Tea with the Master

The Sowa school is one of the historic schools of Japanese tea art, founded by the early Edo period tea master Kanamori Sowa.

Born heir to the lord of Hida Takayama Castle, Sowa moved to Kyoto, where he entered the circle of court aristocracy, including Emperor Gomizunoo. His aesthetic had a significant influence on the tea culture of the imperial court. For his love of refined objects and exquisite taste, he was called "Hime Sowa" — "Princess Sowa." Among his closest associates was the great ceramicist Nonomura Ninsei, whose works are today considered the pinnacle of Japanese decorative art.

The Sowa school developed a unique style, blending the restraint of the samurai tea tradition with the elegance of Kyoto court culture. This aesthetic, known as Sowa-gonomi, has influenced not only tea utensils but also the architecture, ceramics, and decorative arts of Japan for four centuries.

From the second generation, the tradition was passed to the Maeda family of Kaga, and from the fourteenth generation, it continued its development in Tokyo. In 2015, Udagawa Somitsu became the eighteenth head of the school and continues the tradition to this day.

This experience is not a demonstration of the tea ceremony, but a full chaji — the highest form of tea hospitality. Unlike a brief ceremony, chaji unites seasonal kaiseki cuisine, conversation, thick tea (koicha), and thin tea (usucha) into a single event, creating a complete world that exists only for one gathering.

What makes this experience especially rare is that the host is the head of the school himself. Every detail — the scroll, flowers, tea utensils, kaiseki dishes, and the rhythm of the evening — is chosen as part of a single concept. Guests become not spectators, but participants in an event where space, time, and human connection are united in the spirit of authentic Japanese tea practice.

Even in modern Japan, the opportunity to take part in a chaji hosted by the current head of the school remains an exceptional rarity. It is a rare chance to experience an aesthetic shaped at the imperial court of Kyoto and carefully preserved for over four hundred years.