Tea Gathering at the Residence of the Ambassador of Japan 2026

On January 16, a tea gathering entitled “Hatsugama and Osechi Ryori” was held at the official residence of Ambassador Kanō, Permanent Delegate of Japan to UNESCO in Paris. The Director-General of UNESCO, together with ambassadors from various countries, was invited to this special occasion.

On behalf of the Mori family, we had the honor of inviting Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Angoulême, members of the former Royal House of Orléans, as well as the Deputy Director of the Musée de l’Armée – Hôtel des Invalides, representing the French Ministry for the Armed Forces.

Among the distinguished guests were Mr. Khaled El-Enany, the current Director-General of UNESCO, and his wife 🇺🇳, Ms. Irina Bokova, former Director-General of UNESCO 🇺🇳, as well as the Ambassadors of Germany 🇩🇪, France 🇫🇷, Korea 🇰🇷, Senegal 🇸🇳, Colombia 🇨🇴, Vietnam 🇻🇳, Oman 🇴🇲, and Poland 🇵🇱, in no particular order.

After enjoying a bowl of tea, the guests were given the opportunity to experience the preparation of tea themselves. Director-General El-Enany and His Royal Highness the Duke of Angoulême each prepared a bowl of tea. The tea prepared by Director-General El-Enany was received by Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Angoulême, while the tea prepared by the Duke was received by Ambassador Kanō 🇯🇵.

For this occasion, we selected several particularly precious tea utensils from our family collection.

Among them was a kakemono bearing the inscription “Ryūko Ichigyō” (龍虎一行), written by Mori Tadatetsu, the seventh lord of the Ako Domain, which our family traditionally displays every New Year.

We also used a chashaku named “Shiawase” (仕合せ), which we had the privilege of receiving personally from Grand Master Hōunsai, former Grand Master of the Urasenke school and former UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, during his lifetime. This tea scoop held special significance, as the gathering also provided an opportunity to remember and honor his memory.

In addition, we used two precious Raku tea bowls: a black bowl by Ryōnyū (宗入) and a red bowl by Kōnyū (弘入), both of which our family traditionally brings out only for Hatsugama, the first tea ceremony of the year, together with eight other red Raku tea bowls.

In fact, transporting these pieces overseas was quite nerve-racking. During the flight, the kakemono and chashaku were carefully placed in the overhead compartment, while the ten Raku tea bowls were carried securely at our feet.

Former Director-General Bokova appeared to have particularly fond memories of Grand Master Hōunsai and expressed her deep sorrow at his passing.

As Hatsugama traditionally features koicha, or thick tea, we also displayed a chaire, the container used for powdered tea.

Since our family’s traditional Hatsugama chaire could not be taken out of Japan due to transportation constraints, we chose instead a Bizen ware chaire featuring the distinctive “hi-dasuki” fire markings, created by the artist Kimura Tōzan @hidewasabi. The piece is accompanied by two lids, one made of ivory and the other of resin; on this occasion, we displayed the resin lid.

Upon seeing the piece, His Royal Highness the Duke of Angoulême spontaneously gave it the name “PAX,” meaning “Peace” in Latin. It was a remarkably fitting and symbolic name for a tea gathering in Paris that brought together representatives of many nations around a single bowl of tea.

Following the tea ceremony, the guests were invited to enjoy osechi ryōri, traditional Japanese New Year cuisine prepared by Chef Takabayashi, the chef of the Ambassador’s residence.

I have had the privilege of enjoying Chef Takabayashi’s cuisine on several occasions, and there is one dish that has particularly stayed with me: his shrimp tempura is truly exceptional. Even when I return to Japan and try to find the same taste, recalling the tempura I enjoyed in France, I have never been able to find anything quite like it.

During our conversation, I mentioned this to Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Angoulême, who appeared to be equally fond of the tempura. We enjoyed a lively and delightful conversation about food and gastronomy.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to His Excellency Ambassador Kanō, who made it possible to hold this gathering at his official residence, as well as to Minister-Counsellor Shiratori and all the diplomats and members of staff who devoted themselves to facilitating customs clearance and the transportation of the tea utensils.

My sincere thanks also go to the chef of the residence and all the staff of the Ambassador’s residence, whose dedication and warm hospitality helped make this gathering such an exceptional occasion.

It was a great honor to share, through the simple act of drinking a bowl of tea, a moment of friendship, remembrance, and peace among Japan, France, UNESCO, and representatives of nations from around the world.