Chado Research Center Galleries
[TEA & ART]
Chado is “the way of tea” perfected by the tea master Sen no Rikyu (1522–1591) as both a spiritual and aesthetic practice. It is valued as an art form while also being a way to show hospitality to visiting guests.
The Chado Research Center is run by Urasenke, one of the three schools of tea whose founders were directly descended from Sen no Rikyu. It is a museum as well as a venue for cultural experiences, where visitors can take part in a simplified version of the traditional tea ceremony accompanied by an explanation of chado. The entrance fee to the center is ¥1,000 (¥600 for college students, ¥350 for high-school and junior-high students), and separate tickets are required for the tea experience.
Special exhibitions are held in the galleries on the first and second floors. The second-floor exhibition space also features a full-size replica of a tea room from the nearby Urasenke headquarters. A diorama of that complex is displayed next to the tea room. Also on the second floor is a library with a collection of more than 60,000 books, including English-language publications on the traditional tea ceremony. The library is open to all visitors free of charge.