Keiko Kitazawa loves her life style, “Living with Chanoyu and Arts”.

She has trained in Omotesenke-style (表千家流) tea ceremony since 1999, in New York City, Nara and Tokyo, Japan. Since supporting the establishment of Omotesenke Domonkai Eastern Region, USA, in 2010, she has been deeply involved in Omotesenke-style tea ceremony.

Keiko was born and raised in Nara, Japan, a historically and culturally rich part of Japan. She has carried a deep sense of Japanese tradition since childhood. Her first education in Japanese tea ceremony started with the Musyanokoji-
style (武者小路流). She was trained in her earlier years, in Nara.

Keiko teaches Omotesenke-style (表千家流) tea ceremony in her own tea room in New Jersey, and also at a location in Brooklyn. Her students develop deep interest in “Chaji” which is the formal tea ceremony, held throughout the year, spanning all four seasons. Most of tea lessons are the parts of “Chaji”. “Chaji” is the best way to learn “Chanoyu”.
Chanoyu is not only for special occasions; the spirituality of Chanoyu should be in parts of everyday life. It can purify the mind at any time, every day.

Keiko also demonstrates and teaches in schools in New Jersey, Brooklyn, and New York City. She has demonstrated at the Kids International weekend School, Japanese Weekend school of NJ, North Jersey Arts and Science Charter School, Northern Valley Regional High School, The Brooklyn Waldorf School, Steiner school in New York and The School at Columbia University.

For the children and their parents who do not have an experience of Chanoyu, she tries to express it in many ways, such as Japanese history, manners, calligraphy, craft, fashion and spirituality. She wants children to feel and have more interest in the Japanese tea ceremony. She thinks the sense of beauty and manners could be learned without effort in childhood.

Keiko Kitazawa is also an artist. She paints Manhattan skylines and landscapes.She graduated from Osaka university of Art, as a design major. Later, she worked as an interior designer in Tokyo at Stom Ushidate’s design office, Interspace Time. She came to New York to be as artist in 1996. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology Fine Arts in oil painting. She has had group and solo exhibitions in New York galleries as well as other locations.

She teaches arts in her class “ KEIKO KOCH ART CLASS” in the towns of Garfield and Ridgewood, in New Jersey. Her students can express much richer color and texture with their own personality with her excellent coaching.

Keiko believes art works should be hanging in the house, thus the arts are enjoyed on a daily basis. Art is not only special, art should be a part of everyday life. She believes living space should be clean and decorated with a good sense of color and shapes.

Her living with “Chanoyu and Arts” is from her experience as an interior designer and also as an artist. It blends well with the beautiful artistry of Japanese tea ceremony.