Letter by Sen no Rikyu
- Person
-
作者千利休
- Date
-
制作年 AD16
- Title
- センノリキュウヒツショウソク
- Materials, techniques and shape
- 紙本墨書
- Collections
- Century Akao Collection
- Depository
- Institute of Oriental Classics (Shido Bunko) Campus Mita
- Ref. number
- AW-CEN-000957-0000
- License
- CC BY Images license
- Creditline
-
慶應義塾（センチュリー赤尾コレクション）
- URL
- Classification
- Art
- AI Tagging
- Handwriting Font Wood Tree Rectangle
Sen-no-Rikyu (1522-91) lived during the Muromachi and Momoyama periods and cast the most profound influence on the art of ceremonial tea-making, culminating it into sado (chado), or the Way of Tea. He first studied under Kitamuki Dochin (1504-62) and later under Takeno Jo-ou (1502-55). His first name was Yoshiro, but it was later changed to Soeki. Rikyu is a pen name. Rikyu served Oda Nobunaga (1534-82), one of the most powerful warlords at the time, as tea master, but after his master’s death, went on to serve his de facto successor, General Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-98). Winning deep trust and confidence from this powerful lord, Rikyu advanced in rank and even amassed political influence. Due to reasons not exactly known, he fell out of favor with Hideyoshi and was ordered to commit the ritual suicide of seppuku (belly slashing) in 1591. Rikyu was 71.This letter was sent to Kawabata Doki (?-1592), a rice-cake merchant in Kyoto. It says that Rikyu has sent a courier to pick up the tea urn that had been lent to Doki and then thanks him for the unforgettably delicious mochi rice cakes that Rikyu received the previous day. The “hashidate-no-tsubo” mentioned in the letter was a particular favorite tea utensil of Rikyu’s. It was believed to have originally belonged to the Shogun Ashikaga Yoshimasa. The tea-leaf jar was very famous and frequently used in the tea parties hosted by Rikyu. Rumor has it that Hideyoshi asked Rikyu on many occasions to concede this famous utensil, which Rikyu declined, and that the antimony over this incident may have eventually led to Rikyu’s honorable suicide. Eventually, Hideyoshi confiscated Rikyu’s favorite tea-leaf jar after his death and commissioned the Juko-In sub-temple of Daitokuji Temple for its safekeeping. It was later presented to the Jurakudai Mansion (built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi) and then given as a special gift to Lord Maeda Toshinaga (1562-1614), the ruler of Kaga Province (Ishikawa prefecture).
はしたてのつほせん元に御わたしあるへく候昨日のもち一たんにてわすれかたくそんし候かねくらしゆへ御礼を折々申たく候さい／＼にて候まゝたひ／＼御礼をわすれ申候かしく三月十八日宗易（花押）［封］川道喜老へ宗易人々御中
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- Title (EN)
- Letter by Sen no Rikyu
Physical description
- Weights and quantities
-
Quantity 1幅
- Attachments
- コクヨ便せんの書付（利休文 碌々斎箱 宛名ハ川端道喜…）
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