Urasenke Belgium

The Urasenke Belgium Tankokai is the association of Japanese tea ceremony practitioners in the Urasenke style in Belgium. It is directly affiliated with the Urasenke headquarters in Kyoto, Japan.

Urasenke Belgium and its members dedicate themselves to the practice and teaching of the Japanese tea ceremony in Belgium. We aim to deepen communication, connection, and friendship between Urasenke Japan and the members of our association, fostering mutual understanding and cultural exchange between Japan and Belgium. We wish to share this beautiful Way of Tea and to contribute to the ideal of “peace through a bowl of tea”.

Our activities include:

• regular lessons in the Way of Tea at locations throughout Belgium, Eindhoven, and Paris
• intensive five-day study seminars twice per year, where we practise zen meditation and Chado
• public demonstrations of Chado
• maintaining contact with Urasenke Japan through study trips and exchanges

The Urasenke tradition

The Urasenke school is one of several schools of Chado in Japan. At Urasenke in Kyoto, Chado has been practised and taught for over 400 years. Since the 1950s, Urasenke chapters have been founded all over the world, giving people from different cultures and backgrounds access to the practice of Chado.

Urasenke is headed by a headmaster, or Oiemoto. The current Oiemoto is Sen Shoshitsu XVI, who took the Buddhist name Zabosai. The position of Urasenke Oiemoto has been passed from father to son for over 400 years and can be traced back to Sen no Rikyu.

Learn more about the Urasenke tradition