Tag: tateuchi

Catch the Los Angeles Premiere of “Mrs. Judo” at JANM on Saturday, November 16th!

Esther Shin Leave a comment

fukuda_photoOn Saturday, November 16th at 2pm JANM will be screening a full-length documentary chronicling the life long journey of the late Keiko Fukuda, a renowned pioneer of women’s judo. Yuriko Gamo Romer’s film, Mrs. Judo: Be Strong, Be Gentle, Be Beautiful, documents Keiko Fukuda’s decision to defy thousands of years of tradition, choose her own path, and become judo history’s only woman to attain the pinnacle 10th degree.

 

 

cade-fukuda-1974-liftA live demonstration of “Ju-no-kata”, a signature form of Fukuda-Sensei, will precede the film screening and will be performed by Robin Fernandez and Charmaine Galvez, with narration by Greg Fernandez Jundokai Judo and Jujitsu Club of La Mirada.

A Q&A session will follow screening with filmmaker Yuriko Gamo Romer and panelists who will discuss the legacy of Keiko Fukuda and the Japanese cultural traditions and relations that continue from Japan to the U.S. through judo.

Don’t miss the Los Angeles Premiere of Mrs. Judo: Be Strong, Be Gentle, Be Beautiful, along with a special judo demonstration, and a Q&A session!

Read an interview with director Yuriko Gamo Romer on Discover Nikkei >> 

Photo Credits: mrs.judomovie.com

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For more information on Mrs. Judo: Be Strong, Be Gentle, Be Beautiful, please visit: www.mrsjudomovie.com

This screening is part of the Tateuchi Public Program Series, organized in partnership between the Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Foundation and the Japanese American National Museum. Tateuchi Public Programs develop presentations that explore the connections between Japan and the United States in the context of politics, art, music, and culture. The program series is created annually with the objective of enhancing understanding between the two countries. Learn more about Tateuchi Public Programs, at: www.janm.org/events/tateuchi

To stay updated on JANM’s events, please visit our events page: www.janm.org/events

 

Highlights from the 3rd Annual Los Angeles International Tea Festival & Tea Ceremony Demonstration

Esther Shin Leave a comment
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Japanese tea ceremony demonstration led by Masayo Sebata

 

On Saturday, September 28, the Los Angeles International Tea Festival returned to JANM for its 3rd year! This year’s Tea Festival was even more successful than in previous years, boasting an extended 24 participating tea vendors, more exciting workshops, and an extension into the Courtyard.

JANM also had a free Japanese tea ceremony demonstration in conjunction with the festival, presented as part of the Tateuchi Public Programs Series.

The Japanese tea ceremony is called chanoyu or sado in Japanese. The ceremony was presented on behalf of Chado Tea Room and Hamano Shachu from Urasenke. The group performed a choreographed ritual of preparing and serving tea together with traditional Japanese sweets.

The tea ceremony demonstration involved five participants—Chieko-san, the narrator who guided the audience through each step of the ceremony, assistant Mrs. Kawata, hostess Mrs. Masayo Sebata, and two guests.

The tea ceremony began with a brief history of the Japanese tea ceremony, and the importance of tea in Japanese culture. After the introduction, Chieko-san narrated the proceedings of a traditional Japanese tea ceremony as it was being performed on stage. The tea ceremony was concluded by a Q&A session, where the group answered a variety of questions relating to the Japanese tea ceremony. The Tateuchi Democracy Forum enjoyed a full house that evening, where an enthusiastic audience was able to view a beautiful tea ceremony performance, and learn more about the Japanese tea tradition.

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Check out these photos from the 3rd Annual Los Angeles International Tea Festival at JANM and the tea ceremony demonstration!

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Chado’s lovely display of their wide variety of teas.
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The tea festival is packed with indoor vendors!
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Visitors excitedly make stops from booth to booth.
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A group of tea-enthusiasts sample a cup of hot tea.
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Chado gives an enlightening introduction to tea.
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An eager audience awaits the next tea vendor presentation.
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Two guests, dressed is beautiful fall kimonos, help demonstrate the ritual of a traditional Japanese tea ceremony.
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Mrs. Sebata cleans off the chashaku (tea scoop) with a chakin (red silk scarf).
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“Every action in a Japanese tea ceremony is intentionally calculated,” Chieko-san explains as the hostess instructs one of her guests to begin eating her traditional Japanese sweets.
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Mrs. Sebata uses her chakin (red silk scarf) to meticulously wipe off a chawan (tea bowl).
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The hostess carefully pours hot water into the mizusashi (water jug).
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The assistant gracefully carries a bowl of hot chrysanthemum tea to the guests.
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The sensei (teacher), hostess, and narrator answer a variety of questions relating to the Japanese tea ceremony from the audience.

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Photos by Tsuneo Takasugi, R.M. Murakami, and John Esaki.

Japanese Tea Ceremony Demonstration on Saturday

Esther Shin Leave a comment

la-tea-festivalOn Saturday, September 28th the Japanese American National Museum will be presenting a free Japanese Tea Ceremony demonstration as part of the 3rd Annual Los Angeles International Tea Festival.

The Japanese tea ceremony is called chanoyu or sado in Japanese. It is a choreographed ritual of preparing and serving Japanese green tea with traditional Japanese sweets to balance with the bitter taste of the tea. Preparing tea in this ceremony means pouring all of one’s attention into the predefined movements. The whole process is not about drinking tea, but it is about the aesthetics, and preparing a bowl of tea from one’s heart.

This Japanese Tea Ceremony demonstration is presented as part of the Tateuchi Public Programs Series, an organized partnership between the Atsuhiko and Ina Goodwin Tateuchi Foundation and the Japanese American National Museum. Tateuchi Public Programs develop presentations that explore the connections between Japan and the United States in the context of politics, art, music, and culture. The programs series aims to enhance understanding between the two countries.

The 3rd  Annual Los Angeles International Tea Festival is being presented by the Chado Tea Room at JANM on Saturday & Sunday, September 28-29, 2013. The  Tea Festival is an educational and entertaining event about the multifaceted world of tea that will bring together authors, industry experts, buyers, retailers, artists, educators, and tea-lovers from across the country. It will give you the opportunity to sample some of the world’s finest and most varied flavors of teas, attend presentations by leading tea authors and industry experts, and meet premier tea and tea-ware suppliers all at one place!

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn new facts and expand your enjoyment of this fascinating beverage!

For more information and to purchase tickets for the Los Angeles International Tea Festival, please visit www.teafestivalla.com.

Check out photos from a previous tea ceremony demonstration held at JANM. Click on the photos to see the full images.

Photo Credits: Amjadkhan Pathan

Stay updated on all of the museum’s events, including the tea ceremony by visiting www.janm.org/events.

The Miracle Twins

Chris Komai Leave a comment

In our overhyped, marketing-saturated modern world, calling two sisters “The Miracle Twins” probably brings out more cynicism than wonder out of most people today. But, if you want to hear a story that will truly amaze you and gladden your heart, then you need to learn about Isabel and Anabel Stenzel.

Born in Los Angeles to Hatsuko Arima and Renner Stenzel, two immigrants who met at a Rotary International meeting and eventually married, the sisters were quickly diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) after birth. CF attacks the lungs, filling them with mucous. The doctors told the Stenzels that the girls would be lucky to live for 10 years.

Remarkably (miraculously?), both made it to their 40th birthdays. Bright and determined, Ana and Isa endured difficult therapies, long hospital stays, family squabbles, and sibling rivalry while just trying to grow up like other young girls. Their father, a physicist, figured the odds of identical twins who were half-Japanese (CF is very rare in Japan) being born with CF was 1.8 billion to one.

Yet, the sisters both made it through high school and got into Stanford. One of them even played taiko. The girls, who were close to their obachan, who would make long visits from Japan to help care for them, invoke cultural values like gaman to handle the challenges of their lives. They are acutely aware that their condition could spell their end at any time.

On Saturday, June 30, both sisters will be on hand for a screening of a documentary, The Power of Two, set for the Tateuchi Democracy Forum at the Japanese American National Museum beginning at 1 p.m. It’s free. To RSVP for this event, please call: 213.625.0414 ex. 2218.

I encourage anyone who wants to share a truly amazing story of two sisters overcoming the odds to come to this program. Anabel and Isabel have a lot to share. Check out the web site for the film at http://www.thepoweroftwomovie.com/