Latest news with #SenGenshitsu
Kuwait Times
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
Japan's grand tea master Sen Genshitsu dies at 102
This file photo taken on April 15, 2013 shows Myanmar's democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi receiving a bowl of green tea from Japanese tea master Genshitsu Sen at a tea ceremony in Kyoto, western Japan. --AFP photos Sen Genshitsu, a would-be kamikaze pilot who became a Japanese tea ceremony master preparing cups of matcha for world leaders and monarchs, died aged 102 on Thursday, reports said. With a motto of 'peacefulness through a bowl of tea', Kyoto-born Sen used ancient 'Urasenke' tea tradition rituals to spotlight his anti-war messages. The United Nations headquarters in New York and the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii -- the scene of a devastating Japanese attack that brought the US into World War II -- were among the locations for his ceremonies. His death was reported by major Japanese media, including the national broadcaster NHK and the top-selling newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. AFP could not immediately reach the Urasenke school for comment. Born in 1923, Sen went through training as a young man to become a kamikaze pilot in World War II, but the fighting ended before he had to carry out a suicidal mission. This photo taken on April 9, 2013 shows Sen Genshitsu, former head of the "Urasenke" school of tea ceremony, performing a tea offering during a visit to the US Capitol in Washington, D.C. He later told how he used to serve tea to his fellow soldiers during military training. In a 2023 interview with NHK, Sen stressed the calming effects of tea culture. 'A bowl of tea makes spirits very peaceful. When everyone is peaceful, there will be no war,' he said. An ordained Zen monk, Sen became the 15th-generation grand master of the Urasenke school in 1964 following the death of his father who had previously headed the tradition. He offered tea to monarchs and presidents including Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and counted the former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger and former Chinese president Hu Jintao as friends. He said that his wartime experience had helped shape his views on the importance of peace. In 1997, he received the Order of Culture in Japan and in 2020, he was given the Legion of Honour, France's most prestigious order of merit. He retired in 2002 as the head of the tea school, passing it to his son, but he remained active up until his death. Even after he turned 102 in April, he held more than 100 cultural and government advisory positions and gave speeches, including some lasting more than an hour, the Yomiuri Shimbun said. He also worked as a goodwill ambassador for the UN cultural and education agency, UNESCO. He was known as 'Flying Grand Master' for his busy travel schedules. — AFP
Asahi Shimbun
3 days ago
- General
- Asahi Shimbun
VOX POPULI: In death, Sen Genshitsu finally found closure over war period
Sen Genshitsu speaks of his experience of war in Kyoto on June 12. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) Sen Genshitsu (1923-2025), the 15th generation 'iemoto' grand master of the prestigious Urasenke school of tea ceremony, was a university student when he was drafted into the Imperial Japanese Navy air service two years before Japan's defeat in World War II. The day before he reported for duty, his father showed him a 'wakizashi' (short samurai sword) for the first time, telling him to 'take a good look.' He had no idea at the time why his father did that, Sen recalled later. As it happened, the sword was a famed masterpiece that was believed to have been used by Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591), the founder of the Urasenke school, when he was ordered by feudal warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) to commit 'seppuku' ritualistic suicide by disembowelment. Sen realized his father's intent after his first training as a pilot. In his book 'Cha no Kokoro wo Sekai-e' (Imparting the spirit of tea ceremony to the world), Sen noted that his father's message must have been, 'Never choose to die.' Sen was trained as a kamikaze pilot. But when everyone else was being sent on a suicide mission, he alone was ordered to stand by. Thus spared, he became a 'survivor of the suicide attack squad' which, he often said after the war, filled him with deep shame and regret. His feelings must have been quite complex, having always been treated, from a young age, as 'the heir apparent' of an illustrious institution with a four-century history. After preaching peace through Chado tea culture throughout the postwar period, Sen died on Aug. 14. He was 102. Likening a round teacup to the Earth containing green matcha, Sen taught that to drink tea was to be in harmony with nature. A free thinker and speaker, his charm was never constrained by stuffy, old traditions. In the tearoom, everyone is equal. The entrance to the tearoom is kept low and narrow, which forced samurai warriors to remove their swords to enter. According to a theory proposed by Sen, Sen no Rikyu chose this setup because he had been inspired by the command, attributed to Jesus in the New Testament: 'Enter through the narrow gate.' Sen used to say that, for himself, World War II would never end until his death. It ended one day before the 80th anniversary of Japan's defeat in the conflict. --The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 16 * * * Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Sharjah 24
3 days ago
- General
- Sharjah 24
UAE Pres. condoles Sen Sōshitsu XV over passing of Sen Genshitsu
This comes over the passing of his father Dr. Sen Genshitsu, the 15th Grand Master of the Urasenke school of Japanese tea ceremony and former grand tea master.
Kyodo News
4 days ago
- Business
- Kyodo News
Kyodo News Digest: Aug. 15, 2025
TOKYO - The following is the latest list of selected news summaries by Kyodo News. ---------- Japan's economy grows annualized real 1.0% in April-June TOKYO - Japan's economy grew an annualized real 1.0 percent in the April-June period, marking the fifth consecutive quarterly expansion, government data showed Friday. In the second quarter of 2025, gross domestic product adjusted for inflation increased 0.3 percent from the January-March period. GDP is the total value of goods and services produced in a country. ---------- Japan marks 80th anniversary of World War II defeat TOKYO - Japan on Friday marked the 80th anniversary of its surrender in World War II, as the aging of survivors and ongoing global conflicts underscored the importance of renewing its commitment to peace. A memorial ceremony will be held at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan arena to mourn the war dead, attended by Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako. About 3,400 bereaved family members are expected to take part. ---------- Farm minister Koizumi visits Yasukuni shrine on WWII anniv. TOKYO - Farm minister Shinjiro Koizumi visited the war-linked Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo on Friday as Japan marked the 80th anniversary of its surrender in World War II. It was the first confirmed visit by a minister of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's Cabinet to the Shinto shrine, which honors convicted war criminals along with the war dead and is viewed as a symbol of Japan's past militarism by its Asian neighbors. ---------- Japan to push firms' foray into Africa under new initiative TOKYO - The Japanese government will announce a new initiative next week to expand investment in Africa, in cooperation with India and Middle Eastern countries, at an international conference on the high-potential continent, government sources said Thursday. At the three-day Tokyo International Conference on African Development, starting next Wednesday in Yokohama near Tokyo, Japan and African nations are also expected to agree to promote academic, industrial and governmental discussions to boost trade between the regions, the sources said. ---------- Filipino comfort women supporters demand Japan apology for war crime MANILA - Groups supporting Filipino women who were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II held a rally in Manila on Thursday to demand an official apology and compensation from Japan, criticizing its stance on the crimes committed by the military 80 years ago. At the event held a day before the anniversary of the war's end with Japan's surrender in 1945, Elizabeth Atillo, whose mother was one of the so-called comfort women and died last year, said, "To the (leader) of Japan, I hope you give our parents justice for the their souls can finally rest in peace." ---------- Japan tea ceremony master, peace champion Sen Genshitsu dies at 102 KYOTO - Sen Genshitsu, a master of Japanese tea ceremony who devoted his life to traveling around the world to pursue world peace through the art, died Thursday, the tea ceremony school he formerly headed said. He was 102. Genshitsu, a former grand master of Urasenke, one of the art's top three schools in Japan, visited more than 60 countries to convey his philosophy of "peacefulness through a bowl of tea." In his youth, he was trained to be a kamikaze pilot during World War II but never flew on a suicide attack mission following Japan's defeat. ---------- China movie on Nanjing Massacre tops summer box office SHANGHAI - A Chinese film depicting the 1937 Nanjing Massacre by Japanese troops has topped the summer box office, with tourists flocking to the Shanghai set where it was filmed, as this year marks 80 years since the end of World War II. The film "Dead to Rights," released on July 25, has grossed more than 2.3 billion yuan ($321 million) and attracted over 60 million viewers, according to Chinese media. ---------- Man dragged away by brown bear on Hokkaido mountain, still missing SAPPORO - A man in his 20s was attacked and dragged away by a brown bear Thursday on Mt. Rausu on Japan's northern main island of Hokkaido and remains missing, according to local police. Authorities were notified around 11:10 a.m. by the man's companion after the two encountered the bear at an altitude of about 550 meters. Police have launched a helicopter search around the Shiretoko World Natural Heritage Site. ----------
Al Etihad
4 days ago
- General
- Al Etihad
Japan's grand tea master Sen Genshitsu dies at 102: reports
14 Aug 2025 17:25 TOKYO (AFP) Sen Genshitsu, a Japanese tea ceremony master preparing cups of matcha for world leaders and monarchs, died aged 102 on Thursday, reports a motto of "peacefulness through a bowl of tea," Kyoto-born Sen used ancient "Urasenke" tea tradition rituals to spotlight his anti-war United Nations headquarters in New York and the USS Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii -- the scene of a devastating Japanese attack that brought the US into World War II -- were among the locations for his death was reported by major Japanese media, including the national broadcaster NHK and the top-selling newspaper Yomiuri in 1923, Sen went through training as a young man to become a kamikaze pilot in World War II, but the fighting ended before he had to carry out a suicidal later told how he used to serve tea to his fellow soldiers during military a 2023 interview with NHK, Sen stressed the calming effects of tea culture."A bowl of tea makes spirits very peaceful. When everyone is peaceful, there will be no war," he ordained Zen monk, Sen became the 15th-generation grand master of the Urasenke school in 1964 following the death of his father, who had previously headed the said that his wartime experience had helped shape his views on the importance of 1997, he received the Order of Culture in Japan and in 2020, he was given the Legion of Honour, France's most prestigious order of retired in 2002 as the head of the tea school, passing it to his son, but he remained active up until his after he turned 102 in April, he held more than 100 cultural and government advisory positions and gave speeches, including some lasting more than an hour, the Yomiuri Shimbun also worked as a goodwill ambassador for the UN cultural and education agency, UNESCO. He was known as "Flying Grand Master" for his busy travel schedules.
