A Japanese tea school held a tea ceremony in Washington on Wednesday, attended by about 20 people, many clad in kimono.
Yuyusai Sosa Sen, the 15th grandmaster of the Omotesenke tea school, which hosted the ceremony, underscored the significance of upholding the spirit of tea ceremony at a news conference.
"I think the tea ceremony's attitude of treating others with respect is most needed in modern society, in which people are said to be divided and opposed to each other," he said.
Ryuji Ueno, head of the school's branch in the eastern U.S. region, said that the school aims to spread the principle of preserving styles.
While the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump "seems to be breaking down things and creating new ones, Omotesenke has long been preserving its style," Ueno said. "We want to spread this."
Wednesday's tea ceremony marked the 15th anniversary of the founding of the branch, which now has about 150 members in places including Washington and New York.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.