Who was this person?
An Azuchi-Momoyama tea master who perfected wabi-cha. Born to a merchant family in Sakai, he served Oda Nobunaga and then Toyotomi Hideyoshi as tea master, running events such as the Grand Kitano Tea Gathering. He pursued a quiet, austere beauty in tiny rooms like the two-mat Taian, but in 1591 he angered Hideyoshi and was ordered to commit suicide; the reasons are debated.
| Name | Sen no Rikyū (千利休) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 1522 – 1591 |
| Period | Azuchi-Momoyama period |
| Birthplace | Sakai, Izumi Province (now Osaka) |
| Also known as | Tanaka Yoshirō, Sōeki |
| Main achievements |
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Born into a merchant family in Sakai (Osaka); his name was Yoshirō. Sakai, enriched by overseas trade, was a free city governed by its merchants.
Around this time he is thought to have studied tea under Takeno Jōō, who was deepening wabi-cha, a tea valuing simple, quiet beauty over luxurious utensils.
A tea gathering record from around this time first mentions Sōeki, Rikyū's name then; he had begun his path as a tea master.
Around this time, with Imai Sōkyū and Tsuda Sōgyū, he served as tea master to Oda Nobunaga, who controlled Sakai. Nobunaga used tea in politics, rewarding retainers with famous tea utensils.
After the Honnō-ji Incident he became Toyotomi Hideyoshi's tea master. Around this time he is said to have created Taian, a tearoom of just two tatami mats, entered by all with bowed heads through a tiny crawl-in door.
He assisted at a palace tea ceremony where Hideyoshi served tea to the emperor, and received the name Rikyū, reaching the highest standing of any tea master.
He reportedly helped design Hideyoshi's golden tearoom, while having the potter Chōjirō make plain black Raku tea bowls—an age where splendor and rustic simplicity stood side by side.
At Hideyoshi's great tea gathering at Kitano Tenmangū in Kyoto, he played a central role serving tea to crowds of every rank.
He accompanied the Odawara campaign, during which his disciple Yamanoue Sōji angered Hideyoshi and was executed. A chill is said to have been growing between Rikyū and Hideyoshi too.
Blamed for placing a wooden statue of himself on Daitoku-ji's gate, among other charges, he was ordered by Hideyoshi to take his own life (the true reasons are debated). He served tea quietly at his Kyoto residence and took his life. His spirit of tea lives on in the three Sen schools founded by his descendants.
A. An Azuchi-Momoyama tea master who perfected wabi-cha. Born to a merchant family in Sakai, he served Oda Nobunaga and then Toyotomi Hideyoshi as tea master, running events such as the Grand Kitano Tea Gathering. He pursued a quiet, austere beauty in tiny rooms like the two-mat Taian, but in 1591 he angered Hideyoshi and was ordered to commit suicide; the reasons are debated.
A. Period: Azuchi-Momoyama period. Born in 1522, died in 1591.
A. Sen no Rikyū was born in Sakai, Izumi Province (now Osaka).
A. A style of tea that values sincere connection over lavish utensils and grand rooms, using simple wares in a small tea hut. Rikyū perfected a current begun by Murata Jukō and Takeno Jōō.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
Follow this life (autoplay)Oda NobunagaToyotomi HideyoshiHasegawa TōhakuToyotomi HidenagaFuruta OribeOda Nagamasu (Urakusai)Takayama UkonGamō Ujisato
Imagawa YoshimotoImai SōkyūTakeda ShingenSue Harukata (Takafusa)Shibata KatsuieMiyoshi NagayoshiTakigawa KazumasuHachisuka Masakatsu
People of the Sengoku/Azuchi-Momoyama period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.