Omotesenke (表千家) is one of the

schools of Japanese tea ceremony "Schools of Japanese tea" refers to the various lines or "streams" of Japanese tea ceremony. The word "schools" here is an English rendering of the Japanese term . There are three historical households () dedicated to developing and teaching the ...

. Along with

Urasenke is one of the main schools of Japanese tea ceremony. Along with and , it is one of the three lines of the family descending from , which together are known as the - or the "three houses/families" (). The name , literally meaning "rear hous ...

and

Mushakōjisenke , sometimes referred to as ''Mushanokōjisenke'', is one of the schools of Japanese tea ceremony. Along with Urasenke and Omotesenke, the Mushakōjisenke is one of the three lines of the Sen family descending from Sen no Rikyū, which together ar ...

, it is one of the three lines of the Sen family descending from

Sen no Rikyū , also known simply as Rikyū, is considered the historical figure with the most profound influence on ''chanoyu,'' the Japanese "Way of Tea", particularly the tradition of '' wabi-cha''. He was also the first to emphasize several key aspects ...

, which together are known as the san-Senke or "three Sen houses/families" (三千家). The name "Omotesenke", literally meaning "front Sen house/family," came into being as a natural occurrence, because of the location of the homestead of this line of the family in relation to that of the line of the family at what originally was the rear (ura) of the Sen estate. The name "Mushakōjisenke" for the other of the three lines of the family derives from the fact that the family's homestead is located along Mushakōji street.

History

The Omotesenke estate, known by the name of its representative

tea room A teahouse (mainly Asia) or tearoom (also tea room) is an establishment which primarily serves tea and other light refreshments. A tea room may be a room set aside in a hotel especially for serving afternoon tea, or may be an establishment whic ...

, the "Fushin-an" (不審庵), was where Sen no Rikyū's son-in-law, Sen Shōan, reestablished the

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...

Sen household after Rikyū's death. It is located on Ogawa street in the Kamigyō ward of Kyoto. Shōan's son

Sen Sōtan Sen may refer to: Surname * Sen (surname), a Bengali surname * Şen, a Turkish surname * A variant of the Serer patronym Sène Currency subunit * Etymologically related to the English word ''cent''; a hundredth of the following currencies: ** ...

soon succeeded as the family heir and head of this estate. The next heir to the estate and family tradition was Sōtan's third son, Kōshin Sōsa, counted as the fourth generation in the Omotesenke family line. Sōtan, when he was ready to retire and gave the headship of the family over to Kōshin Sōsa, established his retirement quarters on adjacent property in the north, building a tiny tea room there, the "Konnichi-an" (今日庵). Eventually, Sōtan's youngest son, Sensō Sōshitsu, inherited that part of the estate, which came to be known as the home of the Urasenke. Kasho-ken (7255434612)

Style

There are small stylistic differences between the different

schools A school is an educational institution designed to provide learning spaces and learning environments for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is sometimes compulsor ...

. For example, the Omotesenke school whisks the tea less than the Urasenke school, creating less foam on the top of the tea. Also, Omotesenke uses both an untreated bamboo ''chasen'' and a'' susudake chasen'', or darkened-bamboo tea whisk, while Urasenke uses untreated bamboo for its ''chasen'' or tea whisk. The Fushin-an estate, where the 3rd generation, Sōtan, lived until retirement, is the home and headquarters of Omotesenke. The Kitayama Kaikan in Kyoto is a relatively modern Omotesenke facility, where Omotesenke sponsors exhibitions, lectures, and other educational programs for the general public.

Levels

Licenses or permissions are called ''kyojō'' (許状), ''menjō'' (免状) or ''sōden'' (相伝). They allow students to study certain tea procedures.

Warigeiko

The first skills a student in any Tea school learns are the ''warigeiko'', literally divided or separate training. The ''warigeiko'' are skills practiced separately from actual ''temae'' (tea or charcoal procedures); since they form the basis of temae, they must be acquired before a student begins making tea. They include: ;Basic tea room knowledge :opening and closing sliding doors; walking in the tea room; how and where to sit; how and when to bow; basic guest behaviour including use of fans ;Fukusa :folding, opening and handling the fukusa ;Natsume :the natsume is the first type of tea container students learn to use. Skills include how to fill the container with tea; how to pick it up, hold it, and put it down; how to purify it ;Chashaku :how to handle and purify the tea scoop ;Hishaku :how to handle the ladle; special movements for hot and cold water ;Chasen :how to handle the tea whisk; how to whisk tea ;Chakin :how to fold the tea cloth; how to use it to clean the tea bowl ;Chawan :how to handle the tea bowl as both a host and a guest

Headmasters

The hereditary name of the head (''

iemoto is a Japanese term used to refer to the founder or current Grand Master of a certain school of traditional Japanese art. It is used synonymously with the term when it refers to the family or house that the iemoto is head of and represents. Th ...

'') of this line of the family is Sōsa.

External links

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Omotesenke Website (English)
Chadō