Author: Tome
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Higashi (干菓子)
Higashi are traditional dry Japanese sweets typically served before usucha at tea gatherings. Made with ingredients such as sugar, rice flour, and wasanbon, they have a longer shelf life than fresh sweets and are often molded, pressed, or baked into delicate seasonal shapes. It is common for two different kinds of higashi to be served…
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Omogashi (主菓子)
Omogashi is a traditional fresh Japanese sweet served before koicha during a formal chaji and before usucha at many chakai. It is also commonly served at teicha, where visitors can enjoy matcha and seasonal sweets at temples, gardens, museums, cultural events, and other public venues. Made from a variety of ingredients, including sweet bean paste,…
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Senke Jisshoku (千家十職)
Senke Jisshoku refers to the ten hereditary artisan families that have traditionally produced tea utensils for the Sen family tea traditions. Each family preserves a specialized craft, passing down both its techniques and a hereditary professional name through the generations. Together, they continue to support the practice and aesthetics of Japanese tea culture. Family Current…
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Urasenke (裏千家)
Urasenke is one of the three main tea traditions descended from Sen no Rikyū. Today, it is led by Iemoto SEN Soshitsu XVI (Zabosai) and has an international network with 113 associations and offices across 38 countries and regions, promoting the practice of tea in Japan and around the world. Lineage of the Sen Family…
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Chion Hōon — Knowing the Kindness, Returning the Kindness
Once you begin practicing Chado, the Japanese way of tea, your interest in Kyoto naturally grows. The headquarters of the Urasenke tradition are there. The families known as the Senke Jisshoku have crafted tea utensils for generations in support of the tea tradition. Uji, famous for producing matcha, and many long-established wagashi, traditional Japanese sweets,…
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Sen no Rikyū (千利休)
Sen no Rikyū (1522–1591) is one of the most influential tea masters in the history of Chado, the Japanese Way of Tea. Building upon the ideals of wabi-cha established by Murata Jukō and further developed by Takeno Jōō, Rikyū refined the practice into a form that emphasized simplicity, sincerity, close attention to each guest, and…
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Chawan (茶碗)
Chawan is the bowl used to prepare and drink matcha in the Japanese tea ceremony. More than a simple vessel, it is carefully chosen to suit the season, the style of the gathering, and the other utensils selected by the host. Tea bowls vary widely in shape, size, clay, glaze, and place of origin, with…
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Matcha (抹茶)
Matcha is a finely ground powder made from shade-grown green tea leaves. Unlike most teas, it is whisked with hot water and consumed whole rather than being steeped and discarded. It is best known as the tea used in the Japanese tea ceremony, while culinary-grade matcha is widely used in drinks, sweets, and desserts. The…