FX's "Shogun" celebrates the ancient tradition of the tea ceremony

TOKYO -- FX's "Shōgun" takes audiences back in time to feudal Japan as it chronicles the lives of the samurai class, depicting everything from their archery training to their tea ceremonies.

"Tea ceremony was very important for the life of samurai for them to be able to calm down, find peace, reflect on themselves. So it is a very important element of the lives of the characters that we're portraying in Shogun," explained Eriko Miyagawa, a "Shōgun" producer.

Fuyuko Kobori is a 17th-generation tea master based in Tokyo who is keeping that tradition alive still today. Her ancestors even served the Tokugawa shogunate, which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1867.

"The purpose of tea is to create a rich emotional exchange between host and guest through making a cup of tea," Kobori explained of the ritual.

Speaking about the representation of the tea ceremony in "Shōgun," Kobori said she is thrilled to see an accurate representation of this historical tradition on-screen.

"I feel very happy and pleased to see tea being featured in such a proper way. I hope that more and more people will learn about it, experience it, and become interested in it."

Watch FX's "Shōgun" streaming now on Hulu and internationally on Disney+.

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