He once served matcha to Queen Elizabeth II, shared tea with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, and counted Henry Kissinger and Hu Jintao among his friends. Sen Genshitsu, the revered Japanese tea master who dedicated his life to promoting peace through the ritual of tea, has died at the age of 102. From the tatami rooms of Kyoto to the halls of the United Nations, he brought the centuries-old tradition of chanoyu to the world stage, turning a practice rooted in stillness into a quiet force for diplomacy and cultural understanding.
Sen Genshitsu, who was originally destined to serve as a kamikaze pilot but eventually became a grand master of the Japanese tea ceremony, preparing bowls of matcha for royalty and world leaders died on Thursday at the age of 102, Japanese media reported.
With the motto "Peace through a bowl of tea," the grand master of the ancient Urasenke school of tea ceremony promoted messages of peace.
He practiced this mission in symbolic places such as the United Nations headquarters in New York and Pearl Harbor, where the Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base drew the United States into World War II. Through his numerous travels around the world, he earned the nickname “Flying Grand Master.”
His death was reported by major Japanese media outlets, including the NHK television network and the influential daily Yomiuri Shimbun. The AFP was unable to immediately obtain a statement from the Urasenke school of tea ceremony.
Born in 1923 in Kyoto, Sen Genshitsu was trained in his youth as a kamikaze pilot during World War II, but the war ended before he was assigned a suicide mission.
He later shared how deeply that experience affected him, and how he used to serve tea to his fellow soldiers during the war.
In a 2023 interview with NHK, the grand master explained the effects of the ritual: “A bowl of tea truly calms the spirit. When everyone is at peace, there will be no more war.”
Ordained as a Zen monk, Sen Genshitsu became the 15th grand master of the Urasenke school in 1964, succeeding his father upon his death. In 2002, he passed the role to his own son.
He served Japanese green tea (matcha) to royalty and presidents, including Queen Elizabeth II of England and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Among his friends were U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former Chinese President Hu Jintao.
Remaining active even after stepping down as head of the Urasenke school, he continued giving speeches, sometimes lasting more than an hour, even after celebrating his 102nd birthday in April. According to Yomiuri Shimbun, he still held over a hundred advisory positions in cultural and governmental institutions.
He also served as a goodwill ambassador for UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
He was awarded the Japanese Order of Culture in 1997, and in 2020 received the French Legion of Honor, France’s highest decoration.
With AFP
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