) this Thursday (March 20).

Dr Sen will reveal how he uses tea to promote peace and mutual respect among nations and how he has, over the past 50 years, shared the ideals of the Way of Tea - Harmony, Respect, Purity, and Tranquility - with people in over sixty countries.

The talk will be followed by a Chado Demonstration led by two Urasenke tea masters from Kyoto, Mr YAMAMOTO Sochi and Mr SHOJI Soken, and by a Japanese tea appreciation.

Members of the media are cordially invited to attend this event, the details are:-

Date : March 20, 2008 (Thursday)
Venue : Rayson Huang Theatre, HKU
Language : Japanese with English Interpretation
Programme :
   5:30pm  Lecture by Dr Sen Genshitsu
   6:45pm  Chado Demonstration
   7:30pm  Japanese Tea Appreciation and Reception

Dr Sen's talk marks the launch of the Japan Month organised by the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, HKU. A series of Japan-related events will be run until the end of April 2008.

The event is coorganized by The HKU Foundation for Educational Development and Research, and the Department of Japanese Studies, School of Modern Languages and Cultures. It is supported by the Consulate-General of Japan in Hong Kong.

About the Speaker
Dr Sen Genshitsu was the Grand Master of the Urasenke Tradition of Tea from 1964 to 2002, when he transferred the position to his eldest son. The Sen Family lineage of tea goes back almost 500 years, to the 16th century tea master, Sen Rikyu, who elevated the serving of a bowl of tea into an art form.

He graduated from Doshisha University, Japan, and obtained his doctorate degree from Nankai University, China. He was awarded the Order of Culture by the Emperor of Japan in 1997 and was officially appointed Japan-UN Goodwill Ambassador in 2005.

Dr Sen has served tea to many of the world's leaders, including Queen Elizabeth the Second, Deng Xiaoping, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, President Hu Jintao, Wu Bangguo, President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Koizumi.

For media enquiries, please contact Ms Jo Fan, HKU Development & Alumni Affairs Office, (Tel: 2241 5934 / E-mail: jkmfan@hku.hk); or Denise Wong, HKU External Relations Office (Tel: 2859 2600 / E-mail: denise.wong@hku.hk)