Sen no Rikyu
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Sen no Rikyū (千利休; 1522 - April 21, 1591, also known as Sen Rikyū) is considered the historical figure with the most profound influence on the Japanese tea ceremony, particularly the tradition of wabi-cha. Rikyū is known by many names; for convenience this article will refer to him as Rikyū throughout.
Rikyū was born in Sakai, in present-day Osaka prefecture. His father was a warehouse owner named Tanaka Yōhei (田中与 兵衛 / 田中 與兵衞), and his mother was Tomomi Tayuki (宝心 妙樹). His childhood name was Yoshiro."The Urasenke Legacy:Family Lineage", in ''[Urasenke website]. Accessed May 16, 2006.
Rikyū, under the name Sen Sōeki or by his tea name Hōsensai, is considered the founder of the Sansenke, or three main schools of tea ceremony: Urasenke, Omotesenke and Mushanokōjisenke.
Early life
As a young man, Rikyū studied tea under Kitamuki Dochin, and received the name Sōeki from the priest Dairin Soto of Nanshuji temple in Sakai. At the age of nineteen, he began to study tea under Takeno Jōō, who is also associated with the development of the wabi aesthetic in tea ceremony. Rikyū also underwent Zen training at Daitoku-ji.
Later years
At the age of fifty-eight, Rikyū became tea master for Oda Nobunaga and, following his death, for Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In 1585 at a tea gathering given by Hideyoshi for Emperor Ogimachi and held at the Imperial Palacem, the emperor bestowed upon him the Buddhist lay name Kōji."The Urasenke Legacy:Family Lineage", in ''[Urasenke website]. Accessed May 16, 2006.
It was during his later years that Rikyū began to use very tiny, rustic tearooms, such as the two-tatami tearoom named Taian, which can be seen today at Myokian temple in Yamazaki, a suburb of Kyoto. This tea room has been declared a national treasure. He also developed many implements for tea cermony, including flower containers, teascoops, and lid rests made of bamboo, and also used everyday objects for tea ceremony, often in novel ways. In addition, he pioneered the use of Raku teabowls and had a preference for simple, rustic items made in Japan, rather than the expensive Chinese-made items that were fashionable at the time.
Death
Although Rikyū had been one of Hideyoshi's closest confidants, because of crucial differences of opinion and other reasons which remain uncertain, Hideyoshi ordered him to commit ritual suicide, which he did at his Jurakudai residence in Kyoto on February 28, 1591, at the age of seventy."The Urasenke Legacy:Family Lineage", in ''[Urasenke website]. Accessed May 16, 2006.
Rikyū's grave is located at Jukoin temple in the Daitokuji compound in Kyoto; his posthumous Buddhist name is Fushin'an Rikyu Soeki Koji.
Memorials for Rikyū are observed annually by many schools of Japanese tea ceremony. The Urasenke school's memorial takes place each year on March 28.
References
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