Host

Mr. Sen Sooku, successor to the Mushakoji Senke Tea School, who leads the world of Japanese Tea Ceremony and is well versed in Buddhism and Japanese traditional cultures.

Course Details

Date: 20th and 21st November 2023 ·

Number of participants: 8 guests·

Tea Ceremony Fee: 330,000 Yen/person·

Approximate time required for each session: 3.5 to 4 hours

1) Tour of Yakushiji Temple starts at 14:30. This is an optional tour – you can decide whether to join or not – and will be held in English and conducted by a Buddhist monk and an interpreter.

2)Tea ceremony begins at 17:00 with Traditional Cha-kaiseki Japanese cuisine at ‘Mahoroba Kaikan’ Hall

3)Tea Offering Ceremony to Buddhas at National treasure hall ‘Toindo’

4)Thick tea with a sweet at National treasure hall ‘Toindo’

5)Thin tea with a sweet at National treasure hall ‘Toindo’  

Please Note: Guests will be guided during the tea gathering by an interpreter and assistant tea host. We ask you to join us wearing plain and clean clothes with a pair of white socks and without any accessories. We will prepare chairs for you. Please advise us if you have any food allergies when you reserve.

For more information or to make a reservation, visit our website:

Yakushiji Temple’s Brief History

In 680 CE, Emperor Temmu planned to erect a temple in the ancient capital Asuka for his ailing wife. In the hopes that she could be cured, Yakushi-ji was to be dedicated to Yakushi Nyorai, the “Buddha of Healing” from which it gets its name. Temmu did not live to see the finished temple; however, it was his wife, who acceded to the throne as Empress Jitō after his death, that oversaw its official enshrining in 697 and the compound’s completion in the following year. After a little over a decade, the capital was moved from Asuka, and, in 718, Yakushi-ji followed the capital to the compound’s present location.

As what would become one of the seven great temples of Nara – a list which includes Tōdai-ji, Daian-ji, Saidai-ji, Gangō-ji, Hōryū-ji, and Kōfuku-ji – Yakushi-ji held people in awe upon its completion. Its noteworthy features include a grand main hall (kondō),  twin pagoda, and a massive lecture hall (kōdō).

Unfortunately, in its long history, Yakushi-ji has met with several disasters. The greatest damage was suffered in 1528 by civil war. Today, only the Yakushi Triad, housed in the main hall; the Shō Kannon, housed in the east meditation hall (tōindō), and the east pagoda stand as testament to its original grandeur. Over the years, Yakushi-ji has been and continues to be gradually restored.

Presently, it is the head temple of the Hossō sect, the oldest Buddhist sect in Japan. Yakushi-ji was degignated as a World Heritage Site in 1998.