Chado Urasenke Tankokai Urbana-Champaign Association

Our Tankokai continues to share peacefulness through a bowl of tea with thousands of visitors and with each other. We thank Sen no Rikyu for his teachings as we continue our studies in the Way of Tea.

Happy Birthday to Gunji sensei! ☺️ We enjoyed delicious treats during our Thursday tea class which coincided with her birthday.

Today is the International Day of Peace. When the school semester began, Gunji sensei did kencha in honor of Dr. Gensh*tsu Sen whose mission was to share peace through a bowl of tea. As our students continue to study the Way of Tea, we want to share our continued wish to use Chado as a means of building cultural understanding through harmony and respect.

Professor Emeritus Kimiko Gunji shared the following tribute to Dr. Sen following the tea ceremony:

As many of you know, Daisosho, the 15th-generation Grand Master of Urasenke, passed away on August 14, the day before the 80th memorial of the end of WWII. After returning from the war, he devoted the remaining 80 years of his life, until the age of 102, to spreading his deep wish for peace.

Through a bowl of tea, he touched countless lives, not only in Japan, but throughout the world traveling to more than 70 countries with his guiding motto: “Peace through a bowl of tea.”
Our group has been among the very fortunate ones, receiving his generous donation to two of our tearooms at the time of Japan House’s inception in June 1998, Then, in 2007, on the commemorative occasion of receiving an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Illinois, he gifted 50 cherry trees, which continue to bring joy and beauty to countless people.

His lifelong devotion to peace has yet to be realized, as wars and conflicts sadly persist even today. Yet I believe that we, who are privileged to practice the Way of Tea, must carry forward his great mission. We may sometimes feel helpless before such a lofty vision, but as we all know, if no seeds are planted, no flowers will ever bloom.

So let us each strive to plant seeds of peace—one seed at a time. With this spirit in mind, I wish to serve a bowl of tea to honor him—praying that his spirit rests peacefully, and that his dream of peace may one day come true.

“Peace is a journey of a thousand miles, and it must be taken one step at a time.”
— Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973)

Our association, like many others around the world, emerged because of Dr. Sen's mission of peace. He inspired others to teach and promote peacefulness through a bowl of tea and funded tearooms and programs to make the international study of chado possible. After so many decades of sharing tea, he is now at rest. We bow deeply in gratitude for his vision and his efforts which will be enjoyed by generations to come.

As we continue to remember Sato sensei, our association hosted a kencha tea ceremony for him. Gunji sensei was assisted by Japan House Director Jennifer Gunji-Ballsrud in serving a bowl of tea to Sato sensei. Utilizing odogu from Sato sensei, our students bowed deeply in memory of Sato sensei. The tokonoma featured a hanging scroll and a tanzaku illustration by Sato sensei. The scroll says "yume" or dream and the tanzaku features summer scenery of a bridge leading towards the mountains. Sato sensei was an artist and a teacher who was passionate about sharing Japanese arts and culture. He is deeply missed.

Japan House welcomes photos, videos, and stories of Sato sensei to be shared in their online form, by email, or even by mail. They will compile and share these stories as a celebration of his life. Please visit go.illinois.edu/sato to share stories online. Gifts can be made in memory of Sato Sensei as contributions to the Ogura-Sato Annex at go.illinois.edu/give

Sato sensei would host special workshops and lectures on specific areas in chado such as shodo, kodo, and even discussed similarities and differences between various tea schools (such as his school, Dainihon Chado Gakkai). He also generously shared his extensive odogu collection with students and visitors to cultivate a deeper sensitivity for Japanese arts and aesthetics. Many of our students will miss him and his contributions to teaching and sharing Japanese arts and culture. We will miss Sato sensei dearly.

Happy Birthday to Daisosho sama! We look forward to sharing the Way of Tea next week at Spring Open House. 🍵

Happy Lunar New Year! Our tankokai recently celebrated the first gathering of the year despite the cold temperatures. We enjoyed a wonderful osechi ryori meal followed by koicha and usucha. The odogu selected featured snakes such as a white snake kogo and the chawan selected for usucha, which had a snake-skin like pattern. We express much gratitude to John Powell, of Zoen, LLC, for sending us a spring of camellia and a fresh green bamboo futaoki and kakehana (bamboo hanging vase)!

Happy Birthday, Gunji sensei! 😊

Congratulations to Omar sensei! Our Tankokai had the great fortune of having him teach a special seminar in August! His knowledge and kindness in sharing the Way of Tea is always greatly enjoyed by our students.

We are excited for tomorrow! 🍵