VOL.204 JUNE 2025
JAPAN’S RELATIONSHIP WITH WATER [Introducing Precious Traditional Japanese Culture to the World] Traditional Japanese Culture: The Charm of Sado: A Western Tea Master Speaks of Sencha-do, a Time for Heart-to-Heart Communication

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Instead of a tea whisk, Sencha-do uses a small teapot (kyusu) in which tea is carefully brewed from loose tea leaves.
Photo: SAWADA Ute

SAWADA Ute, a tea ceremony master active in Kyoto Prefecture, has thoroughly studied Sencha-do,¹ a type of sado.² She was the first Westerner to become a tea master of her school and is spreading Japanese tea culture to the world. In this issue, we asked her about the appeal of the tea ceremony.

Sencha-do is a part of Japanese tea culture. When most people hear the word sado, they may think of Chanoyu (Matcha-do),³ in which powdered green tea is prepared using a chasen.⁴ In contrast, in Sencha-do, tea is carefully brewed from tea leaves in a kyusu⁵ and people enjoy the tea’s aroma and taste while appreciating the changing of the seasons. Although still not so well-known in Japan, Sencha-do is no less profoundly spiritual and has just as delicate a sense of beauty as Chanoyu.

Sencha-do began to spread in the mid-Edo period (late 17th to late 18th century, with various theories about the exact dates). In contrast to the already formalized Chanoyu of the samurai class, the free spirit associated with Sencha-do made it popular among the intellectuals. It was nurtured through open exchanges of ideas and sensibilities over tea while participants enjoyed fine arts such as poetry, calligraphy, and painting.

I first encountered Sencha-do shortly after moving to Japan. I was invited by a tea master of the Sencha-do Obakubaisa-ryu⁶ school to attend a small tea ceremony. The room was very simple, with no special decorations, but each of the tea utensils inside was elegant and beautiful, and the space showed a peacefulness that enhanced its overall charm.

Then, the tea master performed Heisei Ikkei, an o-temae (tea preparation procedure) that forms the basis of this school's style of tea ceremony. The flowing and refined movements took my breath away. With a single cup of the aromatic and deep-flavored gyokuro⁷ brewed by the master for us, I was instantly captivated by the world of Sencha-do. By the end of the ceremony, I was so determined to learn the Sencha-do way that I decided right then and there to become a student. The master who performed the ceremony that day remains my teacher to this day.

A major appeal of Sencha-do is that you can both face yourself and communicate with others through a single cup of tea. The tea ceremony’s host and the guests transcend language to share their feelings by becoming part of the same space. During this time, a feeling of mutual compassion and respect results naturally, and even national and cultural boundaries seem to silently dissolve.

In addition, what I especially value in Sencha-do are its “free spirit” and “open attitude.” In the Sencha-do Obakubaisa-ryu school, to which I belong, we follow the ryurei-shiki⁸ style, which uses a table and chair, rather than the seiza⁹ (kneeling) style commonly used in Chanoyu. This style lets anyone participate without physical difficulty, including seniors with leg or back problems, people in wheelchairs, and non-Japanese who have difficulty sitting in seiza. I deeply sympathize with this stance to accept all people, regardless of age, physical condition, or nationality.

I believe that Sencha-do is truly a “culture without barriers” that facilitates interaction among a diversity of people in a friendly atmosphere. At the root of this culture is the spirit of Baisao,10 the founder of Sencha-do, to “appreciate each other’s hearts through a cup of tea.”

I want to keep conveying the charm of Sencha-do to as many people as possible. Culture takes root in our hearts not through knowledge, but through experience. I believe that the gift of Sencha-do is that it lets us face ourselves as well as connect with other people by sharing a quiet moment of tea.

SAWADA Ute
Born in Germany. She studied in Japan during her university years and moved to Kyoto Prefecture after graduating. The following year, she joined the Sencha-do Obakubaisa-ryu school, and in 2024, she became the first Westerner to receive full certification as a tea master. Today, she runs the guest house Machiya Hotel YANAGI, while also performing tea ceremonies at shrines, temples, public facilities, and international events to promote tea culture in Japan and overseas.
Search: SAWADA Ute

• 1. Sencha-do is a type of tea ceremony where the flavor of sencha, gyokuro and other types of green tea are enjoyed. Sencha and gyokuro differ from matcha in that whole tea leaves are used instead of powdered tea leaves.
• 2. The practice of brewing tea according to certain conventions.
• 3. Chanoyu (Matcha-do) is a tea ceremony in which powdered tea is enjoyed.
• 4. One of the utensils used to make matcha for Chanoyu: a bamboo whisk used to stir the tea to make froth.
• 5. A small teapot with a handle used for infusing loose leaf tea by pouring hot water over it.
• 6. A school of tea ceremony developed from the customs of the tea drinking ritual at Obaku-san Manpuku-ji Temple in Uji City, Kyoto Prefecture.
• 7. Gyokuro is considered the supreme type of sencha because it is cultivated by covering tea trees to block out sunlight, which enhances the quality of the tea produced from them.
• 8. A type of tea ceremony where tea is prepared using a table and chair.
• 9. A way of sitting by kneeling.
• 10. A monk of the mid-Edo period credited with popularizing Sencha-do. He spent his life selling tea in Kyoto Prefecture.

By SAWADA Ute
Photo: SAWADA Ute; SAITO Bungo

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