Urasenke head serves year's first tea in Kyoto

NHK -- Jan 08

The head of a major school of the Japanese tea ceremony has served the first tea of 2019.

The grand master of the Urasenke school, Sen Soshitsu, hosted the New Year event at a tea house in the ancient capital of Kyoto on Monday.

The heads of the Omotesenke and Mushakojisenke schools were invited to the ceremony. More than 40 political and business leaders, including Kyoto Governor Takatoshi Nishiwaki, also took part.

Sen used an Edo-period kettle made between the early 17th and mid-19th centuries. The tea was much thicker than usual for the special occasion. The guests took turns to drink the tea in a room decorated with a New Year ornament made of willow branches.