| Events 2010 |
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16.10. 2010 – 10th Anniversary Celebration Urasenke - Chakai in Můstek 14.10. 2010 – 10th Anniversary Celebration Urasenke - Japanese Embassy 21. 8. 2010 – Presentation in Botanicus, Lysá nad Labem 18. 7. 2010 – Tea lesson, park Stromovka in Prague
Urasenke Tankokai Czech Association‘s 10th Anniversary Celebration On October 14th and October 16th the Urasenke Tankokai Czech Association celebrated the 10th anniversary of its founding. On October 14th, Mr. Robin Shoen Herman, founding member of the group, gave a lecture on Seasonal tea feeling, which mainly focused on Japanese traditional sweets at the Culture Centre of the Japanese Embassy in The Czech Republic. We were fortunate to have a very special guest, Vera Caslavska (Olympic gold medal winner, Tokyo 1964). Vera Caslavska was one of the first people to have the experience of Urasenke tea when former Grand Tea Master Hounsai Daisosho presented her and President Vaclav Havel with a bowl of tea at Prague Castle in 1991. After the lecture, members served over 80 guests sweets made by our group, and Mrs. Vera Caslavska personally whisked the first bowl of tea and presented it to the president of the tea group, Lubomir Cernota. Mr. Cernota made a bowl of matcha for her in return, followed by all the guests having a chance to make themselves a bowl of tea with the assistance of group members. On October 16th, members organized Chakai for present and former members of the group. In two seki 30 members were served homemade sweets and a bowl of tea. Among the invited guests were Julie Honysova, Robert Janovsky (both former presidents of the group) and Robin Soen Herman (founding member). When arriving to the main seki in the hallway, guests could see small plates arranged for serving sweets given to the group by the Japanese Princes Norinomiya Sayako in 2001 in the Slovak Republic. In the waiting room (machiai) guests were served hot water with seaweed, and while drinking they enojoyed a picture of a crane hung on the wall and a chabako box display made by current president of the group, Lubomir Cernota. The Chabako had been signed in 2002 in Hawaii by Hounsai Daisosho and bears his signature (kao) and character for peace (WA). In the main seki there was a tokonoma scroll Ichi-go ichi-e (一期一会, literally "one time, one meeting"), given to the group by one of the former members, a kaigu set for utensils for nagaita temae was Celadon with paintings of Chrysantemum, main bowl was Kyoaki with a painting of Himeji castle also given to the group by a former member, tea cady natsume had kiku-kiri makie (crests of chrysanthemum and paulownia painting) and the tea scoop was made from plum tree wood and carved by a former member of the group. The box for the scoop was signed by prof. Tomas Halik, the president of the Czech Christian Academy. The guests at both of these celebratory events seemed to enjoy themselves and we hope to have a chance to offer them a bowl of tea again sometime in the years to come.
Lubomir Cernota Urasenke Tankokai Czech Association Prezident |