NUS Sado Club 「シンガポール国立大学茶道部」

The traditional Japanese tea ceremony club of the National University of Singapore

NUS Sado Club is a student interest group that was established since 30 September 1989, under the NUS Department of Japanese Studies. The Club practises the traditional Japanese tea ceremony in the Enshuryu style, giving members a first-hand experience of Japanese culture. 和 (harmony), 敬 (respect), 清 (purity), 寂 (serenity), the philosophy of Sado, is put into practice. Club membership as a CCA is open to all NUS students, staff and alumni, as well as students of other local Singapore universities.

The spirit of Enshu Sado lies in ‘kirei sabi’, or gracefulness and simplicity. The Enshu school of tea remains as one of the oldest tea schools in Japan today. The 13th grandmaster, Kobori Sojitsu, and teachers from the Enshu school of tea in Japan visits the Club thrice a year to give lessons to members. This is a very rare privilege granted to the Club, which is officially recognised by the Enshu school of tea as a key component of its branch in Singapore. It is highly unusual for most tea ceremony students even in Japan to be able to learn tea ceremony directly under the tutelage of a grandmaster, and especially so for members of a mere university tea club.

The Club actively engages in Japanese tea ceremony performances within and outside of the University. This includes international cultural fairs and faculty open houses within campus, and corporate events such as international and cultural awareness fairs, roadshows and private company functions. The Club also organizes hands on Japanese tea ceremony workshops for students from junior colleges, polytechnics and other universities. These performances and workshops, while providing good learning experiences for the guests, also allows our members to spread the way of tea in Singapore, while developing disciplinary skills.