Profile
About Sen no Rikyu
Sakai City Museum Collection "Sen no Rikyu"
Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591), the founder of the Senke school of tea ceremony and known as the master of wabi-cha (wabi-cha), was born into a merchant family in Sakai and spent most of his life there. His given name was Yoshiro, his Buddhist name was Soeki, and his Buddhist title was Hokensai. He was awarded the title of Rikyu Koji by Emperor Ogimachi. He learned the tea ceremony from the wealthy Sakai merchant Takeno Joo and served as tea master to two of Japan's greatest rulers, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. He particularly served Hideyoshi as his chief tea master, and was instrumental in organizing tea ceremonies at the Imperial Palace and the Kitano Grand Tea Ceremony, earning him the reputation of being "the greatest tea master in the world."
Sakai's Tea Ceremony and Tea Masters
Sakai has developed as a port town since ancient times, but after the Onin War broke out in Kyoto in 1467, the base of trade between Japan and Ming China was moved from Hyogo Port to Sakai, and it flourished as a trading port.
At that time, merchants in Sakai were free to do business under the rule of the Hosokawa clan, and the city was run by a council of influential merchants known as the Kaigoshu, ushering in Sakai's golden age. The merchants loved the tea ceremony and helped shape the city's culture.
Sakai merchants, who were also skilled tea masters, were highly valued as tea masters (tea ceremony masters) for the great rulers of Japan, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
At that time, merchants in Sakai were free to do business under the rule of the Hosokawa clan, and the city was run by a council of influential merchants known as the Kaigoshu, ushering in Sakai's golden age. The merchants loved the tea ceremony and helped shape the city's culture.
Sakai merchants, who were also skilled tea masters, were highly valued as tea masters (tea ceremony masters) for the great rulers of Japan, Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
Tsuda Sogyu, Imai Sokyu, and Sen no Rikyu were known as the "Three Great Masters of the World."
It is said that the tea ceremony (wabi-cha) was revived by Takeno Jōō and perfected by Sen no Rikyu. Sakai, the city that nurtured both of them, was a city that actively experimented with new forms of tea ceremony. Portuguese missionary João Rodríguez recorded that "this new style of tea ceremony, called suki, began in the famous and wealthy city of Sakai" (History of the Church in Japan).
It is said that the tea ceremony (wabi-cha) was revived by Takeno Jōō and perfected by Sen no Rikyu. Sakai, the city that nurtured both of them, was a city that actively experimented with new forms of tea ceremony. Portuguese missionary João Rodríguez recorded that "this new style of tea ceremony, called suki, began in the famous and wealthy city of Sakai" (History of the Church in Japan).