Also sōke 宗家. Leader of a stylistic school or ryūgi. Shite-kata, waki-kata, fue-kata, etc. have their own ryūgi, headed by an iemoto, who oversees the performance style of the school and has the authority to grant teaching licenses. The iemoto of the shite-kata schools are custodians of the school’s theater building, costumes, and masks. In addition to granting licenses, they have the right to authorize performances, select costumes and masks for other actors, and to revise and publish scripts.
JPARC