Omotesenke

The front gate to the Omotesenke Fushin'an estate, Kyoto.

Omotesenke (表千家おもてせんけ) is one of the schools of Japanese tea ceremony. Along with Urasenke and Mushakōjisenke, it is one of the three lines of the Sen family descending from Sen no Rikyū, which together are known as the san-Senke or "three Sen houses/families" (三さん千せん家いえ).

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, the "Fushin-an" (不審ふしん庵あん), was where Sen no Rikyū's son-in-law, Sen Shōan, reestablished the Kyoto Sen household after Rikyū's death. It is located on Ogawa street in the Kamigyō ward of Kyoto.

Shōan's son Sen Sōtan 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" (今日きょう庵あん). Eventually, Sōtan's youngest son, Sensō Sōshitsu, inherited that part of the estate, which came to be known as the home of the Urasenke.

Kashō-ken (華はな松軒しょうけん) tea house used by the Omotesenke school in Gifu, central Japan

Style

There are small stylistic differences between the different schools. 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 (許状ゆるしじょう), menjō (免状めんじょう) or sōden (相伝そうでん). They allow students to study certain tea procedures.

License	Requirements	Notes
Nyūmon (入門にゅうもん entrance)	Starting with warigeiko (割わり稽古けいこ basics) and ryakutemae, basic light tea and thick tea and charcoal procedures and knowledge of Tea Ceremony	students can apply for Nyūmon immediately or soon after starting their studies. Nyūmon and Naraigoto can be applied for at the same time.
Naraigoto (習事ならいごと things to learn)	daikazari, chasenkazari, kumiawasedate, shikumidate, nagao, bonkōgo, hanashomō, sumishomō
Kazarimono (飾かざり物ぶつ display)	jikukazari, tsubokazari, chairekazari, chawankazari, chashakukazari,
Satsūbako (茶ちゃ通箱かよいばこ tea box)	procedures using the Satsūbako
Karamono (唐物とうぶつ Chinese ware)	procedures using Chinese wares	-tea name -Kōshi (講師こうし teaching permission)
Daitenmoku (台たい天目てんもく)	procedures using the tenmokudai
Bonten (盆ぼん点てん)	procedures using a square tray	Kyōju (教授きょうじゅ professor)
Midarekazari (乱らん飾かざり)	procedures using a daisu
Shindaisu (真ま台子だいす formal tana)	procedures using a formal daisu

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

Instructions by the 8th iemoto Ken'ō Sōsa on how to clean the frame (robuchi) of the fire pit (ro)

The hereditary name of the head (iemoto) of this line of the family is Sōsa.

Generation	Personal name		Buddhist name
1st	Rikyu Sōeki (1522-1591)	利休りきゅう 宗易そうえき	Hōsensai	抛ほう筌斎
2nd	Shōan Sōjun (1546-1614)	少しょう庵あん 宗そう淳あつし
3rd	Genpaku Sōtan (1578-1658)	元もと伯はく 宗旦そうたん	Totsutotsusai	咄々斎とき
4th	Kōshin Sōsa (1613-1672)	江こう岑 宗むね左ひだり	Hōgensai	逢源斎とき
5th	Ryōkyū Sōsa (1650-1691)	良りょう休きゅう 宗そう佐たすく	Zuiryūsai	随ずい流りゅう斎とき
6th	Gensō Sōsa (1678-1730)	原はら叟 宗むね左ひだり	Kakkakusai	覚さとし々斎とき
7th	Ten'nen Sōsa (1705-1751)	天然てんねん 宗むね左ひだり	Joshinsai	如心斎とき
8th	Ken'ō Sōsa (1744-1808)	件けん翁おう 宗はじめ左ひだり	Sottakusai	啐啄斎とき
9th	Kōshuku Sōsa (1775-1825)	曠叔 宗むね左ひだり	Ryōryōsai	了りょう々斎とき
10th	Shōō Sōsa (1818-1860)	祥さち翁おう 宗はじめ左ひだり	Kyūkōsai	吸江ぎゅうこう斎とき
11th	Zuiō Sōsa (1837-1910)	瑞みず翁おう 宗はじめ左ひだり	Rokurokusai	碌々ろくろく斎とき
12th	Keiō Sōsa (1863-1937)	敬たかし翁おう 宗はじめ左ひだり	Seisai	惺斎
13th	Mujin Sōsa (1901-1979)	無盡むじん 宗むね左ひだり	Sokuchūsai	即そく中斎なかさい
14th	Sōsa (1938-)	宗そう左ひだり	Jimyōsai	而妙斎とき
15th	Sōsa (1970-)	宗そう左ひだり	Yūyūsai　(current iemoto)	猶なお有ゆう斎とき

External links

Media related to Omotesenke at Wikimedia Commons

• Omotesenke Website (English)