Gakko chado is tea practice carried out within school education. It is the result of an outreach campaign running from Ennosai, the thirteenth head of Urasenke, and is now firmly established.
History
Tea was introduced in the Meiji period as part of girls' education, and through the outreach work of three successive Urasenke heads — Ennosai, Mugensai, and Hounsai — tea clubs spread to high schools, universities, and primary and middle schools across Japan.
In practice
Club instructors hold a school's certificates and begin with lessons for beginners. For a large share of Japanese practitioners, a school tea club is where they first meet the practice.
Why it matters for an outsider
This is the main reason the demographics of tea practice look the way they do. Anyone trying to understand why most practitioners in Japan are women, and why so many people have some exposure to tea without continuing it, is looking at the downstream effect of school tea clubs.
About this article
Edited by the operator of Chaen (a one-person operation) / Last updated:
Tea ceremony descriptions can vary by school and source. Where interpretations differ, this glossary avoids definitive claims and focuses on broadly shared understandings. If you notice an error, please let us know viaContact. To learn about our organization, seeAbout Chaen.
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Related terms
- UrasenkeUrasenke
The largest of the three Sen family schools of tea, known for its work in school and overseas education and for developing table-and-chair practice.
- Josei chado (women in tea practice)josei chado
The predominance of women in modern tea practice — a consequence of Meiji-period girls' education, not of older tradition.