From about Showa 15 (1940), while the chanoyu of sukisha was in decline, the schools of chanoyu based on the Iemoto showed tremendous development. Showa 15 was the 350th anniversary of Rikyu's death and Buddhist memorial services and tea gatherings were held by the three Sen families. Once again many disciples of chanoyu attended the services, making it difficult to believe that there were hardly any disciples at the time of the Meiji Restoration. It is very interesting that most of these were women. One of the reasons for this was the inclusion of chanoyu in women's education but it is also that chanoyu had become an indispensible element of contemporary women's culture. The flourishing of chanoyu centring on the Iemoto continued steadily after this, in spite of World War II, and is widely recognised today both at home and abroad as representing traditional Japanese culture. With the ties between people becoming weaker and an increasing lack of spirit in present society, much can be expected of chanoyu as a culture that can heal people's spirits.