Welcome to the Sokiku Nakatani Tea Room and Garden at the University Library, California State University, Sacramento. The tea room at Sacramento State is one of a small number established on a university campus in the United States. Named in honor of Sokiku Nakatani, a long time resident of Sacramento and Los Angeles, a dedicated student and teacher of Chado (The Way of Tea), the Tea Room and Garden is a cultural treasure where members of the campus and community at large may experience Japanese tea gatherings and share the spirit of peacefulness embodied in the Way of Tea.
Sokiku Nakatani (1903-1990) was a dedicated student and teacher of Chado, the Way of Tea. She studied with Madame Sosei Matsumoto, widely regarded as one of the nation’s most respected and influential masters of Chado in the Urasenke tradition. During more than thirty years of formal study, Sokiku Nakatani achieved numerous licenses for her mastery in tea, ultimately being licensed as a “Jun-Kyoju” (First Degree Instructor) in 1982.
Designed and built in 2005, the Sokiku Nakatani Tea Room and Garden opened in Spring 2007 with a special tea gathering conducted by Madame Matsumoto at which she presented the university with a special Shino ware teabowl named “Friends in Learning” to commemorate the placement of the Tea Room and Garden on the Sacramento State University Campus and within its University Library. In 2009, the tea room was bestowed the name “Karakuan” (happiness upon happiness-joy that perpetuates and grows) by Grand Teamaster Sen Soshitsu XVI.
The Sokiku Nakatani Tea Room serves as a classroom as well as a setting for cultural programs, lectures, and special events. It is open to students and the community to experience Tea Gatherings, hands-on tea classes, and other related activities consistent with its educational mission. Regularly scheduled tea gatherings take place during the academic year.
