Shōkadō
Shōkadō Shōjō was a Buddhist monk of the early Edo period (1603-1868), as well as a man of culture. With his talent for the arts, Shōjō left us excellent calligraphy works and paintings, and the tea ceremonies that he hosted used to attract many cultured people and flourished as a place of exchange. In his last years, he retired to small residence (Shōkadō) that he built in Otokoyama in Yawata City, Kyoto, where he lived simply until his death in 1639. Since then, Shōkadō has been relocated several times. In 2014 it was relocated in Shōkadō garden, which was designated a national place of scenic beauty.
First time in my life to experience tea cerimony. I could understood how it works, what's behind it. The staff kindly explained us the tools used and the meaning of this ancient tradition. It was special to experience it in the city were the tea cerimony (origially from China) was done for the first time in Japanese history, Kyoto. And definitely tasted a wonderful super super delicious tea, then visiting a very traditional Garden with the kind explanations of the volunteer staff :D
