Sowaryu is the name of one of the schools of Japanese Tea Ceremony also known as" chanoyu or the way of tea". The Sowaryu tea ceremony school was founded by Kanamori Sowa during the Edo period of Japan (between 1603 and 1868 ).

Sowa was born as the heir of the Lord of the Hida Takayama Castle (Gifu Prefecture). He was disowned by his father ( no historic record of the reason why), early in his life and after that, he moved to Kyoto and joined the inner court, which was hosted by Emperor Go-Mizunoo (1611 through 1629 ) and Sowa's style of the tea ceremony had a lot of influence on the emperor's court. It is said that Sowa-style has been influenced by Sen Doan or Furuta Oribe, moreover, there are lots of similarity among Enshuryu, Ueda-Sokoryu and Yabunouchiryu which all have been belonging to the Oribe's schools nowadays.
Sowaryu was also called 'Hime Sowa (Princess Sowa)' because Sowa has favored elegant and
graceful tea utencils, and he loved and cherished Nonomura Ninsei as his preferred potter of
the way of tea. This byname can picture that its procedure must be womanly, but according to
Sowa's anecdote on the books, he imposed on stringent way of making tea, which shows that
his origin was based on buke, the samurai clan.
Sowa is one of the pioneer of the tea with his whole new aesthetics for the utensils and so on,
he has initiated chanoyu style on the code of Yusoku-kojitsu(well-versed in usages or practices
of the court or military households), depends on the status of the people in the imperial court.
His style has had the big influenced on that era.

Although his tea style had a significant impact, Sowa-ryu remains relatively unknown today. This website aims to increase awareness of Kanamori Sowa and the Sowa-ryu school.
On this page of the Sowaryu tea school official site, it would be greatly appreciated if this
occasion served as a starting point for your interest in Kanamori Sowa and the Sowaryu tea
school.