Japan House is a learning facility founded in 1976 by Shozo Sato. It is part of the College of Fine and Applied Arts, at the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

. The facility includes three tea rooms, or

Chashitsu ''Chashitsu'' (, "tea room") in Japanese tradition is an architectural space designed to be used for Japanese tea ceremony, tea ceremony (''chanoyu'') gatherings. The architectural style that developed for ''chashitsu'' is referred to as the '' ...

, a tea garden (

Roji , lit. 'dewy ground', is the Japanese term used for the garden through which one passes to the ''chashitsu'' for the tea ceremony. The ''roji'' acts as a transitional space leading from the entry gate to the teahouse, and generally cultivates an ...

) and

Japanese rock garden The or Japanese rock garden, often called a Zen garden, is a distinctive style of Japanese garden. It creates a miniature stylized landscape through carefully composed arrangements of rocks, water features, moss, pruned trees and bushes, and u ...

. It currently conducts classes in

Japanese tea ceremony The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or lit. 'Hot water for tea') is a Culture of Japan, Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . The term "Japa ...

Japanese Aesthetics Japanese aesthetics comprise a set of ancient ideals that include '' wabi'' (transient and stark beauty), '' sabi'' (the beauty of natural patina and aging), and '' yūgen'' (profound grace and subtlety). These ideals, and others, underpin much of ...

and

Ikebana is the Japanese art of flower arrangement. It is also known as . The origin of ikebana can be traced back to the ancient Japanese custom of erecting Evergreen, evergreen trees and decorating them with flowers as yorishiro () to invite the go ...

for university students and members of the community. An annual event at the house welcomes international students. In 2019 an expansion effort was under way. JHphoto2

History

Japanese artist Shozo Sato arrived at

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts The Krannert Center for the Performing Arts is an educational and performing arts complex located at 500 South Goodwin Avenue in Urbana, Illinois and on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Herman C. Krannert, an industria ...

as an artist-in-residence in 1964, and began teaching tea ceremony. He struggled to find the right setting for the classes, sometimes even teaching them from his own home. Eventually, after several years, Morton Weir, then Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, now Chancellor Emeritus, heard of the rising popularity of these tea ceremonies. He arranged for Professor Sato to be able to use an old Victorian house on campus, at Lincoln Avenue and California (now the site of the Alice B. Campbell Alumni Center). In the early 1990s Professor Sato retired, leaving the community, and the old Victorian was torn down for redevelopment. Professor Kimiko Gunji, a longtime teaching assistant of Professor Sato, approached her tea school in Japan, the

Urasenke is one of the main schools of Japanese tea ceremony. Along with and , it is one of the three lines of the family descending from , which together are known as the - or the "three houses/families" (). The name , literally meaning "rear hous ...

Foundation of Tea, and they agreed to donate two tearooms for a new Japan House. With that commitment in hand, Professor Gunji and then Associate Provost Roger Martin moved ahead, receiving commitments for $100,000 from the Japan Illini Club, the Commemorative Association for the Japan World Exposition and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership. The University had selected a site within the relatively new

Arboretum An arboretum (: arboreta) is a botanical collection composed exclusively of trees and shrubs of a variety of species. Originally mostly created as a section in a larger garden or park for specimens of mostly non-local species, many modern arbor ...

for Japan House. Architect Jack Baker and the firm of Isaksen Glerum Architects PC designed the structure and construction began. Japanese master carpenter, Seiji Suzuki, then visited and installed three Japanese tearooms into the empty building. The new Japan House was dedicated on June 18, 1998. Over the years, Japan House has been the site of many programs, events and visits, ranging from tea ceremonies, presentations and performances of traditional Japanese culture. Japan House has also worked with other units on campus, working to bring Japanese exhibitions and performances to

, the

Spurlock Museum The William R. and Clarice V. Spurlock Museum, better known as the Spurlock Museum, is an ethnographic museum at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Spurlock Museum's permanent collection includes portions of collections from other ...

, and

Krannert Art Museum The Krannert Art Museum (KAM) is a fine art museum located at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, Illinois, United States. It has of space devoted to all periods of art, dating from ancient Egypt to contemporary photography ...

. In 2012 Professor Jennifer Gunji-Ballsrud became the third director of Japan House, after the retirement of her mother, Kimiko Gunji. Not long afterwards, Professor Shozo Sato returned to the Champaign-Urbana community.

Japan House Events and Programs

Japan House is open to the public during events such as tea ceremony, Spring and Fall Open Houses with visiting artists, tea ceremonies and garden tours, and the annual Matsuri Japanese festival held in August. Workshops in various Japanese arts such as cooking, calligraphy, ''yukata'' dressing, etc.

Japan House University Classes

ARTJ 199: Special Topics in Japanese Aesthetic Practices (e.g. ikebana, shodo) ARTJ 209: Chado, the Way of Tea ARTJ 299: Seminar in Japanese Aesthetics (e.g. Anime thru Studio Ghibli, Queer manga) ARTJ 301: Manga, the Art of Image and Word ARTJ 302: Introduction to Japanese Animation ARTJ 391: Independent Study in Japanese Aesthetics ARTJ 397: Zen, Tea, and Power ARTJ 398: Designing Everyday life in Modern Japan ARTJ 399: Japan House Internship

Japan House Community Classes

Chado

Tankokai Urbana-Champaign Association Illinois Prairie Chapter of the Ikenobo Ikebana Society of America

James and Lorene Bier Gardens at Japan House

The Japan House gardens were designed and created by James Bier. Mr. Bier continues to maintain the gardens along with a group of volunteers. The gardens are free and open to the public from dawn to dusk, although the walled tea garden is closed in icy weather.

References

External links

Japan House
{{University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus Buildings and structures of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Japanese-American culture in Illinois Japanese gardens in the United States Buildings and structures in Champaign, Illinois Tourist attractions in Champaign County, Illinois Gardens in Illinois University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign centers and institutes