Mushanokoji-senke (武者小路千家)
Mushanokoji-senke is one of the tea schools. In particular, it is one of the three Senke along with Omote-senke and Ura-senke. Kankyuan refers to either; 1) the tea ceremony house of Mushanokoji-senke or 2) Zaidan Hojin Kankyuan (the Kankyuan Foundation). The residence of the head of the school is located at Ogawa Higashi Iru, Mushanokoji-dori Street, Kamigyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture and hence the name Mushanokoji-senke.
The History
The fourth Soke Shoshu ICHIO left his family home along with his older brother Sosetsu to become an adoptive child of a lacquer-ware artisan working under the shop name of Kichimonjiya and was referred to as Jinemon YOSHIOKA. However, in the last few years of his life, Sotan was working with Sosa KOSHIN and it seems that after returning to the way of tea at Senke, he set up Kankyuan as urged by his brothers. The lacquer-ware shop was carried on by the Setetsu NAKAMURA family. In 1666, Ichio served Yorishige MATSUDAIRA of the Takamatsu clan in the Sanuki Province as Sado (a person who oversees the matters relating to the way of tea) but transferred the position to the fifth Soke Soshu BUNSHUKU on the grounds of his advancing age. Thereafter, iemoto (Head of the School) of Mushanokoji-senke was assigned as Sado shinan yaku (Sado instructor).
The seventh Soke Chokusai was an adoptive son from a samurai family but, along with the seventh iemoto of Omote-senke Joshinsai and the eight iemoto of Ura-senke Itto Soshitsu who were his contemporaries, he developed the iemoto seido (iemoto system) whereby he took in many students and was referred to as the resurgence. However, Kankyuan was burnt down several times by various causes including the Great Fire of Tenmei, the battles at the end of the Edo Period and the like but was rebuilt after each incident.
After the passing of the 11th Soke Isshisai in early Meiji Period, the 12th Soke Yukosai who was the youthful adoptive son of Isshisai was fostered by Ura-senke and Mushanokoji-senke was extinguished for the period of time. Yukosai, however, studied Japanese History at Tokyo Imperial University and, after graduation, restored Mushanokoji-senke. Yukosai enjoyed the western music and liked a jujube-shaped tea case known as 'Kimigayoso' with a design of staff notation. The 13th Soke Urinsai was a scholar at Kyoto Imperial University was a scholarly iemoto much like Yukosai was.
Kyojo
Kyojo' is documentation to permit the holder to give lessons to students and is different from 'menjo (diploma),' 'menkyo (license)' or 'dan-I (rank)' which implies the recognition of the receiver's ability.
The Line of Iemoto (head of school)
After the passing of SEN no Rikyu, SEN no Sotan who succeeded Shoan (Rikyu's stepson) of a collateral line set up the residence in Kyoto and had his second son Soushu, third son Sosa and fourth son Soshitsu start Mushanokoji-senke, Omote-senke and Ura-senke, respectively, which marked the beginning of the three Senke. Mushanokoji-senke was referring to the school founder Soshu (ICHIO) as the fourth soke and the second Soshu (BUNSHUKU) as the fifth soke but in recent years the lineage became synchronized with that of the other two Senke to refer to Rikyu as the original soke. By tradition of Mushanokoji-senke, its iemoto takes over the real name of 'Soshu' ICHIO, whereas, koshi (the successor) of iemoto is referred to as 'Soya' and the retired iemoto is referred to as 'Soan,' the real name of GENPAKU.
The Line of Mushanokoji-senke