Sokyu Nara
Born in 1969 in Kanazawa as the second son of a family of potters with ties to the Kaga Maeda clan, dating back to the Kanbun era (1666).
He was greatly influenced by his father, the 10th Ohii Toyasai, a recipient of the Order of Culture. While attending Tamagawa University, he exhibited works at Nitten and the Japan Contemporary Craft Exhibition under the artistic name “Baikei Naraya.”
Later, deeply inspired by the way of tea, he entered the Urasenke Gakuen Professional College of Chado and, in 1995, joined Konnichian Urasenke. In 2002, he received the tea name “Sokyu” from Daisosho Sen Genshitsu Hounsai. In 2017, he was appointed a senior instructor by Iemoto Zabosai and serves as a key leader directly under the Urasenke family, working to promote the way of tea both domestically and internationally. In Kanazawa, he leads a tea school called Kokoan.
Additionally, he has served as a visiting professor at Kyoto University of the Arts (2017–2021) and currently teaches part-time at Kanazawa College of Art and as a guest lecturer at Urasenke Gakuen Professional College of Chado.
His accolades include the Ishikawa Prefecture Cultural Encouragement Prize, Kanazawa City Cultural Activities Award, and the Hokuriku Arts Award, among others.
His artworks are part of public collections, including the Asian Art Museum in Berlin, Konnichian Urasenke, and the Sogetsu Museum.
His wide range of activities also includes cultural introductions in films, television, and magazines, as well as collaborations with orchestras. Kokoan Homepage: https://kokoan-kanazawa.com/
