Sansai-ryu School (a school of tea ceremony) (三斎流)
Sansai-ryu school is a school of tea ceremony, which regards Sansai HOSOKAWA as the founder. Because Iori ICHIO, who was a disciple of Sansai, started the school upon receiving the permission from his master, it is also referred to as Ichio-ryu school or Ichio-ha group of the Sansai-ryu school. The iemoto (the head of a school) is now based in Izumo City, Shimane Prefecture; the name of the house is Kansuian, and the organization of fellow students called Kuyokai. While Oie-ryu school of the Ando family (tea ceremony) is of the school, there is also a school called Hosokawa Sansai-ryu school (a school of Sansai HOSOKAWA).
History
Sansai HOSOKAWA was a master of tea ceremony and listed one of the seven disciples of Rikyu, and he had many disciples in his school. Although Iori ICHIO was goshoinban (a shogun's body guard or the castle guard) of the bakufu (Japanese feudal government headed by a shogun) and a hatamoto (direct retainers of the bakufu) in 1,000 koku (approximately 180,000 liters of crop yield; 1 koku was about 180 liter; an old unit showing volume), little is known about the details of his relationship to Sansai. It is said that he at first learned the tea ceremony from Shogen SATO, a vassal of Sansai, and then he became the disciple of Sansai himself, and eventually started his own school upon receiving the permission from his master. The disciples of Iori ICHIO included Masataka INABA, Tadakata (also known as Takata or Michikata) YONEKITSU, Masanobu TAKAGI and Kiken FUNABASHI (舟橋希賢).
Masataka INABA was a hatamoto who served as Suruga no kami (Governor of Suruga Province) and oban gashira (captains of the great guards) in 7,000 koku. Within this lineage, Issho ARAI had a close relationship with Fumai MATSUDAIRA, and as a result of this friendship, Sansai-ryu school was introduced to Matsue. While Fumai MATSUDAIRA encouraged his vassals to study Sansai-ryu school, Fumai himself further learned Sekishu-ryu school to hand down a school called Fumai-ryu school in the Matsue Domain today. On the other hand, Sansai-ryu school was inherited by a chief priest of Fumon-in Temple which was located at kimon (literally, demon's gate; the northeast of one's position, superstitiously believed to be unlucky) of Matsue-jo Castle. After the Meiji Restoration, the tradition was carried on by the lay believers and it is now practiced by the Moriyama Family.
Tadakata YONEKITSU was a younger brother of Masatake YONEKITSU, the lord of the Kuki Domain, but he removed himself from the family and set up a new branch family, and became a hatamoto in 4,000 koku. One of his disciples was Nobutomo ANDO, who was a castellan of the Kano Domain, Mino Province, in 65,000 koku at that time. His school is inherited today as Oie School of the Ando Family.
Kiken FUNABASHI was a shogun's retainer; his family carried on Ichio-ryu school for generations until Meiji period, which was then inherited by Hosokawa Sansai-ryu school (a school of Sansai HOSOKAWA).
Succession
The ninth head Kangetsuan Keikai was a chief priest of Fumon-in Temple and from his time, the school was inherited by priests. From the 15th head, Hashimotoan Umeya, the school has been inherited by the lay believers, and from the 18th head, Kansuian Shozan, it is inherited by the members of the Moriyama Family.