On October 24 and 25, 2026, a special matcha tasting experience
featuring Raku tea bowls by Hanasennin (Nagakazu Kato)
will be presented at JAPAN TEA EXPO 2026 in Tokyo.
Participants will taste the same matcha prepared in two different bowls:
a standard tea bowl and a Raku tea bowl by Hanasennin.
By changing only the bowl, participants will be able to explore differences
in mouthfeel, temperature, aroma, lingering finish, and the way each bowl feels in the hands.
The special sessions on October 24 include a live demonstration by Raku tea bowl artisan Yukio Ota,
who learned directly from Hanasennin.
Both special sessions sold out within two days of tickets going on sale.
Select regular sessions are still available.
No previous experience with the Japanese tea ceremony is required,
and each session is limited to five participants.
Hanasennin’s dream was to bring people from around the world together
for a peaceful tea gathering using his own bowls.
Through this experience, his Raku tea bowls will not simply be preserved or displayed.
They will once again be used for matcha, held in the hands, and experienced by a new generation.
About Hanasennin
Hanasennin, whose real name was Nagakazu Kato, studied in Takeji Fujishima’s studio
at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, working in oil painting and copperplate printmaking
before devoting himself to Raku tea bowls in Fujisawa.
Shaping each bowl entirely by hand without a potter’s wheel,
he created nearly 1,000 Raku tea bowls during his lifetime.
His hope was that people around the world would one day gather peacefully over tea, holding bowls he had made.
Official Hanasennin website
https://www.hanasennin.com/
Dates: October 24–25, 2026
Venue: Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Trade Center Taito-kan
Organizer: JAPAN TEA EXPO Executive Committee
Presented by: WACHA Inc.
Seminar tickets
https://jte2026seminar.peatix.com/
Admission tickets
https://jte2026.peatix.com/
JAPAN TEA EXPO 2026
https://japanteaexpo.jp/
A separate JAPAN TEA EXPO admission ticket is required.