Visit of Grand Tea Master Hounsai

August 5, 2022 (Reiwa 4).

We were deeply honored to receive a visit from Hōunsai Daisōshō, former Grand Master of the Urasenke School of Tea, who was approaching his 99th birthday.

It had been 25 years since I first began preparing tea with a chasen. The words and stories shared by the Grand Master, who has lived a life four times as long as my own years of practice, were filled with invaluable memories and insights that deserve to be preserved for future generations.

Among them was a new episode concerning the name “Musha-i (無遮居)”, the name of the tea room displayed at the observation deck of Tokyo Tower. Hearing his account revealed yet another chapter in the history behind this name.

Hisakichi Maeda, known as the “Newspaper King,” was, true to his profession, known through surviving records to have maintained friendships with literary giants such as Matsutaro Kawaguchi and Eiji Yoshikawa. Yet through the stories told by the Grand Master, the names of such great tea connoisseurs and patrons of culture from both eastern and western Japan as Ichizō Kobayashi, Jōan Matsunaga, Ginjirō Fujiwara, and Kōnosuke Matsushita, among others, also came to light.

Through these stories, a new image emerges of these men—not merely as prominent figures in business and society, but as protectors and patrons of Japanese culture.

Had I not asked the Grand Master about these matters that day, these anecdotes might have remained unknown forever. I hope to share these stories with guests during future Asacha-no-yu, our morning tea gatherings at Tokyo Tower.

I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Hōsai Matsubayashi of Asahi-yaki @hosaimatsubayashi and Hideaki Kimura of Bizen-yaki @hidewasabi for their generous cooperation.

For the sweets, we were fortunate to receive the support and assistance of Hitoshi Watanabe of Shinbashi Shinshōdō @seppuku_shinshodoh, whose philosophy of local production for local consumption guided the selection of the confectionery.

I record my heartfelt thanks to all of them here.

Mori Sōyū
Respectfully inscribed