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116-478: The name "Urasenke" , literally meaning "rear Sen house/family", came into existence due to the location of the homestead of this line of the Sen family in relation to what was originally the frontmost house (the omote ) of the Sen estate. The other main schools of Japanese tea ceremony, Omotesenke and Mushakōjisenke , also follow this naming convention, with the former meaning "front Sen house/family", and

232-574: A chanoyu expert, similarly to his older brother, Kōshin Sōsa , the heir to the family. Around the year 1646, when Sōtan was roughly 68 years old, he gave up his headship of the family to Kōshin Sōsa , and moved into quarters which had been built at the rear of the house, including a tiny tea hut known as the Konnichian ( 今日庵 , "Hut of This Day" ) . Sōtan 's retirement quarters became Sensō 's home base, with Sensō eventually becoming heir to

348-444: A century of warfare. The political structure, established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and solidified under his two immediate successors, his son Tokugawa Hidetada (who ruled from 1616 to 1623) and grandson Tokugawa Iemitsu (1623–51), bound all daimyōs to the shogunate and limited any individual daimyō from acquiring too much land or power. The Tokugawa shogunate came to its official end on 9   November 1867, when Tokugawa Yoshinobu ,

464-520: A commoner who had risen through the ranks from foot soldier, Hideyoshi was now in a position to challenge even the most senior of the Oda clan's hereditary retainers, and proposed that Nobutada's infant son, Sanpōshi (who became Oda Hidenobu ), be named heir rather than Nobunaga's adult third son, Nobutaka, whose cause had been championed by Shibata Katsuie . Having gained the support of other senior retainers, including Niwa Nagahide and Ikeda Tsuneoki , Sanpōshi

580-466: A daughter ( Kure , dates unknown) by his second wife. His first and second sons, Kan'ō Sōsetsu and Ichiō Sōshū , began living independently when they were young men, with his fourth son, Sensō Sōshitsu , also leaving the family as a young man to train as an apprentice under a local doctor named Noma Gentaku . Due to the untimely death of Gentaku , however, Sensō returned home in 1645, and thereafter, with his father Sōtan 's support, trained as

696-473: A formal declaration of the restoration of his power: The Emperor of Japan announces to the sovereigns of all foreign countries and to their subjects that permission has been granted to the Shōgun Tokugawa Yoshinobu to return the governing power in accordance with his own request. We shall henceforward exercise supreme authority in all the internal and external affairs of the country. Consequently,

812-575: A house in Kyoto. He also had his adopted son-in-law, Sen Shōan , who was married to his daughter Okame , move from Sakai to Kyoto, leaving his natural son, Sen Dōan , to tend the family home and business in Sakai . This represents the origin of the two branches of the Sen family ( Senke ) referred to as the Sakai-Senke and Kyō-Senke . The Kyō-Senke , headed by Sen Shōan , eventually settled in

928-550: A house located on Ogawa Street, in the neighborhood of Honpō-ji temple; the house and property representing the original Sen estate in Kyoto. Following the death of Rikyū , both Sen Dōan of the Sakai-Senke and Sen Shōan of the Kyō-Senke , inevitably caught up in the wrath of Toyotomi Hideyoshi which had been the reason for Rikyū 's self-immolation, were in danger of also losing their lives, and so, to protect their homes and families, they went into hiding. After

1044-464: A loss of their cultural heritage. In the case of Hikone Castle , even though the government ordered its dismantling, it was saved by orders from the emperor himself. Nagoya Castle and Nijo Castle , due to their historical and cultural importance and sheer size and strategic locations, both became official imperial detached palaces, before they were turned over to the local authorities in the 1930s. Others such as Himeji Castle survived by luck. During

1160-603: A national system of public schools. These free schools taught students reading, writing, and mathematics. Students also attended courses in "moral training" which reinforced their duty to the Emperor and to the Japanese state. By the end of the Meiji period, attendance in public schools was widespread, increasing the availability of skilled workers and contributing to the industrial growth of Japan . The opening up of Japan not only consisted of

1276-714: A not-for-profit incorporated association ( shadan hōjin ). It is now registered as a not-for-profit general incorporated association ( ippan shadan hōjin ). 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

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1392-585: A number of months, however, both were able to return home. Sen Dōan , still living in Sakai , left no successors to carry on the Sakai-Senke. Sen Shōan , however, upon returning home to Kyoto, already had a son born of himself and Okame, Sen Sōtan , to succeed him as head of the Kyō-Senke . Sōtan had five offspring: the elder two, Kan'ō Sōsetsu (?-1652) and Ichiō Sōshū (1605-1676), were his sons born of his first wife. However, following her death, Sōtan remarried, having two sons ( Kōshin Sōsa (1613-1672) and Sensō Sōshitsu (1622-1697)) and

1508-605: A period of years for just such an opportunity by establishing an alliance with the Azai clan in northern Ōmi Province and then conquering the neighboring Mino Province , now marched toward Kyoto. After routing the Rokkaku clan in southern Ōmi, Nobunaga forced the Matsunaga to capitulate and the Miyoshi to withdraw to Settsu. He then entered the capital, where he successfully gained recognition from

1624-464: A ruthless, unrelenting adversary. In support of his political and military moves, he instituted economic reform, removing barriers to commerce by invalidating traditional monopolies held by shrines and guilds and promoting initiative by instituting free markets known as rakuichi-rakuza . The newly installed shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiaki also was extremely wary of his powerful nominal retainer Nobunaga, and immediately began plotting against him by forming

1740-509: A significant victory over the Takeda clan in the Battle of Nagashino . Despite the strong reputation of Takeda's samurai cavalry, Oda Nobunaga embraced the relatively new technology of the arquebus , and inflicted a crushing defeat. The legacy of this battle forced a complete overhaul of traditional Japanese warfare. In 1582, after a protracted campaign, Hideyoshi requested Nobunaga's help in overcoming

1856-400: A strong centralized state defining its national identity, the government established a dominant national dialect, called "standard language" ( 標準語 , hyōjungo ) , that replaced local and regional dialects and was based on the patterns of Tokyo's samurai classes. This dialect eventually became the norm in the realms of education, media, government, and business. The Meiji Restoration, and

1972-582: A sword or weapon to show their status. This led to a series of riots from disgruntled samurai. One of the major riots was the one led by Saigō Takamori, the Satsuma Rebellion , which eventually turned into a civil war. This rebellion was, however, put down swiftly by the newly formed Imperial Japanese Army , trained in Western tactics and weapons, even though the core of the new army was the Tokyo police force, which

2088-489: A threat politically, and it appeared that unification under the Oda banner was a matter of time. Nobunaga's enemies were not only other daimyōs but also adherents of a Jōdo Shinshū sect of Buddhism who were of the Ikkō-ikki faction, led by Kōsa . He endured though Nobunaga kept attacking his fortress for ten years. Nobunaga expelled Kennyo in the eleventh year, but, through a riot caused by Kennyo, Nobunaga's territory took

2204-518: A wide alliance of nearly every daimyō adjacent to the Oda realm. This included Oda's close ally and brother in-law Azai Nagamasa , the supremely powerful Takeda Shingen , as well as the monk warriors from the Tendai Buddhists monastic center at Mount Hiei near Kyoto (who became the first major casualty of this war as it was completely destroyed by Nobunaga). As the Oda army was bogged down by fighting on every corner, Takeda Shingen led what

2320-630: A year, in the spring and autumn, it calls together a national meeting of chapter presidents, to decide upon general policies and activities. In 1999, the International Division of the Urasenke Foundation was moved under the umbrella of this office, effectively extending the organization to overseas regions. Currently there are 92 official Chadō Urasenke Tankōkai associations spread over 37 countries outside Japan. The Urasenke Tankōkai Seinenbu (裏千家淡交会青年部), or Urasenke Tankōkai Youth Division,

2436-415: Is an organization for Urasenke chadō enthusiasts under the age of fifty. It was initiated in 1950 by the then Urasenke 15th-generation iemoto-to-be, Sen Sōkō, aiming to muster the combined power of Urasenke's youths toward rebuilding the war-torn nation. Its creed is "Train (修練) in order to better oneself; Serve (奉仕) your community; Friendship (友情) toward the world and among members." At first, the organization

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2552-426: Is equally true that the majority of samurai were content despite having their status abolished. Many found employment in the government bureaucracy, which resembled an elite class in its own right. The samurai, being better educated than most of the population, became teachers, gun makers, government officials, and/or military officers. While the formal title of samurai was abolished, the elitist spirit that characterized

2668-454: Is generally known as Urasenke Foundation San Francisco. 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. In 1953, it was registered by the Ministry of Education and Culture as

2784-718: Is generally known as the Urasenke Gakuen. It is located on the same neighborhood block as the Urasenke home in Kyoto, and is the only accredited school in Japan specializing in chadō education. It had its start in 1962, as the Urasenke Chadō Kenshūjō (裏千家茶道研修所), or "Urasenke Chadō Training Institute," run by Urasenke's incorporated foundation, Zaidan Hōjin Konnichian (known in English as the Urasenke Foundation). In 1971, its name

2900-602: The Kamigyō-ku ward of Kyoto, is referred to by the name of its representative tea room, the Konnichian . All three major schools of Japanese tea ceremony share their first three generations of headmasters, known as the iemoto . Sen no Rikyū is their mutual first generation and family founder ( 祖 ), with his adopted son-in-law, Sen Shōan as their shared second generation iemoto , and Sen Shōan 's son, Sen Sōtan , as their shared third generation iemoto . From

3016-551: The Nanban style —exotic depictions of European priests, traders, and other "southern barbarians" . The art of the tea ceremony also flourished at this time, and both Nobunaga and Hideyoshi lavished time and money on this pastime, collecting tea bowls, caddies, and other implements, sponsoring lavish social events, and patronizing acclaimed masters such as Sen no Rikyū . Hideyoshi had occupied Nagasaki in 1587, and thereafter sought to take control of international trade and to regulate

3132-537: The Owari branch of the Tokugawa family . However, following the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1868, the daimyō lost their positions, and the hereditary stipends which the three Sen families had been receiving came to an end. It was after this, and the loss of their positions serving the daimyō , that the Sen families established their iemoto system. The entire historical Urasenke estate, located in

3248-562: The Battle of Hakodate in Hokkaidō. The defeat of the armies of the former shōgun (led by Enomoto Takeaki and Hijikata Toshizō ) marked the final end of the Tokugawa shogunate, with the Emperor's power fully restored. Finally, by 1872, the daimyōs , past and present, were summoned before the Emperor, where it was declared that all domains were now to be returned to the Emperor . The roughly 280 domains were turned into 72 prefectures, each under

3364-534: The Blood tax riots , the Meiji government put down revolts by Japanese samurai angry that the traditional untouchable status of burakumin was legally revoked. Under the Meiji Restoration, the practices of the samurai classes, deemed feudal and unsuitable for modern times following the end of sakoku in 1853, resulted in a number of edicts intended to 'modernise' the appearance of upper class Japanese men. With

3480-597: The Edo period . The Azuchi–Momoyama period encompassed the transition of Japanese society from the pre-modern to the early modern period . The Azuchi–Momoyama period is named after Nobunaga's Azuchi Castle and Hideyoshi's Momoyama Castle , and is also known as the Shokuhō period ( 織豊時代 , Shokuhō jidai ) in some Japanese texts, abridged from the surnames of the period's two leaders in on-yomi : Shoku ( 織 ) for Oda ( 織田 ) plus Hō ( 豊 ) for Toyotomi ( 豊臣 ) . During

3596-737: The Emperor of Japan . The goals of the restored government were expressed by the new emperor in the Charter Oath . The Restoration led to enormous changes in Japan's political and social structure and spanned both the late Edo period (often called the Bakumatsu ) and the beginning of the Meiji era , during which time Japan rapidly industrialized and adopted Western ideas and production methods. In 1853, Commodore Matthew C. Perry arrived in Japan. A year later Perry returned in threatening large warships with

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3712-585: The Kanto region , held 2.5 million koku . The surveys, carried out by Hideyoshi both before and after he took the title of taikō , have come to be known as the "Taikō surveys" ( Taikō kenchi ). A number of other administrative innovations were instituted to encourage commerce and stabilize society. In order to facilitate transportation, toll booths and other checkpoints along roads were largely eliminated, as were unnecessary military strongholds. Measures that effectively froze class distinctions were instituted, including

3828-560: The Meiji Restoration (1868), the heads of the three families served as chadō magistrates under various daimyō , respectively receiving a yearly stipend from them as payment for their services. Sensō Sōshitsu , fourth son of the family and leader of the branch that would eventually be known as the Urasenke , served the Maeda clan of Kaga . In generations following this, the head of

3944-592: The Urasenke family also served as a chadō magistrate for the Hisamatsu clan of the Iyo domain (present day Ehime Prefecture), as well as serving as caretaker to the clan's Kyoto residence. The eleventh generation head of the family, Gengensai (1810–77), born as the fifth son of a minor daimyō named Matsudaira Noritomo of the Mikawa Okudono domain, married into the Urasenke family, whilst also serving

4060-424: The Urasenke school of tea is Zabōsai Genmoku Sōshitsu , the 16th generation of the family, and is referred to as Sen Sōshitsu XVI. The Urasenke Foundation (Ippan Zaidan Hōjin Konnichian ( 一般財団法人今日庵 ) ) is an incorporated foundation originally registered by the Japanese government in 1949, during the era of the 14th generation grand master of Urasenke, Tantansai . Its stated purpose is to preserve and foster

4176-654: The Urasenke Chanoyu Center, was established as a USA registered non-profit corporation in 1981, when the Urasenke New York Branch moved into the newly opened Urasenke Chanoyu Center, located at 153 East 69th St. in New York. The Urasenke Foundation of California, headquartered at the Urasenke San Francisco Branch, was founded as a USA registered non-profit organization in 1994. It

4292-507: The emperor for Yoshiaki, who became the 15th and last Ashikaga shōgun . Nobunaga had no intention, however, of serving the Muromachi bakufu , and instead now turned his attention to tightening his grip on the Kinai region. Resistance in the form of rival daimyōs , intransigent Buddhist monks, and hostile merchants was eliminated swiftly and mercilessly, and Nobunaga quickly gained a reputation as

4408-608: The trade associations that had contact with the outside world through this port. Although China rebuffed his efforts to secure trade concessions, Hideyoshi's commercial missions successfully called upon present-day Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand in red seal ships . He was also suspicious of Christianity in Japan , which he saw as potentially subversive, and some missionaries were crucified by his regime. Meiji Restoration The Meiji Restoration ( Japanese : 明治維新 , romanized :  Meiji Ishin ), referred to at

4524-434: The 15th Tokugawa shōgun , "put his prerogatives at the Emperor's disposal" and resigned 10 days later. This was effectively the "restoration" ( Taisei Hōkan ) of imperial rule – although Yoshinobu still had significant influence and it was not until January   3, the following year, with the young Emperor's edict, that the restoration fully occurred. On 3 January 1868, the Emperor stripped Yoshinobu of all power and made

4640-499: The 1860s, principally by Westerners in the international settlements of Yokohama and Kobe, and some local lords, but these had relatively small impacts. It was only in the 1870s that imported technologies began to play a significant role, and only in the 1880s did they produce more than a small output volume. In Meiji Japan, raw silk was the most important export commodity, and raw silks exports experienced enormous growth during this period, overtaking China. Revenue from silk exports funded

4756-608: The Dampatsurei Edict of 1871 issued by Emperor Meiji during the early Meiji Era , men of the samurai classes were forced to cut their hair short, effectively abandoning the chonmage ( chonmage ) hairstyle. During the Meiji Restoration, the practice of cremation and Buddhism were condemned and the Japanese government tried to ban cremation but were unsuccessful, then tried to limit it in urban areas. The Japanese government reversed its ban on cremation and pro-cremation Japanese adopted western European arguments on how cremation

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4872-532: The Educational System) program sponsored by the organization. There are also 167 groups belonging to the organization's Seinenbu, or "Youth Division." These three entities organize seminars, tea gatherings, conventions, and many other activities. The central office, serving to coordinate the programs and activities of all these, is located in the Urasenke Center building at Urasenke headquarters, Kyoto. Twice

4988-502: The Emperor to power. After Kōmei's death on 30 January 1867, Meiji ascended the throne on February   3. This period also saw Japan change from being a feudal society to having a centralized nation and left the Japanese with a lingering influence of modernity . In the same year, the koban was discontinued as a form of currency. The Tokugawa government had been founded in the 17th century and initially focused on reestablishing order in social, political and international affairs after

5104-654: The French Minister-Resident Léon Roches were the first European envoys ever to receive a personal audience with Meiji in Edo (Tokyo). This audience laid the foundation for (modern) Dutch diplomacy in Japan. Subsequently, De Graeff van Polsbroek assisted the emperor and the government in their negotiations with representatives of the major European powers. In 1869, the daimyōs of the Tosa , Hizen , Satsuma and Chōshū Domains , who were pushing most fiercely against

5220-487: The Japanese purchase of industrial equipment and raw materials. Although the highest quality silk remained produced in China, and Japan's adoption of modern machines in the silk industry was slow, Japan was able to capture the global silk market due to standardized production of silk. Standardization, especially in silkworm egg cultivation, yielded more consistency in quality, particularly important for mechanized silk weaving. Since

5336-702: The Kinai region, Nobunaga was now powerful enough to assign his generals the task of subjugating the outlying provinces. Shibata Katsuie was given the task of conquering the Uesugi clan in Etchū , Takigawa Kazumasu confronted the Shinano Province that a son of Shingen, Takeda Katsuyori governed, and Hashiba Hideyoshi was given the formidable task of facing the Mōri clan in the Chūgoku region of western Honshū. In 1575, Nobunaga won

5452-486: The Korean navy and an increasing Chinese involvement in the conflict. Upon the death of Hideyoshi in 1598, his designated successor Toyotomi Hideyori was only 5 years old. As such, the domestic political situation in Japan became unstable, making continuation of the war difficult and causing the Japanese to withdraw from Korea. At this stage, most of the remaining Japanese commanders were more concerned about internal battles and

5568-545: The Meiji Restoration was the 1866 Satsuma-Chōshū Alliance between Saigō Takamori and Kido Takayoshi , leaders of the reformist elements in the Satsuma and Chōshū Domains at the southwestern end of the Japanese archipelago. These two leaders supported the Emperor Kōmei (Emperor Meiji's father) and were brought together by Sakamoto Ryōma for the purpose of challenging the ruling Tokugawa shogunate ( bakufu ) and restoring

5684-484: The Meiji government considerable leeway to invest in new initiatives. During the Meiji period, powers such as Europe and the United States helped transform Japan and made them realize a change needed to take place. Some leaders went out to foreign lands and used the knowledge and government writings to help shape and form a more influential government within their walls that allowed for things such as production. Despite

5800-575: The Meiji restoration's Shinbutsu bunri , tens of thousands of Japanese Buddhist religious idols and temples were smashed and destroyed. Japan then closed and shut down tens of thousands of traditional old Shinto shrines in the Shrine Consolidation Policy and the Meiji government built the new modern 15 shrines of the Kenmu restoration as a political move to link the Meiji restoration to the Kenmu restoration for their new State Shinto cult. In

5916-619: The Ming court, asking urgently for military assistance. The Chinese emperor sent admiral Chen Lin and commander Li Rusong to aid the Koreans. Commander Li pushed the Japanese out of the northern part of the Korean Peninsula . The Japanese were forced to withdraw as far as the southern part of the Korean peninsula by January 1593, and counterattacked Li Rusong. This combat reached a stalemate, and Japan and China eventually entered peace talks. During

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6032-587: The Netherlands and Russia due to American pressure. These treaties signed with Western powers came to be known as Unequal Treaties as Japan lost control over its tariffs while Western powers took control over Japanese lands. In 1858, Townsend Harris , ambassador to Japan, concluded the treaty, opening Japanese ports to trade. Figures like Shimazu Nariakira concluded that "if we take the initiative, we can dominate; if we do not, we will be dominated", leading Japan to "throw open its doors to foreign technology." After

6148-479: The Oda clan. The situation became even more urgent when it was made known that Nobunaga's oldest son and heir, Nobutada , killed himself, leaving the Oda clan with no clear successor. Quickly negotiating a truce with the Mōri clan before they could learn of Nobunaga's death, Hideyoshi now took his troops on a forced march toward his adversary, whom he defeated at the Battle of Yamazaki less than two weeks later. Although

6264-646: The Takeda army quickly retreated back to their home base in Kai Province and Nobunaga was saved. With the death of Takeda Shingen in early 1573, the "Anti-Oda Alliance" that Ashikaga Yoshiaki created quickly crumbled as Nobunaga destroyed the alliance of the Asakura clan and Azai clan that threatened his northern flank, and soon after expelled the shōgun himself from Kyoto. Even after Shingen's death, there remained several daimyōs powerful enough to resist Nobunaga, but none were situated close enough to Kyoto to pose

6380-591: The Tokugawa clan who was adjacent to the east of Nobunaga's territory became independent of the Imagawa clan , and allied with Nobunaga. The eastern territory of Nobunaga was not invaded by this alliance. He then moved his army west. In 1565, an alliance of the Matsunaga and Miyoshi clans attempted a coup by assassinating Ashikaga Yoshiteru , the 13th Ashikaga shōgun . Internal squabbling, however, prevented them from acting swiftly to legitimatize their claim to power, and it

6496-590: The Tokugawa family to the Kanto region, far from the capital, and surrounded their new territory with more trusted vassals. He also adopted a hostage system, in which the wives and heirs of daimyōs resided at his castle town in Osaka . Hideyoshi attempted to provide for an orderly succession by taking the title taikō , or "retired Kanpaku (Imperial regent)", in 1591, and turned the regency over to his nephew and adopted son Toyotomi Hidetsugu . Only later did he attempt to formalize

6612-577: The Toyotomi name, precipitating a crisis that led to the Battle of Sekigahara . Generally regarded as the last major conflict of both the Azuchi–Momoyama and the Sengoku period, Ieyasu's victory at Sekigahara marked the end of Toyotomi's reign. Three years later, Ieyasu received the title Sei-i Tai-shōgun , and established the Edo bakufu , which lasted until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. The period saw

6728-610: The Urasenke Gakuen Educational Foundation, and Principal of the Urasenke Gakuen Professional College, is Masako Sen , who is the wife of Urasenke Iemoto Sōshitsu Sen XVI. In addition to its regular three-year course, which is referred to as the chadō-ka (茶道科) and provides a basic, comprehensive chadō education, it also has a separate one-year course and a graduate course referred to as the kenkyūka (研究科, "research course"). Furthermore,

6844-419: The Urasenke Gakuen has a non-Japanese students division called the "Midorikai" (lit., "green group"). The Midorikai study program is an intensive one-year program in which the students are provided with lectures and other instruction in English. [REDACTED] Media related to Urasenke at Wikimedia Commons Azuchi-Momoyama period The Azuchi–Momoyama period ( 安土桃山時代 , Azuchi–Momoyama jidai )

6960-491: The arrest of twenty-six Christians to warn Japanese who thought about converting to Christianity. They were tortured, mutilated, paraded through towns and crucified in Nagasaki . This became known as the 26 Martyrs of Japan . These measures severely curbed Christianity and foreign influence in Japan. Hideyoshi sought to secure his position by rearranging the holdings of the daimyōs to his advantage. In particular, he reassigned

7076-429: The aspiration of concluding a treaty that would open up Japanese ports for trade. Perry concluded the treaty that would open up two Japanese ports (Shimoda and Hakodate) only for material support, such as firewood, water, food, and coal for U.S. ships. The Convention of Kanagawa was signed in 1854 and opened up trade between the United States and Japan. Later, Japan reluctantly expanded its trade deals to France, Britain,

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7192-503: The balance of power by establishing administrative bodies. These included the Council of Five Elders , who were sworn to keep peace and support the Toyotomi , the five-member Board of House Administrators, who handled routine policy and administrative matters, and the three-member Board of Mediators, who were charged with keeping peace between the first two boards. Hideyoshi's last major ambition

7308-500: The bulk of the damage. This long war was called the Ishiyama Hongan-ji War . Nobunaga was highly interested in foreign cultures, especially those of western Europe. A significant amount of Western Christian culture was introduced to Japan by missionaries from Europe. From this exposure, Japan received new foods, a new drawing method, astronomy, geography, medical science, and new printing techniques. Most critically, trade with Europe provided Nobunaga's armies with new weapons, among them

7424-405: The clearly defined class system which the bakufu had envisaged, partly leading to their eventual downfall. The military of Japan, strengthened by nationwide conscription and emboldened by military success in both the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War , began to view themselves as a growing world power. Besides drastic changes to the social structure of Japan, in an attempt to create

7540-399: The control of a state-appointed governor. If the daimyōs peacefully complied, they were given a prominent voice in the new Meiji government. Later, their debts and payments of samurai stipends were either taxed heavily or turned into bonds which resulted in a large loss of wealth among former samurai. Emperor Meiji announced in his 1868 Charter Oath that "Knowledge shall be sought all over

7656-464: The convenience of participants living in Eastern Japan. The main building contains replicas of the Totsutotsusai and Kan’untei tea rooms at Konnichian . The Urasenke Tokyo Branch is the only Urasenke branch in Japan. From the mid-1960s onwards, Sen Sōshitsu XV ( Hōunsai ) began to dispatch qualified Urasenke chanoyu instructors to live overseas and, operating out of Urasenke Foundation branch offices or liaison offices, to teach

7772-413: The cultural heritage of Urasenke , with its activities including the maintenance and management of the Urasenke estate and cultural assets, and the support of research and public education regarding the study of tea ceremony. Its administrative office, together with that of the Urasenke Tankōkai Federation, is located within the five story Urasenke Center building located a short distance west of

7888-402: The development of large urban centers and the rise of the merchant class. The ornate castle architecture and interiors adorned with painted screens embellished with gold leaf were a reflection of a daimyō ' s power but also exhibited a new aesthetic sense that marked a clear departure from the somber monotones favored during the Muromachi period . A genre that emerged at this time was called

8004-412: The earliest relatively numerous increase of Europeans into the region. During the period from 1576 to 1579, Nobunaga constructed, on the shore of Lake Biwa at Azuchi , Azuchi Castle , a magnificent seven-story castle that was intended to serve not simply as an impregnable military fortification, but also as a sumptuous residence that would stand as a symbol of unification. Having secured his grip on

8120-420: The end of the Sengoku period. Hideyoshi launched the Japanese invasions of Korea in 1592, but their failure damaged his prestige, and his young son and successor Toyotomi Hideyori was challenged by Tokugawa Ieyasu after Hideyoshi's death in 1598. The Azuchi–Momoyama period ended with the Tokugawa victory at the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 – unofficially establishing the Tokugawa Shogunate and beginning

8236-419: The ex- shōgun ' s army. All Tokugawa lands were seized and placed under "imperial control", thus placing them under the prerogative of the new Meiji government . With Fuhanken sanchisei , the areas were split into three types: urban prefectures ( 府 , fu ) , rural prefectures ( 県 , ken ) and the already existing domains. On March 23 the Dutch Minister-Resident Dirk de Graeff van Polsbroek and

8352-436: 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 iemoto of the Urasenke family and its school of chadō , the new iemoto assumes the professional name of Sōshitsu , and is officially referred to as Sen Sōshitsu . The current head of

8468-500: The growing numbers of individuals who desired to pursue the practice of chado . The dates and places to which the teachers were dispatched and thus an Urasenke branch or liaison office was established were as follows: The Urasenke Foundation of Hawaii, headquartered at the Urasenke Hawaii Branch, was established as a USA registered non-profit corporation in 1976 The Urasenke Tea Ceremony Society, Inc, headquartered at

8584-412: The help Japan received from other powers, one of the key factors in Japan's industrializing success was its relative lack of resources, which made it unattractive to Western imperialism. The farmer and the samurai classification were the base and soon the problem of why there was a limit of growth within the nation's industrial work. The government sent officials such as the samurai to monitor the work that

8700-547: The historical Urasenke compound. The Urasenke Tokyo Branch (Urasenke Tokyo Dōjō ( 裏千家東京道場 ) ) was originally established in 1957 in Tokyo's Chiyoda ward, moving to its present quarters in the Ichigaya Kaga-cho section of Tokyo's Shinjuku ward in 1995. This Urasenke facility serves as the hub of the activities sponsored by the Urasenke head house in Japan's capital. Various training courses and special events held at Urasenke Konnichian are also held here, for

8816-685: The humiliation of the Unequal Treaties, the leaders of the Meiji Restoration (as this revolution came to be known), acted in the name of restoring imperial rule to strengthen Japan against the threat of being colonized, bringing to an end the era known as sakoku . The word "Meiji" means "enlightened rule" and the goal was to combine "modern advances" with traditional "eastern" values ( 和魂洋才 , Wakonyosai ) . The main leaders of this were Itō Hirobumi , Matsukata Masayoshi , Kido Takayoshi , Itagaki Taisuke , Yamagata Aritomo , Mori Arinori , Ōkubo Toshimichi , and Yamaguchi Naoyoshi . The foundation of

8932-465: The inevitable struggles for the control of the shogunate. Hideyoshi had on his deathbed appointed a group of the most powerful lords in Japan—Tokugawa, Maeda , Ukita , Uesugi, and Mōri, to govern as the Council of Five Elders until his infant son, Hideyori, came of age. An uneasy peace lasted until the death of Maeda Toshiie in 1599. Thereafter, Ishida Mitsunari accused Ieyasu of disloyalty to

9048-406: The international market. With this, industrial zones grew enormously, and there was a massive migration to industrializing centers from the countryside. Industrialization additionally went hand in hand with the development of a national railway system and modern communications. With industrialization came the demand for coal. There was dramatic rise in production, as shown in the table below. Coal

9164-475: The last half of the 16th century, a number of daimyōs became strong enough either to manipulate the Ashikaga shogunate to their own advantage or to overthrow it altogether. One attempt to overthrow the bakufu (the Japanese term for the shogunate) was made in 1560 by Imagawa Yoshimoto , whose march towards the capital came to an ignominious end at the hands of Oda Nobunaga in the Battle of Okehazama . In 1562,

9280-551: The latter derived from the street name of the family's homestead, Mushakōji . The three Sen houses derive from descendants of Sen no Rikyū , who was active during the Azuchi-Momoyama period and is the most historically important figure within Japanese tea ceremony. Rikyū 's hometown was Sakai , in the province of Izumi (in present-day Osaka prefecture ). However, as his activities became centered in Kyoto , he kept

9396-487: The matchlock rifle or arquebus. Nobunaga decided to reduce the power of the Buddhist monasteries, and gave protection to Christianity , although he never converted to Christianity himself. He slaughtered many Buddhist priests who resisted him, and burned their fortified temples. The activities of European traders and Catholic missionaries ( Alessandro Valignano , Luís Fróis , Gnecchi-Soldo Organtino ) in Japan saw one of

9512-464: The military, the government instituted nationwide conscription in 1873, mandating that every male would serve for four years in the armed forces upon turning 21 years old, followed by three more years in the reserves. One of the primary differences between the samurai and peasant classes was the right to bear arms ; this ancient privilege was suddenly extended to every male in the nation. Furthermore, samurai were no longer allowed to walk about town bearing

9628-442: The more traditional practice of imperial rule, whereby the Emperor of Japan serves solely as the spiritual authority of the nation and his ministers govern the nation in his name. The Meiji oligarchy that formed the government under the rule of the Emperor first introduced measures to consolidate their power against the remnants of the Edo period government, the shogunate, daimyōs , and the samurai class. Throughout Japan at

9744-403: The name Yoshioka Kan'uemon . In his later life, however, Kan'ō returned to the Sen family, establishing a tea room named " Kankyuan " at his residence on Mushakōji street, and retrained as a chanoyu expert. With this, the direct descendants of Sen no Rikyū branched into the three lines of both the Sen family and schools of tea ceremony known as the san-Senke today. Before

9860-483: The new sectors of the economy could not be heavily taxed, the costs of industrialisation and necessary investments in modernisation heavily fell on the peasant farmers, who paid extremely high land tax rates (about 30 percent of harvests) as compared to the rest of the world (double to seven times of European countries by net agricultural output). In contrast, land tax rates were about 2% in Qing China. The high taxation gave

9976-488: The nine major daimyō coalitions and carried the war of unification to Shikoku and Kyushu. In 1590, at the head of an army of 200,000, Hideyoshi defeated the Later Hōjō clan , his last formidable rival in eastern Honshū in the siege of Odawara . The remaining daimyō soon capitulated, and the military reunification of Japan was complete. With all of Japan now under Hideyoshi's control, a new structure for national government

10092-416: The oligarchs to action. Whatever their true intentions, the oligarchs embarked on another slow and deliberate process to abolish the samurai class. First, in 1873, it was announced that the samurai stipends were to be taxed on a rolling basis. Later, in 1874, the samurai were given the option to convert their stipends into government bonds . Finally, in 1876, this commutation was made compulsory. To reform

10208-591: The peace talks that ensued between 1593 and 1597, Hideyoshi, seeing Japan as an equal of Ming China, demanded a division of Korea, free-trade status, and a Chinese princess as consort for the emperor. The Joseon and Chinese leaders saw no reason to concede to such demands, nor to treat the invaders as equals within the Ming trading system. Japan's requests were thus denied and peace efforts reached an impasse. A second invasion of Korea began in 1597, but it too resulted in failure as Japanese forces met with better organized Korean defenses especially under Admiral Yi Sun-sin of

10324-429: The ports being opened for trade, but also began the process of merging members of the different societies together. Examples of this include western teachers and advisors immigrating to Japan and also Japanese nationals moving to western countries for education purposes. All these things in turn played a part in expanding the people of Japan's knowledge on western customs, technology and institutions. Many people believed it

10440-453: 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. In Japan, the organization is divided into seventeen districts comprising 165 chapters ( shibu ) and 2 sub-chapters ( shisho ). Each district has a liaison council for the Gakkō Chadō (Tea Training in

10556-591: The property. Sōtan found employment for his eldest son, Ichiō Sōshū , with the Maeda clan of the Kaga domain, but Ichiō soon quit his position with the Maeda , leading to Sōtan disinheriting Ichiō. Sōtan 's second son, Kan'ō Sōsetsu , had in contrast been adopted by the Yoshioka family in Kyoto, known for specialising in lacquerware under their business name of Yoshimonjiya . During this period, Kan'ō went by

10672-659: The requirement that different classes live separately in different areas of a town and a prohibition on the carrying or ownership of weapons by farmers. Hideyoshi ordered the collection of weapons in a great " sword hunt " ( katanagari ). In 1586, Hideyoshi conquered Kyushu in the Kyushu Campaign (1586-1587) from the Shimazu clan . In 1587, Hideyoshi increased control over the Kirishitan daimyos by banishing Christian missionaries from Kyūshū. In January 1597, Hideyoshi ordered

10788-406: The resistance. Nobunaga, making a stop-over in Kyoto on his way west with only a small contingent of guards, was attacked by one of his own disaffected generals , Akechi Mitsuhide , and committed suicide. What followed was a scramble by the most powerful of Nobunaga's retainers to avenge their lord's death and thereby establish a dominant position in negotiations over the forthcoming realignment of

10904-421: The resultant modernization of Japan, also influenced Japanese self-identity with respect to its Asian neighbours, as Japan became the first Asian state to modernize based on the Western model, replacing the traditional Confucian hierarchical order that had persisted previously under a dominant China with one based on modernity. Adopting enlightenment ideals of popular education, the Japanese government established

11020-403: The samurai class lived on. The oligarchs also embarked on a series of land reforms . In particular, they legitimized the tenancy system which had been going on during the Tokugawa period. Despite the bakufu 's best efforts to freeze the four classes of society in place, during their rule villagers had begun to lease land out to other farmers, becoming rich in the process. This greatly disrupted

11136-452: The shogunate, were persuaded to "return their domains to the Emperor". Other daimyō were subsequently persuaded to do so, thus creating a central government in Japan which exercised direct power through the entire "realm". Some shogunate forces escaped to Hokkaidō , where they attempted to set up a breakaway Republic of Ezo ; however, forces loyal to the Emperor ended this attempt in May 1869 with

11252-644: The start of the Azuchi-Momoyama period. Nobunaga overthrew Yoshiaki and dissolved the Ashikaga Shogunate in 1573, launching a war of conquest to politically unify Japan by force from his base in Azuchi . Nobunaga was forced to commit suicide in the Honnō-ji Incident in 1582. His successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi completed Nobunaga's campaign of unification and enacted reforms to consolidate his rule, marking

11368-533: The time as the Honorable Restoration ( 御維新 , Goishin ) , and also known as the Meiji Renovation , Revolution , Regeneration , Reform , or Renewal , was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji . Although there were ruling emperors before the Meiji Restoration, the events restored practical abilities and consolidated the political system under

11484-454: The time, the samurai numbered 1.9 million. For comparison, this was more than 10 times the size of the French privileged class before the 1789 French Revolution . Moreover, the samurai in Japan were not merely the lords, but also their higher retainers—people who actually worked. With each samurai being paid fixed stipends, their upkeep presented a tremendous financial burden, which may have prompted

11600-507: The title of Emperor must be substituted for that of Taikun , in which the treaties have been made. Officers are being appointed by us to the conduct of foreign affairs. It is desirable that the representatives of the treaty powers recognize this announcement. Shortly thereafter in January 1868, the Boshin War started with the Battle of Toba–Fushimi in which Chōshū and Satsuma 's forces defeated

11716-598: The undisputed ruler of the former Oda domains. The daimyō of the Shikoku Chōsokabe clan surrendered to Hideyoshi in July, 1585, and the daimyō of Kyushu Shimazu clan also surrendered two years later. He was adopted by the Fujiwara clan , given the surname Toyotomi, and granted the superlative title kanpaku , representing civil and military control of all Japan. By the following year, he had secured alliances with three of

11832-686: The world, and thereby the foundations of imperial rule shall be strengthened." Under the leadership of Mori Arinori , a group of prominent Japanese intellectuals went on to form the Meiji Six Society in 1873 to continue to "promote civilization and enlightenment" through modern ethics and ideas. However, during the restoration, political power simply moved from the Tokugawa shogunate to an oligarchy consisting of these leaders, mostly from Satsuma Province ( Ōkubo Toshimichi and Saigō Takamori ), and Chōshū Province ( Itō Hirobumi , Yamagata Aritomo , and Kido Takayoshi). This reflected their belief in

11948-553: Was being done. Because of Japan's leaders taking control and adapting Western techniques it has remained one of the world's largest industrial nations. The rapid industrialization and modernization of Japan both allowed and required a massive increase in production and infrastructure. Japan built industries such as shipyards, iron smelters, and spinning mills, which were then sold to well-connected entrepreneurs. Consequently, domestic companies became consumers of Western technology and applied it to produce items that would be sold cheaply in

12064-598: Was by then widely considered as the most powerful army in Japan and marched towards the Oda home base of Owari , easily crushing Nobunaga's young ally and future shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu in the Battle of Mikatagahara in 1573. However, as the Takeda army was on the cusp of obliterating the Oda–Tokugawa alliance, Takeda Shingen suddenly perished, under mysterious circumstances. (Multiple suggestions for his demise include battlefield death from marksman, ninja assassination, and stomach cancer.) Having suddenly lost their leader,

12180-688: Was called Seinenkai. This name was changed to Seinenbu in 1963. The organization's first chapters were established in Kure and Hiroshima in May, 1950. In 1966, the organization held its first National Convention, at the Kyoto International Conference Hall , at which there were over 2,200 attendees. In 1974, the organization's first chartered Urasenke Youth Ship (裏千家青年の船) friendship mission, with 418 participants, sailed to Okinawa and Hong Kong. The Urasenke Gakuen Chadō Senmon Gakkō (裏千家学園茶道専門学校), or "Urasenke Gakuen Professional College of Chadō,"

12296-500: Was changed to "Urasenke Gakuen," and in 1976, its name was changed again, to "Urasenke Gakuen Chadō Senmon Gakkō." In 1983, it had its new start as a registered educational foundation (学校法人), and was formally accredited as a professional college by the Ministry of Education. The number one characteristic of this professional college is that it is a chadō training center directly connected to the Urasenke Iemoto. The current Chairman of

12412-442: Was essential for Japan to acquire western "spirit" in order to become a great nation with strong trade routes and military strength. The Meiji Restoration accelerated the industrialization process in Japan, which led to its rise as a military power by the year 1895, under the slogan of "Enrich the country, strengthen the military" ( 富国強兵 , fukoku kyōhei ) . There were a few factories set up using imported technologies in

12528-864: Was good for limiting disease spread, so the Japanese government lifted their attempted ban in May 1875 and promoted cremation for diseased people in 1897. Even before the Meiji Restoration, the Tokugawa Shogunate government hired German diplomat Philipp Franz von Siebold as diplomatic advisor, Dutch naval engineer Hendrik Hardes for Nagasaki Arsenal and Willem Johan Cornelis, Ridder Huijssen van Kattendijke for Nagasaki Naval Training Center , French naval engineer François Léonce Verny for Yokosuka Naval Arsenal , and British civil engineer Richard Henry Brunton . Most of them were appointed through government approval with two or three years contract, and took their responsibility properly in Japan, except some cases. Then many other foreign specialists were hired. Despite

12644-476: Was largely composed of former samurai. This sent a strong message to the dissenting samurai that their time was indeed over. There were fewer subsequent samurai uprisings and the distinction became all but a name as the samurai joined the new society. The ideal of samurai military spirit lived on in romanticized form and was often used as propaganda during the early 20th-century wars of the Empire of Japan . However, it

12760-453: Was modernized and some parts of the castles were converted into modern military facilities with barracks and parade grounds, such as Hiroshima Castle . Others were handed over to the civilian authorities to build their new administrative structures. Some however were explicitly saved from destruction by interventions from various persons and parties such as politicians, government and military officials, experts, historians, and locals who feared

12876-445: Was named heir and Hideyoshi appointed co-guardian. Continued political intrigue, however, eventually led to open confrontation. After defeating Shibata at the Battle of Shizugatake in 1583 and enduring a costly but ultimately advantageous stalemate with Tokugawa Ieyasu at the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute in 1584, Hideyoshi managed to settle the question of succession for once and all, to take complete control of Kyoto, and to become

12992-443: Was needed for steamships and railroads. The growth of these sectors is shown below. The majority of Japanese castles were partially or completely dismantled in the late 19th century in the Meiji restoration by the national government. Since the feudal system was abolished and the fiefs ( han ) theoretically reverting to the emperor, the national government saw no further use for the upkeep of these now obsolete castles. The military

13108-404: Was not until 1568 that they managed to install Yoshiteru's cousin, Ashikaga Yoshihide , as the next shōgun . Failure to enter Kyoto and gain recognition from the imperial court, however, had left the succession in doubt, and a group of bakufu retainers led by Hosokawa Fujitaka negotiated with Nobunaga to gain support for Yoshiteru's younger brother, Yoshiaki . Nobunaga, who had prepared over

13224-459: Was set up. The country was unified under a single leader, but daily governance remained decentralized. The basis of power was distribution of territory as measured by rice production, in units of koku . A national survey from 1598 was instituted, with assessments showing the national rice production at 18.5 million koku , 2 million of which was controlled directly by Hideyoshi himself. In contrast, Tokugawa Ieyasu , whom Hideyoshi had transferred to

13340-626: Was the final phase of the Sengoku period ( 戦国時代 , Sengoku jidai ) in Japanese history from 1568 to 1600. After the outbreak of the Ōnin War in 1467, the power of the Ashikaga Shogunate effectively collapsed, marking the start of the chaotic Sengoku period. In 1568, Oda Nobunaga entered Kyoto to install Ashikaga Yoshiaki as the 15th and ultimately final Ashikaga shōgun . This entrance marked

13456-533: Was to conquer the Ming dynasty of China . In April 1592, after having been refused safe passage through Korea , Hideyoshi sent an army of 200,000 to invade and pass through Korea by force. During the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598) , the Japanese occupied Seoul by May 1592, and within three months of the invasion, the Japanese reached Pyongyang . King Seonjo of Joseon fled, and two Korean princes were captured by Katō Kiyomasa . Seonjo dispatched an emissary to

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