The Georges-Labit Museum houses the City of Toulouse's collections of Asian arts, including a fine collection of objects and sculptures from Japan, most of which were brought back by Georges Labit himself. Among these objects, tea bowls known as "Raku" allow us to approach a multi-secular Japanese art.
For more than 10 years, the museum has been offering a cultural programme linked to the museum's collections, including the Tea Ceremonies, a traditional Japanese art that has acquired great renown in recent years.
The Japanese Tea Ceremony
The Japanese tea ceremony can last several hours.
After passing through the tea garden, "rôji", the guests enter the tea room where they first enjoy a light meal, followed by the ritual of the thick tea "koïcha" and finally the light tea "usucha".
At the Georges-Labit Museum, they are made by Dominique Kawano, Tea Ceremony Master of the Sohen School (https://www.pavillon-des-nuages.fr/), every new season.
As tradition dictates, she offers two teas: the thick koïcha tea and the light usucha tea. Unlike light usucha tea, thick koesha tea is served in a single bowl, with guests taking turns drinking a few sips of the precious nectar, in a true sharing experience.
The Art of Kimono
During the Tea Ceremonies, Dominique Kawano is dressed in the traditional kimono.
The "Kitsuke" or the art of wearing a kimono is also an art that has been highlighted in the cultural program since 2019.
Anita Henry, a kimono collector, is the one who runs these workshops at the Georges-Labit Museum.
They offer a precious, timeless moment to the ladies who have chosen to participate. As with the Tea Ceremony, each session is open to only five people. In Japan, there is no shortage of opportunities to wear the kimono, a traditional Japanese garment that illustrates, today as in the past, the close links between clothing, art and Japanese society.
However, wearing a kimono cannot be improvised. It is necessary to train if one wishes to live it fully.
For each Kitsuke workshop, Anita allows the participants to choose one of the kimonos from her collection, and helps them to adorn themselves with these beautiful fabrics that only fit through a wide four-metre-long belt and many accessories.
Georges Labit Museum
17 Japan Street
31400 Toulouse
Phone : 05 31 22 99 80 - 05 31 22 99 81
https://www.museegeorgeslabit.fr/
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
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