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| seattle japanese garden shoseian teahouse |
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Seattle Japanese Garden
Shoseian teahouse- History
Arbor of the Murmuring Pines
Shoseian teahouse had its beginnings in the spring of 1981 with
the reconstruction of the teahouse that was destroyed by fire in
1973. The original six-mat teahouse was built by the Shimizu
Construction Company of Tokyo and donated to Seattle by the
citizens of Tokyo.
SEN Soshitsu XIV hereditory head of the Urasenke Konnichian
Chado tradition of Kyoto, Japan, named the teahouse Wakeian,
"Arbor of Peace and Tranquility," in a special ceremony in 1959.
Following the fire, the teahouse site remained vacant for eight
years. Arboretum volunteers Mr. Kenneth Sorrells and Mr. James
Fukuda sought contributions and their efforts were rewarded with
an initial donation of $30,000 and a subsequent pledge of
$100,000 matching funds from Mr. Prentice Bloedel, a major
contributor to the Garden. A fortuitous meeting with SEN Soshitsu
XV, led to the donation of the balance of funds for the teahouse
construction along with continuous support for a course in Chado
studies at the University of Washington.
Japanese-born carpenter Mr. Fred Sugita was hired to undertake
the construction of the teahouse and to equip it with running
water, electricity and storage so that it would function as a
classroom for Chado studies. The teahouse was completed in
1981 and named Shoseian, "Arbor of Murmuring Pines," in a
special ceremony officiated by SEN Soshitsu XV.
In 1982 Japanese garden specialist Mr. Richard Yamazaki
reestablished the surrounding garden that features stepping
stones, a purification basin, and a covered shelter for visitors
waiting to enter the teahouse. Arboretum volunteers gathered
moss from the Cascade mountains to carpet the ground beneath
the tall canopy of Japanese maple trees that surrounds the
mountain-like hermitage.
Grand Master Sen envisioned Shoseian as an urban retreat where
all would be welcomed to experience renewal through the Way of
Tea. To that end, he dispatched Bonnie Soshin Mitchell from
Urasenke Konnichian to serve as the chanoyu instructor and
teahouse coordinator.
At the end of 2010 Shoseian was the classroom for more than 75
university and community tea students and a popular venue for
four or more weekly tea presentations earning it the Best in Seattle
citation by Metropolitan Magazine and among the best places to
experience Asian culture by the Seattle Convention Bureau.
In 2011 the Seattle Parks Department assumed responsibility for
the teahouse maintenance and management, ending the 30-year
public-private partnership with Urasenke Foundation Seattle
Branch.
The daily care of the tearoom and garden are essential to reveal
the innate beauty of the natural materials of the architecture and
environment. It is by means of constant polishing that the
teahouse and surrounding garden acquire the valued patina that
gives it warmth and beauty.
The teahouse includes a six-mat tearoom with a recessed alcove, a
four-mat entrance space, and a small adjoining kitchen. The floors
are covered with tatami mats and the clay walls are plastered to
reveal the wooden structure of posts and beams. Opaque sliding
doors separate the interior spaces and shoji sliding screens of
translucent paper separate the interior from the exterior spaces.
The roof that extends over the patio to create a transitional space
between the tearoom and garden is unique to Shoseian. The
underside of the roof reveals the skillful joinery of posts and
timbers that is a hallmark of Japanese architecture.
Shoseian teahouse- History
Arbor of the Murmuring Pines
Shoseian teahouse had its beginnings in the spring of 1981 with
the reconstruction of the teahouse that was destroyed by fire in
1973. The original six-mat teahouse was built by the Shimizu
Construction Company of Tokyo and donated to Seattle by the
citizens of Tokyo.
SEN Soshitsu XIV hereditory head of the Urasenke Konnichian
Chado tradition of Kyoto, Japan, named the teahouse Wakeian,
"Arbor of Peace and Tranquility," in a special ceremony in 1959.
Following the fire, the teahouse site remained vacant for eight
years. Arboretum volunteers Mr. Kenneth Sorrells and Mr. James
Fukuda sought contributions and their efforts were rewarded with
an initial donation of $30,000 and a subsequent pledge of
$100,000 matching funds from Mr. Prentice Bloedel, a major
contributor to the Garden. A fortuitous meeting with SEN Soshitsu
XV, led to the donation of the balance of funds for the teahouse
construction along with continuous support for a course in Chado
studies at the University of Washington.
Japanese-born carpenter Mr. Fred Sugita was hired to undertake
the construction of the teahouse and to equip it with running
water, electricity and storage so that it would function as a
classroom for Chado studies. The teahouse was completed in
1981 and named Shoseian, "Arbor of Murmuring Pines," in a
special ceremony officiated by SEN Soshitsu XV.
In 1982 Japanese garden specialist Mr. Richard Yamazaki
reestablished the surrounding garden that features stepping
stones, a purification basin, and a covered shelter for visitors
waiting to enter the teahouse. Arboretum volunteers gathered
moss from the Cascade mountains to carpet the ground beneath
the tall canopy of Japanese maple trees that surrounds the
mountain-like hermitage.
Grand Master Sen envisioned Shoseian as an urban retreat where
all would be welcomed to experience renewal through the Way of
Tea. To that end, he dispatched Bonnie Soshin Mitchell from
Urasenke Konnichian to serve as the chanoyu instructor and
teahouse coordinator.
At the end of 2010 Shoseian was the classroom for more than 75
university and community tea students and a popular venue for
four or more weekly tea presentations earning it the Best in Seattle
citation by Metropolitan Magazine and among the best places to
experience Asian culture by the Seattle Convention Bureau.
In 2011 the Seattle Parks Department assumed responsibility for
the teahouse maintenance and management, ending the 30-year
public-private partnership with Urasenke Foundation Seattle
Branch.
The daily care of the tearoom and garden are essential to reveal
the innate beauty of the natural materials of the architecture and
environment. It is by means of constant polishing that the
teahouse and surrounding garden acquire the valued patina that
gives it warmth and beauty.
The teahouse includes a six-mat tearoom with a recessed alcove, a
four-mat entrance space, and a small adjoining kitchen. The floors
are covered with tatami mats and the clay walls are plastered to
reveal the wooden structure of posts and beams. Opaque sliding
doors separate the interior spaces and shoji sliding screens of
translucent paper separate the interior from the exterior spaces.
The roof that extends over the patio to create a transitional space
between the tearoom and garden is unique to Shoseian. The
underside of the roof reveals the skillful joinery of posts and
timbers that is a hallmark of Japanese architecture.
| Contact EWCC: 5125 40th Avenue N.E., Seattle, WA 98105 (206) 328 6018 mitchell@urasenkeseattle.org |
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