In conjunction with its current exhibition, Contemporary Japanese Crafts: Materials and Ways of Formative Thinking, GALERI PETRONAS is collaborating with the Japanese Women\'s Club of Kuala Lumpur to conduct public demonstrations of the Japanese Tea Ceremony.

The tea ritual known today as the Japanese tea ceremony was perfected by tea master Sen no Rikkyu (1522-1591) as an embodiment of the Buddhist zen principle for appreciating the sacred in daily life. The central essence of Rikkyu\'s tea ceremony was the concept of wabi which means \'desolation\'.

The largest of all the tea schools in Japan today are the Urasenke and Omotesenke, founded respectively by two of Rikkyu\'s great-grandsons: Soshitu San and Sosa San.

The tea ceremony is usually performed with up to five guests. There are four main elements in a tea ceremony: harmony, respect, purity and loneliness. The ceremony begins with preliminary, a middle part and ends with nochiseki which the final part.

The Urasenke Tea Ceremony will be demonstrated on Apr 20 while the Omotesenke Tea Ceremony will be demonstrated on Apr 26.