Ocha Zanmai: International Conference on Chanoyu and Tea Culture

Guest speakers

• Isao Kumakura, president of the Japanese Society for Studies of Chanoyu
• The Rev. Geppo Kob, Ryoukoin, Daitokuji Temple, Kyoto, Japan
• Katsuhiro Yoshizawa, professor emeritus and senior adviser, International Research Institute for Zen Buddhism, Hanazono University

Other presentations include “One Brushstroke: Sen Sotan and Zen” by Janet Ikeda of Washington and Lee University, “Chan, Poem and the Way of Tea: A Study of Jiaoran’s Tea Poems” by Lixia Dong of University of Arizona and “As Though Parting from a Loved One: Practicing the Sense of Loss” by Sara Klingenstein, Harvard University. The conference also includes a a zazen/meditation session.

During the lunch recess, the members of Kanshinkai from Ryoukoin, Daitokuji Temple, will demonstrate the ryurei-style thin tea (usucha) preparation and serve tea. Japanese sweets “Saiko” from Wakuden restaurant in Kyoto and tea “Daitsu-an” from Ryoukoin’s tea jar will be served, free of charge to attendees.

Previous Ocha Zanmai conferences at SF State have attracted hundreds of attendees — scholars, practitioners and the curious — from the U.S. and abroad.

Midori McKeon, a professor of Japanese language and literature at San Francisco State University, is conference chair and organizer.

Hosts

• College of Liberal & Creative Arts
• Dilena Takeyama Center for the Study of Japan and Japanese Culture
• Modern Languages and Literatures Department

Greetings from the Dean

On behalf of the College of Liberal & Creative Arts at San Francisco State University, I am pleased to join the Dilena Takeyama Center for the Study of Japan and Japanese Culture and the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at SF State, and the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at the University of San Francisco, in hosting the 4th Ocha Zanmai: 2017 San Francisco International Conference on Chanoyu and Tea Culture.

This year’s conference will give us the opportunity to learn about Chanoyu and Zen through painting, poetry and meditation. We will learn about a traditional and esteemed practice, and partake in the moment Chanoyu represents: the opportunity to stop, look, and focus on the simplicity and the beauty of each action, and to cherish the profound preciousness of each other's meeting. The College welcomes you with appreciation.

Andrew Harris
Dean, College of Liberal & Creative Arts