Tea Gallery, UBC Asian Centre
The Department of Asian Studies is delighted to invite you to experience a traditional Japanese tea ceremony at the Tea Gallery at the UBC Asian Centre this summer. Presented by members of the Urasenke Tankokai Association of Vancouver, the tea ceremony involves a demonstration of the preparation and receiving of tea according to the Urasenke methods of chanoyu (tea ceremony). Each participant will be served tea and a sweet. A collection of tea bowls expressing the four seasons will also be on display.
Free and open to the public. Two presentations will be offered. Due to limited seating, please register for one of the presentations in advance to reserve a spot.
About the Tea Gallery
Wakō-an (和光庵) is the name of the small demonstration tearoom in the tea gallery of the Asian Centre.
Located in the Asian Centre, the Tea Gallery is surrounded with a view of the moat and Japanese gardens. With three tatami-covered benches, a large display case and a glass wall, the space is suitable for tea ceremonies and small receptions.
Wakō-an (和光庵) is the name of the small demonstration tearoom in the tea gallery of the Asian Centre. The tearoom was donated to UBC in 1984 by Sen Soshitsu XV, the former head of the Urasenke tradition of chanoyu (tea ceremony).
The name Wakō-an is made up of three Chinese characters. “An” is a suffix for tea houses. It is sometimes translated as “hermitage.” The first two characters are from a Taoist text, the full phrase being 和光同塵, whose literal translation would be “softened light, along with the dust,” meaning the person of virtue and wisdom inhabits this world [of dust] without making a display of their superiority (in other words, they soften, or hide, the light of their wisdom). In Buddhism it refers to the activities of Buddhas and bodhisattvas who appear in this world in a form that we can perceive, in order to help people advance on the Buddhist path.
The tearoom itself is only two tatami mats in size, which is about as small as a tearoom can get, and can be seen as an architectural expression of the “wabi-cha” (wabi tea) of Sen Rikyu, in which the formality of the large room is abandoned and the relationship between host and guest becomes the primary consideration.
Date and Time:
Thursday, July 21
1:00pm-2:00pm (PDT) Presentation 1
2:30pm-3:30pm (PDT) Presentation 2
Location:
Tea Gallery, UBC Asian Centre, 1871 West Mall, Vancouver
Parking is available at the Fraser River Parkade (6440 Memorial Rd, Vancouver).
Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact our Communications and Events Coordinator, Connie Yuchun Wu at yuchun.wu@ubc.ca.