Sobin Koizumi began learning how to host the ceremonies when she was just six years old
“This long-established culture of tea ceremony … has been bringing peace in the mind of Japanese people for a long, long time,” says Koizumi. “This is what I would like to introduce to more people in the world, if I may.”In the Japanese tea ceremony, a small bowl of matcha is made and served through very precise movements and actions. When matcha first arrived in Japan at least 800 years ago, it was worth more than gold, and only the elite drank it.
The preparation period for a ceremony can often take longer than the event itself, and Koizumi thinks it is considered to be at least, if not more, important. She says a casual tea ceremony may have four to five guests, while more formal ones can include up to a dozen people. In Japanese culture, she explains, it’s generally considered a good idea to know the basics of how a tea ceremony works.
Though she attempted to retire several times, medical students from the prestigious Kyoto University continued to ask her for lessons, and their professors said they could tell which students were studying the ceremonies because their physical movements became more intentional and graceful. Koizumi says she hasn’t encountered any hardships in her time as a master of tea ceremonies because of her gender, but that was not always the case.