MAESHIMA Sousu

Born in Yamanashi Prefecture, he is a tea master.

His real name is Kotaro Maejima. He is a certified instructor of the Omotesenke tea ceremony and the host of the tea school “Tarou-an.” He began studying the art of tea at the age of six and has since conducted over 600 tea gatherings and ceremonies. At the historic Erinji Temple, he also organizes parent-child tea classes, fostering the development of regional culture.

He has hosted tea ceremonies in Paris and Beaune during the Japan-France Intermunicipal Exchange Conference and has provided numerous tea ceremony experiences for international visitors to Japan. Additionally, he conducts business tea ceremony workshops as part of corporate training programs (e.g., for Sunrise Promotion Tokyo).

Under the title of “Nodatenist,” he explores guerrilla-style tea ceremonies in unconventional settings. These include tea ceremonies held in abandoned ruins, on snowy fields, in the rain, on mountain summits, under the stars and cherry blossoms, in snowy mountains, beside shrine worship halls, and by clear streams.

He delves into the essence of Japanese aesthetics hidden within the tea ceremony. Incidentally, the name “Tarou” for his tea school was inspired by a dog his grandmother once kept.