Muneto Kobori is the second daughter of Munezane Kobori, the master of the Enshu tea ceremony. He is a former member of the Japanese lacrosse team and is a tea ceremony master who knows the world of ``motion'' as an active player on an adult team. He also holds an ``Athlete Tea Ceremony'' to provide athletes with a moment of ``tranquility.''

As an athlete
I realized that I was supported by tea.

The ryureiseki seat of the Enshu tea ceremony had a two-width shaft hanging over it. Pictured are Muneto Kobori in a kimono, making tea, and Muneto playing lacrosse. Yuki Nishimoto's work depicts dynamic dragons and people in ink, showing the contrast between stillness and movement within her.

Muneto started making tea for athletes when he participated in the Lacrosse World Cup as a representative from Japan. “While I was training as an apprentice to the head of the school, I participated in the 2013 Lacrosse World Cup.After thinking carefully about how to represent Japan overseas, I decided to bring a matcha tea making set with me. Through the tea ceremony, we were able to get players from all over the world to recognize us as Japanese and respect Japanese culture.Afterwards, we started making tea at international friendly games sponsored by the Lacrosse Association. became".

It was in 2014 that Soto, who once again realized the appeal of tea ceremony while overseas, began serving matcha to athletes as part of the ``Athlete Tea Ceremony.'' ``From elementary school to university, I devoted myself to kendo and lacrosse.It was only after I graduated from university that I realized how much support I had received from the tea ceremony, and I wanted to give back to the tea ceremony.Because I was in the world of motion, I was able to enjoy the stillness. I can see how good it is. My father, who is the head of the family, tells me to do it without changing the essence." Muneto was born into a family that practiced the ``way'' of tea ceremony, and he had been searching for a long time to see what he could do.

``I had a good relationship with rugby player Kim Jong-kyu and American football player Shingo Maeda, who participated in this event, because we share the same training gym.Kim has always been interested in Japanese culture. ``I was told that I would like to try tea ceremony.Professional athletes seem to control their free time and always think about what they do.'' Athletes always want to improve their physical abilities and take training seriously, but they also want to improve their mental side in some way.

“For athletes, I think the tea ceremony is a mirror that reflects their own soul. Sengoku warlords are athletes of a certain type. They say it is a relief, but for those who are wasting their time and mind, the tea ceremony has a lot of weight. I think it was a spiritual place for Kobori Enshu, who was a samurai tea master." Kobori Enshu, the founder of Enshu tea ceremony, was a daimyo tea master. He must have approached tea with the pride of a samurai. An athlete before competing is like a samurai in modern times. A sympathy resonates between ancient samurai and modern athletes, transcending time and space.

before and after the match
When an athlete calms down and gently puts down the sword

Even in the tearoom, the athletes are in a state of disarray. It's beautiful even when you're sitting cross-legged because your core doesn't shake. The smile on his face after taking a sip is also impressive. "Athletes are used to having their bodies seen, so they are always conscious of how to look cool and strong. They hate to lose, so fukusa handling is also a form of training. Matcha improves their condition." In fact, with matcha, you drink the whole tea leaf, so you can get various components such as polyphenols, vitamins, and amino acids.

The "Athlete Tea Party" started in 2014. In recent years, I feel that activities are starting to take off in earnest, with Muneto calling out to athletes and other athletes hearing from other athletes who have experienced the event. He responds to requests from early morning until late at night. There are a variety of people, from professional golfers who want to come early before a game to professional baseball players who come late at night after a night game, and Muneto personally handles each of them.

Muneto Kobori still trains hard every day and every weekend, and dreams of becoming the best in Japan. ``My father is passionate about Kendo, and I'm passionate about lacrosse, as well as the tea ceremony,'' he says. ``I can feel it in my blood, just like Enshu Kobori, the founder of the school of tea.'' It is said that you can feel the blood of samurai flowing from Enshu for 440 years. "Even gold medalists need time to put down their swords. The ideal is for athletes from all over Japan to be able to make tea. I want athletes to be able to answer questions about Japan with confidence." Souto says. Suddenly, the athletes in the tea room looked like samurai from the Sengoku period.

→Sports and tea ceremony connected by athlete tea master Muneto Kobori (Part 1)

(Titles omitted)

Sosho Kobori

Tea ceremony master. She is the second daughter of the 13th head of the Enshu tea ceremony family. She is also active as a lacrosse player, and was selected for the 2011 U22 Japan National Team and the 2013 Japan National Team. She currently belongs to the social club team "MISTRAL". Her position is attack. After training under the iemoto, she also worked as an active lacrosse player while working to popularize the tea ceremony. She is a young athlete tea master who is attracting attention for her new endeavors, such as the fusion and development of sports and culture, and athlete tea ceremonies for athletes.