Peace tea ceremony

A renowned Japanese tea master has held a tea ceremony in Australia with a message of peace and reconciliation. Sen Genshitsu, the former head of the UrasenkeSchool, hosted the ceremony on Friday in Sydney to mark the 60th anniversary of exchanges between Japan and the Oceania region.

Sen, aged 100, served in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War Two. He has been conducting tea ceremonies worldwide in the hope that a brew can bring about peace. With about 200 people watching, Sen made tea and held the tea cup before a hanging scroll bearing the Japanese characters for "pray for peace."

He then served tea to the participants. Bill West, the Mayor of Cowra in the country's southeast also attended the ceremony. Sen said sharing tea with strangers and finding joy in such moments would lead to a world where the horrors of war no longer exist.