Tea Ceremony Teacher Awarded Foreign Minister's Commendation
2017/6/29
Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on June 29, 2017, that a Foreign Minister’s Commendation has been awarded to Ms. Teruko Shin, a renowned teacher of the Japanese Tea Ceremony who is the Manager of the Urasenke Tankokai Toronto Association.
Ms. Shin was the first Japanese Canadian to study at the Urasenke headquarters in Kyoto. She opened a school in Toronto in 1976 to promote greater understanding among Canadians of the spirituality behind the Tea Ceremony. In addition to regular classes at her school and at the Japanese Canadian Culture Centre, she has taught Tea to young children as well as to inmates at correctional facilities. She has served as President of Urasenke Tankokai Toronto Association (established in 1976), and continues at age 88 to actively spread the teachings of Tea and promote Japanese culture in Canada.
The Foreign Minister’s Commendations are awarded to individuals and groups with outstanding achievements in international fields, in order to acknowledge their contributions to the promotion of friendship between Japan and other countries and areas. The Commendations also aim to promote the understanding and support of the Japanese public for the activities of the recipients.
