1.
head family; main family line
The main branch of a family, as opposed to cadet or branch families. The family that holds the lineage and inheritance.
宗家を継ぐ。
To succeed as head of the family.
あの家は代々宗家として続いて���た。
That house has continued as the head family for generations.
分家が宗家と争うのは珍しいことではなかった。
It was not unusual for branch families to dispute with the head family.
2.
founding school; the originating lineage of a traditional art
The original or authoritative school of a traditional Japanese art such as tea ceremony, flower arrangement, or martial arts. The grand master who heads such a school.
茶道の宗家を訪ねた。
I visited the founding school of tea ceremony.
空手の宗家に弟子入りした。
I became a disciple of the founding school of karate.
裏千家は茶道の三大宗家の一つである。
Urasenke is one of the three major founding schools of tea ceremony.
An important cultural term with two related meanings. In the family sense, 宗家 is the main line that holds authority, property, and the family name. In the arts, it refers to the founding lineage that maintains the orthodox tradition.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 宗家を継ぐ: to succeed as head of the family/school
- 宗家筋: the line of the head family
- 茶道の宗家: the founding school of tea ceremony
- 宗家直伝: taught directly by the grand master
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 本家: main family; original house — very similar to sense 1; often interchangeable
- 分家: branch family — a family that split off from the main line
- 家元: grand master; head of a traditional school — very similar to sense 2; 家元 emphasizes the person, while 宗家 can mean the institution