The Sencha Tea Ceremony, which concludes the Aoi Festival, was held on May 31, 2026, at Shimogamo Shrine, a World Heritage Site in Sakyo Ward, Kyoto City. Under a clear blue sky, amidst the vibrant greenery of the shrine grounds, Ogawa Koraku, the head of the Ogawa-ryu Sencha school, offered a single cup of tea
The Ato-matsuri (post-festival) is a ceremony to report and express gratitude for the successful completion of the series of rituals. The Shinto ritual began at 10:00 AM, and at the dance hall in front of the main shrine, Ogawa Koraku, with solemnity, carefully poured tea drop by drop into two bowls, offering it to the deities of the east and west.
A tea ceremony was also held in the assembly hall on the shrine grounds, where the seasonal sencha "Tachibana" was served using the "Oumei-temae" tea ceremony, a new technique devised by Ogawa Koraku to celebrate the appointment of Tomoda Shigeomi as the chief priest of Shimogamo Shrine, and performed for the first time. The approximately 180 attendees enjoyed the refreshing taste of the tea while engaging in pleasant conversation.
