Ruriko (Soryu) Yamakawa studied the Omotesenke-style tea culture with Haruko Kimura in Kumamoto, Japan.
2001
After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting, she moved to the New York Metropolitan area and continued to study the Omotesenke tea culture with Masako Koike at SOHGA-AN tearoom in New York City.
2017
When Mrs. Koike returned to Japan, she became an instructor in the Omotesenke-style tea culture at the Nippon Club Culture Courses. She performed a tea workshop at Columbia University.
2018
She performed tea workshops at Yale University.
She conducted a public tea gathering in New York City.
2019
She became the Treasurer for US Eastern Region Omotesenke Domonkai (Student and Teachers Association).
She also established the New York Chanoyu Center for the Study of Tea of the US Eastern Region Omotesenke Domonkai, and actively promoted Omotesenke-style tea activities through the Chanoyu Center.
She was responsible for promoting Omotesenke-style tea activities at the Chanoyu Center.
She planned and organized numerous public tea gatherings in New York City.
She conducted tea workshops at Barnard University and Colgate University.
2021
After residing in the US for 25 years, she relocated to Kumamoto.
2022
She organized a charity tea gathering to support the people of Ukraine.
2024
She was invited to participate in "the Way of Tea: Embodied Learning and its Significance" two-week program at Colgate University in New York.