Söke

Söke is a town and a large district of Aydın Province in the Aegean region of western Turkey, 54 km (34 miles) south-west of the city of Aydın, near the Aegean coast. It had 68,020 population in 2010.

Etymology

Modern Söke is identified with the ancient Greek city of Anaia (Ἄναια, also referred to as Anea, Anaea, Annaea or Annaia), which according to legend, was named after an Amazon. As of 1920, the British were calling Söke, Sokia. Anaia is also the name of a titular see (Anea) of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, and the seat of an actual diocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople from 1833 to 1922.

Geography

The district lies between the Aegean coast and the edge of the fertile alluvial plain of the Büyük Menderes River. Lake Bafa is to the south of the district. The plain contains much rich agricultural land, one of Turkey's largest cotton growing areas and also important for wheat and flour. Other income comes from handicrafts, forestry and fishing. Söke is Turkey's only exporter of culinary snails.

Sōke

Sōke (宗家), pronounced [soːke], is a Japanese term that means "the head family [house]." In the realm of Japanese traditional arts, it is used synonymously with the term iemoto. Thus, it is often used to indicate "headmaster" (or sometimes translated as "head of the family" or even "grand master".) The English translation of sōke as "grand master" is not a literal translation but it does see use by some Japanese sources. It can mean one who is the leader of any school or the master of a style, but it is most commonly used as a highest level Japanese title, referring to the singular leader of a school or style of martial art. The term, however, is not limited to the genre of martial arts.

Sōke is sometimes mistakenly believed to mean "founder of a style" because many modern sōke are the first generation headmasters of their art (shodai sōke), and are thus both sōke and founder. However, the successors to the shodai sōke are also sōke themselves. Sōke are generally considered the ultimate authority within their art, and have final discretion and authority regarding promotions, curriculum, doctrine, and disciplinary actions. A sōke has the authority to issue a menkyo kaiden certificate indicating that someone has mastered all aspects of his style.