Chado Urasenke Tankokai SF Kyokai holds tea ceremony

TEA TIME — The Chado Urasenke Tankokai San Francisco Kyokai on Jan. 23 held its New Year’s tea ceremony. (Front row, from left to right): Sokei Hamano, Sokei Itano, Soko Kobara, Kyung Ah Chang, Soryu Mizusawa. (Back row, from left to right): Soho Kanaya, Somin Oshima, Sokyo Endo, Sochi Flynn, Mari Kobara, Sosho Kawasaki, Takehisa Iwamoto, Soshun Hummel, Carla Yoshikawa. photo by Rumi Kobara

The Chado Urasenke Tankokai San Francisco Kyokai held their tatezomeshiki (New Year’s tea ceremony and luncheon) Jan. 23 in San Francisco’s Japantown.

Madame Soko Kobara arranged three tea ceremony sessions at the Hokka Nichibei Kai, located in San Francisco’s Japantown. Midori Inomata, who is married to Consul General of Japan in San Francisco Hiroshi Inomata, was the first guest.

The New Year’s luncheon was held at the Hotel Kabuki, Osaka room, also located in San Francisco’s Japantown.

Kuniko Yagi, newly elected president of the Hokka Nichibei Kai, and Christy Soei Bartlett, director of San Francisco Urasenke Foundation, were among the honored guests.

Sixty-five people attended the luncheon.

Yasuhiko Okiyama, Chado Urasenke Tankokai San Francisco Kyokai vice president, performed the installation and presentation ceremony of the new officers. Soko Omachi is the newly elected executive director.

Mari Kobara served as the emcee.

The group is celebrating its 60th anniversary. In 1951 Hounsai Daisojo established the San Francisco Chado Urasenke Shibu.