urasenke netherlands

The Urasenke Netherlands Liaison Office was opened in 1994. In 1997, Herman Soshu Somsen started to work as Urasenke’s resident tea instructor, running the Netherlands Liaison Office, and representing the Urasenke tradition of tea in The Netherlands.

In the more than ten years that Urasenke has had an office here, a lot of work has been done to establish Urasenke School of Tea in The Netherlands. In 1999, a non profit foundation was established: the Urasenke Foundation Netherlands. This organisation supports the work being done through the Liaison Office. The Foundation’s board committee has been, and is, a wonderful support to help deepen the relations with institutions such as the Japanese Embassy in The Netherlands, the University of Leiden, the Ethnological Museum in Leiden, and Japanese cultural centers around the country. Also, relations with Nijmegen University, many different museums (from the Architecture Museum in Rotterdam to the Ceramic Museum in Leeuwarden), as well as cultural institutes, art schools and theatre companies in the country have firmly embedded Urasenke tea in The Netherlands.

The endeavour of the Netherlands Liaison Office to spread knowledge and understanding among the people who live in The Netherlands is an ongoing involvement. So, if you live in The Netherlands and you want to know about tea or further your knowledge and understanding of the Japanese tea ceremony, please contact us at info@urasenke.nl.