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| Cowra and Japan | ||||||||||
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Cowra, situated 330 km west of Sydney, has a strong link with Japan.
The relationship between Cowra and Japan dates back to 5 August, 1944.
In early morning on that day, over 1,000 Japanese prisoners-of-war
attempted to escape from a camp in Cowra even though they did not
have any real weapons nor means to arm. As a result of the breakout,
231 Japanese prisoners died, others captured or committed suicide,
and four Australian army guards died as they tried to staunch the
escape. The breakout arouse from a sense of humiliation among the
prisoners. At that time, the Japanese found capture as a disguise
to themselves, their families and their country.
Since the event, Cowra has developed a positive relationship with the Japanese, who used to be the enemies. In 1963, the Cowra War Cemetery was opened, where both of Japanese and Australians who died in World War II lie peacefully. To this date, it is still the only official Japanese war cemetery in the world. In 1979, the beautiful Japanese Garden, designed by one of the leading landscape architects Ken Nakajima, was established as a symbol for the strong relationship between Cowra and Japan. The magnificent Japanese Garden has made itself famous for Sakura Matsuri (Cherry Blossom Festival) held in October every year. The Cowra-Japan relationship originates from a tragic event for both communities. However, the relationship has bought about a number of positive aspects and developed into a friendship. Urasenke Cowra Association is proud to contribute to the spirit of friendship and peace between Cowra and Japanese community. Cowra Association was established in September, 2005. To illustrate our unique characteristics, the members come from Sydney, Cowra, Dubbo and other regions, and a number of activities are offered in all these areas. This uniqueness has provided the members an opportunity to share their life experiences and learn from each other, through Chado. |
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| September 2006 |  |
The Year of Exchange: The Way of Tea with Urasenke Lecture at ACT Australian Gallery and Tea Presentation at Cowra War Cenetery by Dr Genshitu SEN. | ||||||||
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Tea Ceremony demonstration at Sakura Matsuri in Cowra, October every year | |||||||||
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Study day on various subjects in Sydney, Cowra, Canberra and Dubbo. | |||||||||
| Click the images to enlarge. | ||||||||||
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