Aiko Watanabe fires her ceramics in the Anagama kiln for four days and nights. Fascinating tea ceramics are created from the interplay of earth, fire and ash. Tobias Hurschler visited the Japanese wood-fired ceramist in Japan and accompanied the ‘Kama-Taki’, the firing of the kiln. In this lecture, he reports on her art of producing tea ceramics with natural ash glazes.

The philosophical tradition of the Japanese tea school goes back a long way. It follows the four basic principles of harmony, respect, purity and tranquillity, 和敬清寂 - Wa Kei Sei Jaku, as formulated by Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591). After the second lecture on the principle of respect, in this lecture Ursula Soko Kohli, tea master of the Urasenke school, will give an insight into the third of the four principles - purity.

The Chakai 茶会 is a simplified gathering centred around tea, in which parts of the form and procedure of the Chaji茶事, the formal tea gathering, are held. This includes, for example, symbolic purification, entering the tea room and a bowl of maccha prepared in a harmonious setting. A small meal (tenshin 点心) may also be included.

The Tenshin Chakai is conducted by Chizuko Saurer as host, while Hitomi Leiser-Nakamura accompanies the evening with a narrative and thus provides insights into the background of the practice. A light meal (Tenshin 点心) rounds off the evening.

The monthly seminar is organised as an in-depth tasting accompanied by an expert from Länggass-Tee. With a detailed tasting from our current range, we focus on a specific tea category. In addition to the flavour experience, the focus is on history, terroir and tea plant varieties.