🌱 Sorate Storytelling Series Vol.6

Stories that Connect Tea and People — Sorate Storytelling Series
Narration: Keiko Kitazawa (Sorate Advisor / Omotesenke Style Professor)

About Keiko Kitazawa:

She has over 25 years of experience in Chanoyu and has been teaching as a certified Omotesenke-style tea ceremony instructor in New York and New Jersey for more than 15 years, guiding over 100 students, including school programs. She conducts weekly lessons at the private salon, 229 East 49^th Street in NYC and at her private tea room in Closter, NJ, and regularly hosts tea gatherings both in the U.S. and Japan. A founding member of the Omotesenke Domonkai Eastern Region (2008) and its Secretary General since 2019, she graduated from Osaka University of Arts (Design) and the Fashion Institute of Technology (Fine Arts). Keiko views Chanoyu not only as a practice of procedures and customs but as a way of living an aesthetically and spiritually rich life. 

Experience the Monthly Gathering at Daitoku-ji Temple— Matcha and Zen

I hosted a tea seating at Zuihō-in, one of the sub-temples.
This monthly event is highly valued by tea enthusiasts, drawing 200–300 participants.

Not everyone can host a tea ceremony in the Daitokuji; it’s usually for distinguished masters.
For a practitioner like me, without patronage to be given such honor is purely the grace of human connections.
My first opportunity was in 2017—a guiding landmark ever since.

In 2023 I hosted again, and the tea record (chakaiki) noted:
“Kūsui — SORATE NY-packed.”
It was the first unveiling in Japan of Sorate’s matcha “Kūsui.”
A New York brand served formally at Daitoku-ji and entered into record—
an unforgettable milestone for both Silvia and me.

That summer was intensely hot; we were drenched in sweat,
yet a hush of quiet dignity filled the space—
born of refined deportment honed by practice,
thoughtful combinations of utensils, and sweets matching the theme.

Traditional tea people—while treasuring orthodoxy—also delight in the new.
They showed keen interest in Sorate’s Kyoto-grown, NY-packed matcha,
and I sensed a pride that Japanese matcha thrives in a great metropolis like New York.

With “Kūsui” formally used at Daitoku-ji,
tea connected Japan and New York—
a priceless origin in Sorate’s journey.

I will hold the tea ceremony at Zuiho-in, located at Daitoku-ji Temple, again on January 28, 2027.

Also in MAGAZINE