Mitate Tea Ceremony

The host is ceramicist Shota Yamada. Tea will be served in a bowl crafted by his own hands.

The theme is “Mitate”—a Japanese aesthetic shaped by the tea ceremony, which finds new value by reinterpreting objects in forms different from their original purpose.

What do you see when you hold a tea bowl in your hands? Through this question, you are invited to spend time reflecting on your own sensations.

From unique encounters in a city tea room to outdoor tea gatherings by mountains or lakes.

Profile

Shota Yamada | Ceramicist, tea ceremony practitioner, organizer of Mitate Tea Gatherings

Self-taught in ceramics since youth, he creates works centered around tea bowls. Since his solo exhibition at Ginza Mitsukoshi in 2019, he has held exhibitions at Ginza Seizan Gallery, Palace Hotel Tokyo ASAHIDO GALLERY, and other venues.
In 2025, he will present a joint exhibition with Vacheron Constantin. Through solo exhibitions in Japan and abroad, he explores the Japanese aesthetic nurtured by tea and ceramics.

Studying the tea ceremony, he hosts innovative “Mitate Tea Gatherings,” where participants experience Japanese aesthetics through all five senses. Each year, more than 600 guests attend, discovering freedom through the unique Japanese perspective of “mitate,” using the tea bowl as a point of entry. Past gatherings have been held at Lake Akan in Hokkaido, in tea gardens at the foot of Mount Fuji, and at Yonago Castle in Tottori. In 2025, he also held a tea ceremony at the Azerbaijan Pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai.

He also holds solo exhibitions and tea gatherings abroad, including in France, sharing Japanese culture with the world. By connecting ceramics and the tea ceremony, he continues to seek new forms of expression.