Kids Web Japan

A view of Kankyuan from the garden. (©Mushakouji Senke)

Amigasamon, the gate leading to Kankyuan. (©Mushakouji Senke)

Sen Ichio Soshu, the first tea master of Mushakouji Senke, opened the tearoom Kankyuan in Kyoto in 1667. This was located on a street called Mushakouji, and that is why the school has come to be known as Mushakouji Senke.

Kankyuan is a tiny tearoom built in a style known as ichijo daime, which means that its floor area is only worth about one and a half tatami mats. The present Kankyuan was built in 1916. The garden that leads to the tearoom is renowned for its beauty, and it is designated by the city of Kyoto as a scenic site.

Mushakouji Senke also has a location in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. The tearoom here, built in the early eighteenth century, is called Hanshoan.