Letter by Sakuma Masakatsu
- Person
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作者佐久間正勝（不干斎）
- Date
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制作年 AD17
- Title
- サクママサカツヒツショジョウ
- Collections
- Century Akao Collection
- Depository
- Institute of Oriental Classics (Shido Bunko) Campus Mita
- Ref. number
- AW-CEN-001367-0000
- 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 Monochrome Art Monochrome photography
Sakuma Masakatsu (1556-1631) was an army general of the Momoyama to early Edo Period who was deeply attracted to sado (or chado), or the Way of Tea (Tea celemony). Born the son of Sakuma Nobumori (1527-81), Masakatsu used the pen names Fukansai and Sogan. With his father, Masakatsu served Lord Oda Nobunaga (1534-82) and was victorious in many battles, but he had to retreat to Mt. Koya in 1580. The reason for this was said to have been a slander by Lord Akechi Mitsuhide (?-1582) or the neglect of his military duties due to excessive devotion to sado. Masakatsu was later pardoned and allowed to join the forces of Oda Nobukatsu (1558-1630). In the Battle of Komaki and Nagakute, Masakatsu fought against Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1536-98)’s army. However, when Hideyoshi and Nobukatsu signed a peace treaty, one of the conditions was Masakatsu’s ritual suicide. In order to prove his innocence, Masakatsu shaved his head and become a monk and assumed the name of Fukansai. He lived as a hermit in Sasahara in Mikawa Province (Aichi Prefecture). After he was pardoned, he served in Hideyoshi’s “Otogishu,” or a group of counselors for non-political matters. Around this time, Masakatsu was active as a tea master and connoisseur, as is evidenced by an entry in Tsuda Sogyu (?-1591)’s Diary. Sogyu writes about the tea party hosted by Fukansai, i.e., Masakatsu.In his senior years, Masakatsu worked close to the second Tokugawa Shogun, Hidetada (1579-1632), and was given a stipend of 3,000 koku (a measure of rice equivalent to approximately 5 bushels) in Musashi Province (Saitama Prefecture). A sentence in Sakuma Masakatsu’s letter exhibited here reads, “I receive no letters since I live in such a remote place,” and it is signed “Mt. Tsukuba.” From these, we can learn that this letter was sent from Mt. Tsukuba in Hitachi Province (Ibaraki Prefecture), close to where Masakatsu was stationed in Musashino Province (Saitama Prefecture). Masakatsu wrote this letter to Yoshida Naomasa, who was given the job of okachi (a guardsman protecting the shogun or daimyo during a procession; an official engaged in other policing duties) and then was later made a drummer. Masakatsu apologizes the he could not meet Naomasa when he had kindly come to visit accompanied by Okamoto Gorozaemon, who was perhaps Okamoto Masakata, a fellow okachi. Masakatsu says that he was suffering from fits of a chronic disease. He writes to notify Naomasa that he has recovered and asks him to come by again with Mr. Okamoto. The hand shows Masakatsu was not well. Perhaps it was written in old age.
以上従大坂返事持せ給請取申候彼方より態飛脚到来之由候間重而状を以申候御届頼入候又先日者岡本五郎左御同道之処折節持病指発不能面謁候事残多仕合ニ候至今日無本覆平臥ニ候尚得快気候者従是可申入候間五郎左可有御同道候恐々謹言九廿七日 宗（花押）吉田拾兵衛殿不干斎 御返報
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- Letter by Sakuma Masakatsu
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