Sen Sôtan was a grandson of Sen no Rikyû, and is credited with founding the three major schools of tea culture by dividing up his estate among his three sons, and providing each with a daimyô patron.
His son Kôshin Sôsa (1613-1672) was given the front portion of the Sen family estate, and established the Omotesenke (lit. "front Sen house") school of tea, with the patronage of the Kishû Tokugawa family. Another son, Sensô Sôshitsu (1622-1697), was given the rear portions of the estate, and with the patronage of the Maeda clan, founded the Urasenke (lit. "rear Sen house") school of tea. Finally, a third son, Ichiô Sôshu (1605-1676), inherited a property facing Mushanokôji street; patronized by the lords of Takamatsu han, he established the Mushanokôji-senke school of tea.
References
- Rebecca Corbett, Cultivating Femininity: Women and Tea Culture in Edo and Meiji Japan, University of Hawaii Press (2018), 46.