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 house/family", came into existence due to the location of the homestead of this line of the family in relation to what was originally the frontmost house (the ) of the estate.JTBの新日本ガイド15:京都 The other main schools of Japanese tea ceremony, and , also follow this naming convention, with the former meaning "front house/family", and the latter derived from the street name of the family's homestead, .
History The three houses derive from descendants of , who was active during the period and is the most historically important figure within Japanese tea ceremony.
's hometown was , in the province of (in present-day Osaka Prefecture). However, as his activities became centered in Kyoto, he kept a house in Kyoto. He also had his adopted son-in-law, , who was married to his daughter , move from to Kyoto, leaving his natural son, , to tend the family home and business in . This represents the origin of the two branches of the family () referred to as the and .
The , headed by , eventually settled in a house located on Street, in the neighborhood of temple; the house and property representing the original estate in Kyoto. Following the death of , both of the and of the , inevitably caught up in the wrath of which had been the reason for 's self-immolation, were in danger of also losing their lives, and so, to protect their homes and families, they went into hiding. After a number of months, however, both were able to return home.
, still living in , left no successors to carry on the , however, upon returning home to Kyoto, already had a son born of himself and , to succeed him as head of the .Sen Sōsa, Sen Sōshitsu, Sen Sōshū supv. eds, Rikyū Daijiten (利休大辞典, "Rikyū Encyclopedia") entries for "Sakai Senke" and "Kyō-Senke". Tankosha Pub. Co., 1989. .
had five offspring: the elder two, (?-1652) and (1605-1676), were his sons born of his first wife. However, following her death, remarried, having two sons ( (1613-1672) and (1622-1697)) and a daughter (, dates unknown) by his second wife. His first and second sons, and , began living independently when they were young men, with his fourth son, , also leaving the family as a young man to train as an apprentice under a local doctor named . Due to the untimely death of , however, returned home in 1645, and thereafter, with his father 's support, trained as a expert, similarly to his older brother, , the heir to the family.
Around the year 1646, when was roughly 68 years old, he gave up his headship of the family to , and moved into quarters which had been built at the rear of the house, including a tiny tea hut known as the .Iguchi Kaisen, et al., supervising eds., Genshoku Chadō Daijiten (原色茶道大辞典, "Color-illustrated Chadō Encyclopedia"), entry for "Sen no Sōtan." Tankosha Pub. Co., 1975. . 's retirement quarters became 's home base, with eventually becoming heir to the property.
found employment for his eldest son, , with the clan of the domain, but soon quit his position with the , leading to disinheriting 's second son, , had in contrast been adopted by the family in Kyoto, known for specialising in lacquerware under their business name of . During this period, went by the name . In his later life, however, returned to the family, establishing a tea room named "" at his residence on street, and retrained as a expert. With this, the direct descendants of branched into the three lines of both the family and schools of tea ceremony known as the today.Rikyū Daijiten entry for "Sōtan no tōjyō" ("Sōtan enters the stage"), p. 114.
Before the Meiji Restoration (1868), the heads of the three families served as magistrates under various , respectively receiving a yearly stipend from them as payment for their services. , fourth son of the family and leader of the branch that would eventually be known as the , served the clan of . In generations following this, the head of the family also served as a magistrate for the clan of the domain (present day Prefecture), as well as serving as caretaker to the clan's Kyoto residence. The eleventh generation head of the family, (1810–77), born as the fifth son of a minor named of the domain, married into the family, whilst also serving the branch of the Tokugawa family. However, following the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1868, the lost their positions, and the hereditary stipends which the three families had been receiving came to an end. It was after this, and the loss of their positions serving the , that the families established their system.Chanoyu Quarterly no. 73, "The Diffusion of the Way of Tea" p. 5-6. Urasenke Foundation, 1993. ISSN 0009-1537.
The entire historical estate, located in the ward of Kyoto, is referred to by the name of its representative tea room, the .
Headmasters () All three major schools of Japanese tea ceremony share their first three generations of headmasters, known as the . is their mutual first generation and family founder (), with his adopted son-in-law, as their shared second generation , and 's son, , as their shared third generation .
From the fourth generation onwards, the three family lineages divide, with the heads of each family carrying the professional hereditary name used by the successive heads of their respective family. Upon succession to the position of of the family and its school of , the new assumes the professional name of , and is officially referred to as . The current head of the school of tea is , the 16th generation of the family, and is referred to as XVI.
Generation name religious pseudonym 1st (1522–1591) 2nd (1546–1614) 3rd (1578–1658) 4th (1622–1697) 5th (1673–1704) 6th (1694–1726) 7th (1709–1733) 8th (1719–1771) 9th (1746–1801) 10th (1770–1826) 11th (1810–1877) 12th (1852–1917) 13th (1872–1924) 14th (1893–1964) 15th (1923–2025) 16th (current ) (born 1956)
Urasenke Foundation The Urasenke Foundation () is an incorporated foundation originally registered by the Japanese government in 1949, during the era of the 14th generation grand master of . Its stated purpose is to preserve and foster the cultural heritage of , with its activities including the maintenance and management of the estate and cultural assets, and the support of research and public education regarding the study of tea ceremony.Urasenke Konnichian English website page "Urasenke Foundation", at http://www.urasenke.or.jp/texte/organ/konnichian/index_kon.html. Retrieved 4.13.2020.
Its administrative office, together with that of the Federation, is located within the five story Center building located a short distance west of the historical compound.
Center
Research Center Library
Branches The Urasenke Tokyo Branch () was originally established in 1957 in Tokyo's ward, moving to its present quarters in the section of Tokyo's ward in 1995. This facility serves as the hub of the activities sponsored by the head house in Japan's capital. Various training courses and special events held at are also held here, for the convenience of participants living in Eastern Japan. The main building contains replicas of the and tea rooms at .The Urasenke Chado Tradition color-illustrated 38-page pamphlet. Kyoto: Urasenke Foundation. December, 2019 printing. The Tokyo Branch is the only branch in Japan.
From the mid-1960s onwards, XV () began to dispatch qualified instructors to live overseas and, operating out of Foundation branch offices or liaison offices, to teach the growing numbers of individuals who desired to pursue the practice of .The Urasenke Chado Tradition. The dates and places to which the teachers were dispatched and thus an branch or liaison office was established were as follows:Grand Master Soshitsu Sen XV's Fifty-year Road Towards the Internationalization of the Way of Tea. Kyoto: Chado Urasenke Tankokai, Inc., 2001.
1966, September. Hawaii (Honolulu), and Boston 1967, September. New York 1969, August. Rome, Italy 1972, June. Munich, Germany, when donated a tea house named 1973, February. Mexico (Mexico City) 1973, August. Hilo, Hawaii 1974, March. Brisbane (liaison office), Australia 1974, November. Peru (Lima) 1976, April. London, England; Düsseldorf, Germany; and Paris, France 1976, August. Brazil (São Paulo) 1980, December. San Francisco, California 1981, February. Seattle, Washington 1986, May. Schwarzwald (liaison office; became Freiburg liaison office in 1997, April), Germany 1991, March. Moscow (liaison office), Russia 1991, May. Beijing (liaison office; became branch in 1993), China 1992, August. Tianjin (liaison office), China 1993, April. Vancouver (liaison office; became branch in 1994), Canada 1993, August. Sydney, Australia 1994, September. Washington D.C. 1997, April. Netherlands (liaison office)
Independently registered Foundation corporations The Urasenke Foundation of Hawaii, headquartered at the Hawaii Branch, was established as a USA registered non-profit corporation in 1976
The Urasenke Tea Ceremony Society, Inc, headquartered at the Center, was established as a USA registered non-profit corporation in 1981, when the New York Branch moved into the newly opened Center, located at 153 East 69th St. in New York.
The Foundation of California, headquartered at the San Francisco Branch, was founded as a USA registered non-profit organization in 1994. It is generally known as Foundation San Francisco.
Urasenke Tankōkai The Urasenke Tankōkai (裏千家淡交会) is the membership organization for Urasenke teachers and students. It was initiated in 1940 by the fourteenth-generation head of Urasenke, Tantansai (1893-1964), with the aim of unifying and encouraging the practitioners of Urasenke chadō.Urasenke Konnichian English website page "The Urasenke Legacy," entry for "14th Generation," at http://www.urasenke.or.jp/texte/legacy/lineage1.html. Retrieved 4.04.2020. In 1953, it was registered by the Ministry of Education and Culture as a not-for-profit incorporated association (shadan hōjin). It is now registered as a not-for-profit general incorporated association (ippan shadan hōjin).Urasenke Konnichian Japanese website page "Ippan Shadan Hojin Chado Urasenke Tankokai," at http://www.urasenke.or.jp/textc/tan/index.html. Retrieved 4.04.2020. Its official registered name, as such, is Ippan Shadan Hōjin Chadō Urasenke Tankōkai (一般社団法人茶道裏千家淡交会). In English, it is referred to as the Urasenke Tankōkai Federation. Its stated aims are to ensure the standardization of the Urasenke chanoyu rules and tea-making procedures (temae), support research, encourage cooperation and exchange among all members, promote the practice of the principles laid down by the grand master, and expand the chadō population around the world. Also, it provides support for the purposes and activities of the Urasenke Foundation.Urasenke Konnichian English website page "Urasenke Tankokai Federation," at http://www.urasenke.or.jp/texte/organ/tankokai/index_tan.html. Retrieved 4.04.2020.