Chado or Sado
(Tea Ceremony)
The Three Senke Schools
Sen So'oku, the future grand master of Mushakouji Senke
Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591), who perfected chado, was a successful merchant who was respected even by Japan's ruler of the time, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598). He hosted various tea events and was also deeply involved in politics.
After the death of Rikyu, the art of chado was passed down the generations. Of the four sons of one of Rikyu's grandsons, the second, third, and fourth sons became heirs to the Senke tea ceremony ("Senke" means "Sen family"). The second son, Soshu, started the Mushakouji Senke school; the third son, Sosa, the Omote Senke school; and the fourth son, Soshitsu, the Ura Senke school. Since that time, the three Senke schools have kept the chado tradition alive for 400 years.
Kids Web Japan visited Sen So'oku (his real name is Sen Masayoshi), the oldest son of Futessai Soshu, the current grand tea master of the Mushakouji Senke school and the fourteenth generation from Rikyu. So'oku will one day be the fifteenth grand master.
About Mushakouji Senke
A view of Kankyuan from the garden. (©Mushakouji Senke)
Amigasamon, the gate leading to Kankyuan. (©Mushakouji Senke)
Sen Ichio Soshu, the first tea master of Mushakouji Senke, opened the tearoom Kankyuan in Kyoto in 1667. This was located on a street called Mushakouji, and that is why the school has come to be known as Mushakouji Senke.
Kankyuan is a tiny tearoom built in a style known as ichijo daime, which means that its floor area is only worth about one and a half tatami mats. The present Kankyuan was built in 1916. The garden that leads to the tearoom is renowned for its beauty, and it is designated by the city of Kyoto as a scenic site.
Mushakouji Senke also has a location in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. The tearoom here, built in the early eighteenth century, is called Hanshoan(289 words)
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