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Sen Soshitsu XV, tea master and peace advocate, dies at 102
Famed tea grand master Sen Soshitsu XV, who dedicated his life to promoting international exchanges and advocating for world peace through 'chado' tea culture, died on Aug. 14.
He was 102.
Sen Soshitsu XV was the 15th 'iemoto' head of the Urasenke school of tea ceremony.
After retirement, the grand master was known by his honorary name, Sen Genshitsu.
He was born in Kyoto in 1923, the year of the Great Kanto Earthquake, as the eldest son of the 14th head of the Urasenke tea school.
While a student at Doshisha University, he was drafted into the Imperial Japanese Navy through the student mobilization program during World War II.
While there, he was chosen to become a kamikaze pilot, but he survived the war because he was not deployed on a suicide mission.
In 1949, he was ordained at Daitokuji temple, the family's ancestral temple in Kyoto's Kita Ward.
In 1950, he became the 'wakasosho' heir apparent, and began traveling across the United States to promote the way of tea.
After the death of the 14th head, he succeeded as the 15th Urasenke head in 1964.
He retired in 2002, passing the iemoto position to his eldest son and adopting the honorary name Sen Genshitsu.
Sen Soshitsu XV devoted himself to 'tea diplomacy.'
One notable occasion was in 1986, when he served tea to then-Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana during their visit to Kyoto.
Embracing the motto 'Peacefulness through a Bowl of Tea,' he dedicated his life to international exchanges and peace activities through the harmonious tea ceremony.
He conducted peace prayer tea ceremonies at locations such as Vatican City, the United Nations headquarters in New York, and the U.S. Congress in Washington.
Even after turning 100 in June 2023, he held a tea ceremony offering in Sydney, Australia.
Over his lifetime, Sen Soshitsu XV visited more than 70 countries.
He advanced the internationalization of the Japanese tea ceremony, establishing numerous Urasenke branches overseas. He also focused on tea ceremony education abroad, delivering lectures at universities worldwide, including the University of Hawaii.
In 1997, he became the first person in the tea ceremony world to receive the Order of Culture.
In 2020, he was awarded the Commandeur of the French Legion of Honor.
He also served as a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.
Sen Soshitsu XV authored numerous works on the spirit of tea, including titles such as 'The Japanese Way of Tea: From Its Origins in China to Sen Rikyu.'
