About the Sen Lecture

The Soshitsu Sen Distinguished Lectures on Japanese Culture were established by an endowment of $500,000 from the Urasenke Foundation of Kyoto, Japan. Named in honor of Hounsai Sen Genshitsu, Former Grand Master (Iemoto) Sen Soshitsu XV, of the Urasenke School of Tea, this public lecture series is held annually at Columbia University to increase American awareness and understanding of Japanese culture.

The series began in 1988 with a lecture by Dr. Soshitsu Sen XV entitled "The Heart of Tea." In 1989, the Japanese composer, Takemitsu Toru, presented a lecture "Sound in the East/Sound in the West" which was accompanied by an exhibition of his scores, the first All-Takemitsu concert, a pro-seminar for student composers, and a film series highlighting Takemitsu's music for the cinema. In subsequent years, Sen Lecturers have included Donald Keene, novelists Shiba Ryotaro and Kono Taeko, designer Yokoo Tadanori, and Professor Edwin McClellan of Yale University. In 1993, the Sen Lecture program presented performances of Noh drama featuring the distinguished actors Kanze Hideo and Umewaka Rokuro and sponsored a symposium on Noh theater. In 1996, the program consisted of a major international symposium commemorating the life and work of Abe Kobo. In 1999, writer, photographer and scholar Fosco Maraini spoke on "Japan: The Magic of Mountains", and the 2000 Sen Lecture, "Sitting in a Circle: Thoughts on the Japanese Group Mentality" was presented by the poet Makoto Ooka.