I am again writing with a heavy heart, in that long time head of the Urasenke Tankokai Portland Association, Wako Henjyoji Sensei has passed away. Condolences to her daughter Florence Harada and all the family members at this difficult time.
Henjyoji Sensei was a teacher of not only Chado, but also a Sensei of Ikebana, and a supporter of Shodo and all Japanese culture in Portland. We thank her for the privileges we enjoy in doing tea at Kashintei, the tea house at the Portland Japanese Garden. We also thank her generosity in allowing us to use the Henjyoji Temple as a venue for larger events such as Hatsu chakai and Rikyuki. And we thank her for all her contributions to the tea community in Portland and keeping the principles of wa, kei, sei, and jaku alive and flourishing.
Henjyoji Sensei’s legacy is written in her students who are now leaders of the Tankokai and members of Kashinteikai. I hope that when my time comes that my students will become the next generation of teachers and make me as proud of them as I am sure Henjyoji Sensei is of her students.
It is such a loss to the tea community in Portland and I know that this is not the last entry I will be writing, but to honor her memory I will strive to do my best to pass on the spirit of Chado to a new generation of students.