Tea Gathering at the Château de Breteuil 2023

In 2015, we held a tea gathering at the Château de Breteuil, the ancestral residence of the Marquises de Breteuil. This gathering marked our second tea ceremony at the château.

On our previous occasion, the tea gathering was held in the Golden Room. This time, we were honored to hold it in the Royal Room, a more prestigious and historically significant salon.

Beneath the portrait of King Louis XVI, I had the privilege of offering our guests a bowl of tea.

Despite the château being approximately 35 kilometers from Paris, we were honored by the presence of many distinguished guests, including:

Minister and Mrs. Yamaya of the Embassy of Japan in France,
Mr. and Mrs. Suzuki, Director of the Japan Cultural Institute in Paris,
Mr. Nishizawa, President of the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan,
Mr. Nagai, Director of the Japan National Tourism Organization in Paris, and Mr. Yamamoto, Deputy Director.

French journalists, as well as teachers and students studying the Way of Tea in France, also joined us, bringing the gathering to nearly 40 guests for an intimate salon devoted to the art of tea.

The Marquis appeared to be in even better health than before and seemed to have been eagerly looking forward to this occasion.

In his address, he spoke about the longstanding relationship between the Breteuil family and the Mori family, as well as the cultural exchange between France and Japan, expressing his hopes for the enduring friendship between our two countries.

He also spoke of an interesting historical parallel.

The Château de Breteuil was constructed in the early 17th century, a period that coincided with the end of the great wave of castle construction in Japan following the promulgation of the Laws for the Military Houses (Buke Shohatto).

The Marquis pointed out that Tsuyama Castle in Mimasaka, built by the Mori family, whose main keep was completed in 1616, was likewise constructed during this same period.

We were also deeply honored by the warm and gracious words of Minister Yamaya.

Cultural exchange between Japan and France has continued to deepen year by year, and we are now approaching the 165th anniversary of relations between our two countries. Although the COVID-19 pandemic forced us to suspend our visits and exchanges for a time, I am truly delighted that we were once again able to gather in this way.

As the host of the tea gathering, I had not originally planned to give a formal address. However, the Marquis repeatedly referred to me as “Vicomte”, and I consequently found myself having to explain the circumstances behind this title to guests who were unfamiliar with our relationship.

Perhaps such an explanation was inevitable. After all, it was a single word of admonition from the Marquis that first inspired me to devote myself to the Way of Tea.

This tea gathering was made possible through the generous support of:

Shochiku Co., Ltd.
@shochiku_enta_official

TOKYO TOWER Co., Ltd.
@tokyotower_official

Ohta’s Isan Co., Ltd.
@ohtai_san

Toraya France Sarl
@toraya.wagashi

as well as the generous assistance of:

Master Miraku Kamei
@miraku1205

Motoyama Tatami Shop
@motoyama.hiroshi

shobi
@shobi_select

neo.T Paris
@neotparis

The event was also made possible by the support of my students and fellow practitioners, my senior and junior colleagues in the Way of Tea, and my dear friends in tea.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest and most sincere gratitude to each and every one of them.