On Saturday, April 11, Kosho McCall, an SFZC alumnus and former head of practice at Tassajara, was installed as abbot of Austin Zen Center in a Mountain Seat Ceremony. Kosho has been leading the Branching Streams affiliate for six years now. The ceremony was attended and celebrated by a strong contingent of San Francisco Zen Center official representatives and alumni, some of whom are shown in the photos below, as well as Suzuki Roshi’s son and grandson from Japan.
![Kosho McCall in a new robe sewn for the occasion; Hoitsu Suzuki Roshi and Shungo Suzuki (Shunryu Suzuki's son and grandson).](https://blogs.sfzc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/kosho_suzukis_combo-600x423.jpg)
Kosho McCall in a new robe sewn for the occasion; Hoitsu Suzuki Roshi and Shungo Suzuki (Shunryu Suzuki Roshi’s son and grandson).
![From left: Sojun Mel Weitsman, SFZC Branching Streams Liaison Steve Weintraub, SFZC Central Abbess Eijun Linda Cutts attending the ceremony.](https://blogs.sfzc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/SFZC_venerables2_austinzc_whittington-600x400.jpg)
From left: Senior Dharma Teacher Sojun Mel Weitsman, SFZC Branching Streams Liaison Steve Weintraub, and SFZC Central Abbess Eijun Linda Cutts attending the ceremony. (Back: Shungo Suzuki; Daiyu Judith Randall.)
![Mako Voelkel (former Tassajara director), Hoitsu Suzuki Roshi, Graham Ross (alum), Ryushin Paul Haller, during off time in Austin.](https://blogs.sfzc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/AustinZC_MtSeat2015_mako-hoitsu-graham-paul_sq-600x568.jpg)
Mako Voelkel (former Tassajara director), Hoitsu Suzuki Roshi, Graham Ross (alum), and Ryushin Paul Haller (Senior Dharma Teacher) during off time in Austin. Mako and Graham are now co-tantos at Austin Zen Center.
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Photo credits: ceremony photos by Richard Whittington; hat photo by Daigan Gaither.