Keijiroh Yama-guchi was a force in Philadelphia’s tea practice community for more than a decade. He not only studied tea but also taught tea and Japanese culture assiduously from the time that he joined the Chado Urasenke Tankokai of Greater Philadelphia. He eventually became a board member and traveled to Kyoto for formal lessons at the Urasenke headquarters.

In 2014-16, he set up a series of lectures about tea and Japanese culture, including such topics as Japanese sweets and the Shikoku pilgrimage. He also worked with Urasenke and Shōfūsō staff to present lessons on Japanese culture to students at local universities.

In addition, he was a practitioner of Zen Buddhism. Once, during a lecture to the students at Jefferson university, he was put on the spot when the lecturer asked him to join in a chant of the heart sutra, but even though we had no text on hand he was able to recite it flawlessly.

On other occasions, he enjoyed tea practice viscerally, coming out one year to the rainy and cold Cherry Blossom Festival with a chabako tea set and making matcha for anyone who wanted to join in (until the hot water ran out).
As a volunteer at tea gatherings and demonstrations, and also as a voice of moderation and common sense on the Board, he will be missed deeply across the tea community of Philadelphia.

Frank Chance, President, Chad Urasenke Tankokai of Philadelphia; Member of the Board of the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia