“Ancient Ceramics of the Southern Seas” — Tea Gathering at Keio Department Store, Shinjuku

As this exhibition focused primarily on mitate utensils—objects originally made for purposes other than tea but appreciated and repurposed within the world of tea—I chose the tea utensils accordingly and enjoyed creating a setting in keeping with the theme.

For the tea bowls, I mainly used works by Richard, together with old Annamese ceramics. These pieces are approximately 400 to 500 years old, and every one of them was of a quality worthy of serving as the principal tea bowl.

Such treasures are rarely brought out in an ordinary tea gathering.

The tea room at Keio Department Store in Shinjuku is one of the last surviving examples of the tea rooms that were once an essential feature of major Japanese department stores. It is, in fact, the last department-store tea room in Japan.

Just as department-store rooftops once invariably featured amusement parks and beer gardens, times are gradually changing, and traditions that once seemed inseparable from everyday life are disappearing one by one.

I sincerely hope that this tea room, too, will somehow be preserved.