the IEMOTO system and prevelance of women

** the establishment of the IEMOTO system



the centennial in 1691 of the death of SEN NORIKYU occasioned a renewed estimation of RIKYU, and consequently his direct heirs, meaning the the heads of the three SEN houses known as the OMOTESENKE8hereditary name of the head of this house, SEN SOSA), URASENKE(SEN SOSHITSU), and MUSHAKOJISENKE(SEN SOSHU), came into the limelight during this age. In due course, the IEMOTO system was adopted in the world of Chanoyu. This system is unique to Japan, and nowadays it tends to be viewed as peculiar to chanoyu, which is because chanoyuu is believed to embrace the most people under this system. Actually, however, the IEMOTO system exists widely among the fields of artistic accomplishments and martial arts that developed in Japan. Although there are differences depending on how finely it has been organized,basically in this system the person who succeeds to the position of IEMOTO(head master of the house/school) is at the top, those who are pursuing mastery in that school of artistic accomplishment,etc. are gathered together, and a hierarchy is constructed. The art or technique is broken down into KATA, or model forms, and what supports the hierarchy is the system by which these KATA are imparted and received. More specifically, there are successive levels of study, and working up from the lowest level, which is the NYUMON or beginner's level,the learner who becomes proficient at the the particular level of KATA that he or she has been taught so far is issued a certificate(called MENKYO or KYOJO, meaning license or permit) from the IEMOTO.

The system also works under the principles of either 'complete transmission' or 'incomplete transmission'. Complete transmission is where those who desire to receive instruction in all the KATA that have been passed on to the IEMOTO are permitted this, while incomplete transmission is where one portion of the KATA is not passed on to anyone other than the person who is to succeed as the next IEMOTO, the incomplete transmission method effectively means that only the selected IEMOTO-TO-Be can become IEMOTO, whereas the complete transmission system effectively means that anyone who has received all the transmissions might, if he wanted to, call himself an IEMOTO.

This IEMOTO system, particularly its hereditary form, sometimes is criticized. However, one aspect of the system is that,owing to it the KATA of the artistic accomplishments and martial arts of Japan have been passed down through a long period of time without giving way very much and becoming altered.

**Senchado emerges

With the establishment of the IEMOTO system in chanoyu, the spread of chanoyu increased. On the other hand,however, RYOKUCHA -green tea made by the method called IRERU(淹れる infusion)-gradually gained popularity not simply as a beverage but as an occasion for painters, doctors, artists, Contortionists, and other such members of society to get together and enjoy conversing about art, life's ideals, and so forth. In due course, the implements used and method for preparing the most delicious RYOKUCHA were perfected, and, like the process that led to the establishment of chanoyu, a certain method took shape and, finally at the end of the 18th century, the activity called SENCHADO(literally,'the way of steeped tea'), in which the temae and implements were clearly defined, was established.

In their writings, SENCHADO enthusiasts were full of criticism of chanoyu. The main points that they criticized were that one bowl of KOICHA(濃茶 thick tea) was passed around and shared by a number of people; the practice of wiping many tea bowls with the same little linen cloth was unsanitary; chanoyu implements were too expensive, and it was silly that people should passionately collect them. In SENCHADO, therefore,one cup was for use by one person and even if one wiping cloth were used for different cups, the sides of the cloth were changed, and so forth. Also, the implements that were employed were not rare and expensive items but items that could be purchased at reasonable prices.

In that SENCHADO was based on a n admiration for China, the implements that were favored were largely of Chinese make,but articles also came to be produced in Japan that were intended for use in this kind of tea practice. Notably, such famous ceramists of the late EDO period as OKUDA EISEN(奥田 頴川),AOKI MOKUBEI(青木 木米),EIRAKU HOZEN(永楽 保全), and NIN'AMI DOHACHI(仁阿 道八) avidly produced wares for SENCHA, and people involved in SENCHYADO(煎茶道) rate their works highly.

** Modern Sukisha(数寄者),chanoyu Aesthetes, are Active

with the MEIJI Restoration in 1868, there came the end of the EDO period, which had lasted for nearly three hundred years, and cataclysmic changes occurred in society. Chanoyu,too,was not immue to the effects of this. As it was not the time to be relaxing and enjoying chanoyu, the number of students of chanoyu sharply decreased. Consequently, the chanoyu IEMONO, who had hitherto enjoyed security, were forced to confront difficulties. By continuing to make assiduous efforts, such as arranging to teach chanoyu at schools and designing the RYUREI(立礼) TEMAE style which is done sitting on a chair at a table, as it could be foreseen that people's lifestyles would become chair-oriented rather than TATAMI-ORIENTed, they managed to find their way out of the critical situation.

Before long, the leaders of the newly-risen financial combines that enjoyed sudden growth at the time of the reforms attendant with the MEIJI Restoration started to take interest in chanoyu. With their strong finance, they bought up art objects, including chadogu, that were being auctioned off by the old DAIMYO families and aristocratic families who, suffering hardships, put these collector items that had come down in their families out for sale. The new leaders in the financial world had chasitsu at their residences and villas, where they frequently held chakai, or 'tea get-togethers',calling together men of taste like themselves. These were occasions to introduce their newly acquired chadogu and enjoy chanoyu.

The people who were involved in chanoyu in this way are described as 'modern-age sukisha(aesthetes)'. The leading figure among them, MASUDA DON'O(益田 鈍翁), initiated the DAISHIKAI(大師会)society, which he named after KOBO DAISHI(弘法大師, the monk,scholar,poet,and artist KUKAI,774-835,founder of the Shingon sect of Buddhism), at his mansion. In the KANSAI region, as well, a society called the KOETSUKAI(光悦会), taking its name from the EDO-period artist HON'AMI KOETSU(本阿弥 光悦), was initiated through the sponsorship of various sukisha and art dealers. Newspapers had just come to be read by the massed, and , although it would be unheard of nowadays, their pages were crowded with articles about these chanoyu gatherings where amazing arrays of rare artworks and chadogu that ranked as MEIBUTSU(名物,masterpieces) were displayed.

Many of the modern-age sukisha were not interested in receiving KYOJO certificates from the IEMOTO, even if they did learn how to do TEMAE. They enjoyed their own style of chanoyu,and so the IEMOTO,while probably happy that chanoyu itself was enjoying renewed vigor, may have felt somewhat perplexed. Also, because the sukisha were amassing collections mainly by bidding at auctions, the art dealers who were the agents between the sellers and buyers gained prominence. They were indispensable to the collection gathering as well as the big tea gatherings of the modern-age sukisha.

Many of the collections of the modern-age sukisha remain intact today in the form of private museum collections open to the public, although there were some that were dispersed upon the collector's death.

** Women become the mainstream

The chanoyu IEMOTO, having found their way through the crises of the early MEIJI Period, thought about the future and gradually realized that it was important to popularize chanoyu among the young generation, who would be shouldering the next age. They therefore poured energy into teaching chanoyu at schools. This resulted in chanoyu lessons being incorporated into school curriculums, especially at girl's schools. There also were public schools that adopted chanoyu as a clas in moral education. Because many of the schools that incorporated chanoyu into the curriculum were girls' schools, however, the percentage of women trained in chanoyu suddenly increased. Whereas the great majority of the chanoyu population had consisted of men until then, this resulted in an overturn of the ratio between men and women.

There even was a period when chanoyu training was considered a must for women's domestic training, to prepare them properly for marriage. Not only did the ratio of women chanoyu students greatly increase, but the chanoyu population altogether continued to expand. The middle of the 20th century may be said to have been when chanoyu,within its history of five hundred years, had the most students ever.

Another big characteristic of the chanoyu of the middle of 20th century may be said to be its introduction and spread overseas. As previously explained, chanoyu is a typical form of Japanese culture. However, this does not mean that it therefore is not possible for non-Japanese to understand it or set foot into it. We can see how true this is by that fact that many non-Japanese come to Japan and learn chanoyu, and have been teaching it after returning to their home chanoyu, and have been teaching it after returning to their home countries. Because other countries have their own culture and many also already have their tea culture, there is some resistance to accepting chonoyu exactly as it is practiced in Japan. It seems, therefore, that there is a strong tendency of people abroad to interpret chanoyu in their own way and practice it in a different form that fits in with their national customs and lifestyles.