
Tea Room of Light “KIWA”
"The art tea room “KIWA,” named by Sōshitsu Sen, the Grand Master of the Urasenke School of Tea, has been created. Based on the ""East"" direction according to Kyoto’s Shijin Sōō (Four Guardian Deities Alignment, ※1), the space features a graceful bamboo art installation by Akane Teshigahara, the headmaster of the Sogetsu school of Ikebana. The garden was designed by Katsuakira Ogawa, the upcoming 12th-generation head of Ueji, who carries on over 250 years of landscaping techniques inherited from Jihei Ogawa, a pioneer of modern Japanese gardens. Art technology by NAKED, INC. expresses the serene flow of Kyoto’s Kamo River and its surrounding nature. ※1: Shijin Sōō refers to an ideal geographical location according to Feng Shui, believed to bring long-lasting prosperity to those who live in such areas. Kyoto itself was relocated based on this principle when the Heian capital was established."