Cultural Demonstration: Hatsugama Tea Ceremony

Portland Japanese Garden will offer free public demonstrations of Chadō, the Way of Tea, at the Cathy Rudd Cultural Corner in the Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center from 1:15 – 2:15pm. In honor of the New Year, Jan Waldmann will present a special Japanese tea ceremony known as Hatsugama (初釜). The kanji, or Japanese characters, for Hatsugama mean “first/new” and “kettle.” For tea teachers and students, the first kettle (or tea ceremony) of the new year happens in a festive event between January 1 and 11th when the tea master reverses roles and serves tea to all their students. The Way of Tea is intrinsically linked to Japanese gardens and understanding the kokoro (heart) of Japanese gardening.