The Sencha Offering Festival, which is the latter festival of the Aoi Festival, was held at Shimogamo Shrine in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City on May 18, 2025. In the midst of sweaty weather, in the grounds where the new greenery washed by the previous day's rain was even more vibrant, Ogawa Karaku, deputy head of the Ogawa school of sencha, offered a cup of tea.
This was a concluding event to report that the festival had been held safely and to express gratitude. The ritual began at 10:00 a.m., and in the dance hall in front of the main hall, Karaku, deputy head of the Ogawa school of sencha, carefully brewed every drop of tea with solemn hands and offered it to the eastern and western deities.
A tea ceremony was set up in the assembly hall in the grounds, and two types of sencha were served: "Maizuru" with "Sokaku Temae" devised by the head of the Koraku school, and "Flying Crane" named after a painting by Ito Jakuchu, who had a close relationship with Baisao, the founder of the revival of sencha. The approximately 150 attendees enjoyed the refreshing taste that spread throughout their mouths while engaging in harmonious conversation.
