Page 6 - 2023年3月號

Lessons from the tea master
I will never forget the gift of meeting tea master

Genshitsu Sen during my trip to Japan in November.
Not only is Sen the former grand master of
the Urasenke tea tradition, but he is also an
accomplished Rotarian. Those accomplishments
include helping charter the Rotary Club of Kyoto-South,
Japan, serving as president of the Rotary Club of Kyoto and
PHOTOGRAPHS: (CEREMONY) KYOKO NOZAKI; (PORTRAIT, INSET) MINMIN WU
governor of District 2650, and holding leadership roles in
Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation.
It was an honor to spend time with him. He is a
remarkable human being and a joyful soul. And his
leadership and engagement in Rotary remain strong.
During that same week in Japan, I had the opportunity
to record a video for a 100-year-old World War II naval hero
and two-time Rotary district governor from Park City, Utah.
Sen and the Rotarian from Park City shared similar Top: Genshitsu Sen, former grand
stories, though they served on opposing sides of the war. master of the Urasenke tea tradition,
What was remarkable to me was that each of them chose performs a traditional Japanese tea
ceremony for Jones during her trip to
Rotary to live lives of peacemaking. It struck me that we are
Japan in November. The tea ceremony,
all on this planet simply trying to do our best, and we are known as chadō, dates back centuries
much more similar than we are different. and embraces the arts, religion,
philosophy, and social life.
I feel incredibly fortunate to be able to witness these
Above: Sen stands outside the
stories and meet such incredible people. Urasenke tearoom compound where
he lives in Kyoto. Rotary magazine
wrote about Sen’s remarkable story
JENNIFER JONES in the August 2022 issue. You can listen
to an audio version of the story at
President, Rotary International rotary.org/peace-through-bowl-tea.

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