View source for Sen no Rikyū

{{Short description|Japanese tea master (1522–1591)}}
{{family name hatnote|Sen|lang=Japanese}}
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{{more citations needed |date=July 2023}}
{{Expand Japanese|topic=bio|千利休|date=May 2019}}
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{{Infobox religious biography
|name = Sen no Rikyū
|image = Sen no Rikyu JPN (cropped).jpg
|caption = ''Sen no Rikyū'' by [[Hasegawa Tōhaku]]
|birth name = 
|alias = 
|dharma name = 
|native_name = 千 利休
|native_name_lang = ja
|birth_date = 1522
|birth_place = [[Sakai, Osaka|Sakai]], [[Ashikaga shogunate|Japan]]
|death_date = {{death date and age|1591|04|21|1522}}
|death_place = [[Kyoto]], [[Azuchi–Momoyama period|Japan]]
|resting_place = [[Jukō-in]]
|nationality = [[Japanese people|Japanese]]
|religion = [[Zen Buddhism]]
|school = [[Rinzai]]
|lineage = 
|title = 
|location = 
|education = 
|occupation = 
|teacher = 
|reincarnation of = 
|predecessor = 
|successor = 
|students = 
|spouse = 
|partner = 
|children = 
|website = 
}}

{{nihongo|'''Sen no Rikyū'''{{efn|{{IPA|ja|seꜜn no {{pipe}} ɾʲiꜜ.kʲɯː, sen no ɾʲiꜜ.kʲɯː, seꜜn no ({{pipe}}) ɾʲi.kʲɯː}}<ref name=NHK>{{cite book|script-title=ja:NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典|publisher=NHK Publishing|editor=NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute|date=24 May 2016|lang=ja}}</ref><ref name=meikai>{{cite book|script-title=ja:新明解日本語アクセント辞典|edition=2nd|editor-last=Kindaichi|editor-first=Haruhiko|editor-link=Haruhiko Kindaichi|editor-last2=Akinaga|editor-first2=Kazue|publisher=[[Sanseidō]]|date=10 March 2025|lang=ja}}</ref>}}|千 利休||1522 – April 21, 1591|lead=yes}}, also known simply as '''Rikyū''',{{efn|{{IPA|ja|ɾʲiꜜ.kʲɯː, ɾʲi.kʲɯː}}<ref name=NHK/><ref name=meikai/>}} was a Japanese tea master considered the most important influence on the [[Japanese tea ceremony|''chanoyu'']], the Japanese "Way of Tea", particularly the tradition of ''[[wabi-cha]]''. He was also the first to emphasize several key aspects of the ceremony, including rustic simplicity, directness of approach and honesty of self. Originating from the [[Sengoku period|Sengoku]] and [[Azuchi–Momoyama period|Azuchi–Momoyama]] periods, these aspects of the tea ceremony persist.<ref name=BMA>{{cite book|last=Birmingham Museum of Art|author-link=Birmingham Museum of Art|title=Birmingham Museum of Art : guide to the collection|year=2010|publisher=Birmingham Museum of Art|location=[Birmingham, Ala]|isbn=978-1-904832-77-5|pages=48|url=http://artsbma.org}}</ref>

There are three ''[[iemoto]]'' (''[[sōke]]''), or 'head houses' of the Japanese Way of Tea, that are directly descended from Rikyū: the [[Omotesenke]], [[Urasenke]], and [[Mushakōjisenke]], all three of which are dedicated to passing forward the teachings of their mutual family founder, Rikyū. They are collectively called {{transliteration|ja|san senke}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=三千家分立 (The Breakup of the Three Houses) |url=http://www.omotesenke.jp/list3/list3-3/list3-3-3/ |website=茶の湯 (The Hot Water of Tea) |publisher=Omotesenke Fushin'an Foundation |access-date=5 February 2023}}</ref>

==Early life==
Rikyū was born in [[Sakai, Osaka|Sakai]] in present-day [[Osaka Prefecture]]. His father was a warehouse owner named {{nihongo|Tanaka Yohei|田中與兵衛}}, who later in life also used the family name Sen, and his mother was {{nihongo|Gesshin Myōchin|月岑妙珎}}.<ref name="Daijiten">{{cite book |last= |first= |date=1989-10-01 |title=Rikyū Daijiten |script-title=ja:利休大事 |trans-title=Rikyū Encyclopedia |language=ja |location= |publisher=Tankōsha |isbn=4-473-01110-0}}</ref> His childhood name was {{nihongo|Yoshiro|與四郎}}.<ref name=Urasenke1>"The Urasenke Legacy: Family Lineage", in [https://www.urasenke.or.jp/texte/legacy/lineage1.html Urasenke website].  Accessed May 16, 2006.</ref>{{Better source needed|date=October 2024}}

As a young man, Rikyū studied tea under the townsman of Sakai named Kitamuki Dōchin (1504–62),<ref>{{cite book|last=Anderson |first=Jennifer L. |year=1991|title=An Introduction to Japanese Tea Ritual |publisher=State University of New York |location=Albany, New York |isbn=0-7914-0749-7 |page=35}}</ref> and at nineteen, through Dōchin's introduction, he began to study tea under [[Takeno Jō'ō]], who is also associated with the development of the [[Wabi-sabi|wabi]] aesthetic in tea ceremony. He is believed to have received the Buddhist name {{nihongo|Sōeki|宗易}} from the [[Rinzai Zen]] priest Dairin Sōtō (1480–1568) of [[Nanshū-ji]] in Sakai.<ref>Nishibe Bunjo, "Zen priests and Their Concepts of Tea," p. 13, in Chanoyu Quarterly no. 13 (1976)</ref> He married a woman known as Hōshin Myōju (d.&nbsp;1577) around when he was 21.<ref name="Daijiten"/> Rikyū also underwent [[Zen]] training at [[Daitoku-ji]] in Kyoto. Not much is known about his middle years.

==Later years==
In 1579, at the age of 58, Rikyū became a tea master for [[Oda Nobunaga]]<ref>Anderson, p. 36.</ref> and, following Nobunaga's death in 1582, he was a tea master for [[Toyotomi Hideyoshi]].<ref>Anderson, p. 37</ref> His relationship with Hideyoshi quickly deepened, and he entered Hideyoshi's circle of confidants, effectively becoming the most influential figure in the world of {{Nihongo3|||chanoyu}}.<ref>''Rikyū Daijiten'' entries for 当世の風体　(the trend of the age) and 豊臣秀吉の側近 (Toyotomi Hideyoshi's confidant).</ref> In 1585, as he needed extra credentials to enter the Imperial Palace  in order to help at a tea gathering that would be given by Hideyoshi for [[Emperor Ōgimachi]], the emperor bestowed upon him the Buddhist [[lay name]] and title {{Nihongo|"Rikyū Koji"|利休居士}}.<ref>"The Urasenke Legacy: Family Lineage", in [https://www.urasenke.or.jp/texte/legacy/lineage1.html Urasenke website]. Accessed May 16, 2006.</ref> Another major {{Nihongo3|||chanoyu}} event of Hideyoshi's that Rikyū played a central role in was the [[Grand Kitano Tea Ceremony]], held by Hideyoshi at the [[Kitano Tenman-gū]] in 1587.

[[File:TAIAN in MyokiAN Kyoto.jpg|thumb|His {{Nihongo3|||chashitsu}} Tai-an at the Myōki-an, Kyoto]]
[[File:Suigetsu by Sen no Rikyu - BMA.jpg|thumb|''Suigetsu'' (Intoxicated by the Moon) paper hanging scroll for a tea ceremony by Sen no Rikyū, c. 1575]]
[[File:Bamboo Flowerpot Sen no Rikyu ONKYOKU.jpg|thumb|upright|Flower vase {{Nihongo3|||Onkyoku}}, by Sen no Rikyū, 16th century]]

It was during his later years that Rikyū began to use very tiny, rustic [[chashitsu|tea rooms]] referred as {{Nihongo3|||sō-an}} ('grass hermitage'), such as the two-[[tatami]] mat tea room named [[Tai-an]], which can be seen today at Myōki-an temple in Yamazaki, a suburb of Kyoto, and which is credited to his design.  This tea room has been designated as a [[National Treasure (Japan)|National Treasure]]. He also developed many [[List of Japanese tea ceremony equipment|implements for tea ceremony]], including flower containers, teascoops, and lid rests made of bamboo, and also used everyday objects for tea ceremony, often in novel ways.

[[Raku ware|Raku]] [[chawan|teabowls]] were originated through his collaboration with a tile-maker named Raku [[Chōjirō]]. Rikyū had a preference for simple, rustic items made in Japan, rather than the expensive Chinese-made items that were fashionable at the time. Though not the inventor of the philosophy of ''[[wabi-sabi]]'', which finds beauty in the very simple, Rikyū is among those most responsible for popularizing it, developing it, and incorporating it into tea ceremony. He created a new form of tea ceremony using very simple instruments and surroundings. This and his other beliefs and teachings came to be known as {{Nihongo3|||sōan-cha}} (the grass-thatched hermitage style of {{Nihongo3|||chanoyu}}), or more generally, {{Nihongo3|||wabi-cha}}. This line of {{Nihongo3|||chanoyu}} that his descendants and followers carried on was recognized as the {{nihongo|Senke-ryū|千家流||'school of the house of Sen'}}.

A writer and poet, the tea master referred to the ware and its relationship with the tea ceremony, saying, "Though you wipe your hands and brush off the dust and dirt from the vessels, what is the use of all this fuss if the heart is still impure?"<ref>Sadler, A. L.  Cha-no-yu:  The Japanese Tea Ceremony.  Rutland, VT and Tokyo:  Tuttle, 1962.</ref>

Two of his primary disciples were Nanbō Sōkei ({{Nihongo2|南坊宗啓}}; dates unknown), a somewhat legendary Zen priest; and [[Yamanoue Sōji]] (1544–90), a townsman of Sakai. Another was [[Furuta Oribe]] (1544-1615), who became a celebrated tea master after Rikyū's death. Nanbō is credited as the original author of the ''[[Southern Record|Nanpō roku]]'', a record of Rikyū's teachings. There is, however, some debate as to whether Nanbō even existed, and some scholars theorize that his writings were actually by samurai litterateur Tachibana Jitsuzan (1655-1708), who claimed to have found and transcribed these texts.<ref>Rath, Eric C. "Reevaluating Rikyû: Kaiseki and the Origins of Japanese Cuisine" in ''The Journal of Japanese Studies'', vol. 39, no. 1, winter 2013, pp. 67-96</ref> Yamanoue's chronicle, the {{Nihongo3|||Yamanoue Sōji ki}} ({{Nihongo2|山上宗二記}}), gives commentary about Rikyū's teachings and the state of {{Nihongo3|||chanoyu}} at the time of its writing.<ref>''Rikyū Daijiten''</ref>

Rikyū had a number of children, including a son known in history as [[Sen Dōan]], and daughter known as Okame. This daughter became the bride of Rikyū's second wife's son by a previous marriage, known in history as [[Sen Shōan]]. Due to many complex circumstances, Sen Shōan, rather than Rikyū's legitimate heir, Dōan, became the person counted as the 2nd generation in the Sen-family's tradition of {{Nihongo3|||chanoyu}} (see {{Nihongo3|||san-Senke}} at [[schools of Japanese tea ceremony]]).

Rikyū also wrote poetry, and practiced ''[[ikebana]]''.<includeonly>flowers for chanoyu are not called ikebana; need verification about him practicing ikebana</includeonly>

One of his favourite gardens was said to be at [[Chishaku-in]] in Kyoto.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2014/03/29/lifestyle/chishaku-in-a-kyoto-garden-of-deep-repose/|title=Chishaku-in: A Kyoto garden of deep repose|date=29 March 2014}}</ref>

==Death==
Although Rikyū had been one of Hideyoshi's closest confidants, because of crucial differences of opinion and because he was too independent, Hideyoshi ordered him to commit [[Seppuku|ritual suicide]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Ohki|first=Sadako|author2=Yale University. Art Gallery|title=Tea Culture of Japan|publisher=Yale University Art Gallery|year=2009|isbn=978-0-300-14692-9}}</ref> One year earlier, after the [[Siege of Odawara (1590)]], his famous disciple [[Yamanoue Sōji]] was tortured and decapitated on Hideyoshi's orders. While Hideyoshi's reason may never be known for certain, it is known that Rikyū committed ''seppuku'' at his residence within Hideyoshi's [[Jurakudai]] palace in [[Kyoto]] in 1591 on the 28th day of the 2nd month (of the traditional Japanese [[lunar calendar]]; or April 21 when calculated according to the modern [[Gregorian calendar]]), at the age of seventy.<ref name="Urasenke1"/><ref>Okakura Kakuzo, ''The Illustrated Book of Tea'' (Okakura's classic with 17th-19th century ukiyo-e woodblock prints and a chapter on Sen no Rikyu). Chiang Mai: Cognoscenti Books. 2012. ASIN: B009033C6M</ref>
[[File:金毛閣山門供養之偈.jpg|thumb|The memorial gatha of Sanmon, "Kinmo palace", in [[Daitoku-ji]].]]

According to [[Okakura Kakuzō]] in ''[[The Book of Tea]]'', Rikyū's last act was to hold an exquisite tea ceremony. After serving all his guests, he presented each piece of the tea-equipage for their inspection, along with an exquisite ''[[kakemono]]'', which Okakura described as "a wonderful writing by an ancient monk dealing with the evanescence of all things". Rikyū presented each of his guests with a piece of the equipment as a souvenir, with the exception of the bowl, which he shattered, as he uttered the words: "Never again shall this cup, polluted by the lips of misfortune, be used by man." As the guests departed, one remained to serve as witness to Rikyū's death. Rikyū's last words, which he wrote down as a [[death poem]], were in verse, addressed to the dagger with which he took his own life:

{{poemquote|
Welcome to thee,
O sword of eternity!
Through Buddha
And through [[Bodhidharma|Daruma]] alike
Thou hast cleft thy way.<ref name=Okakura1>Okakura, Kakuzo, ''The Book of Tea'' pp 64-65. Toronto: Dover Publications. 1964.</ref>}}

When Hideyoshi was building his lavish residence at [[Fushimi Castle|Fushimi]] the following year, he remarked that he wished its construction and decoration to be pleasing to Rikyū. Hideyoshi was known for his temper, and is said to have expressed regret at his treatment of Rikyū.<ref name=Sansom>Sansom, George (1961). "A History of Japan: 1334-1615." Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. pp364,370.</ref>

Rikyū's grave is located at [[Jukō-in|Jukōin]] temple in the [[Daitoku-ji]] compound in Kyoto; his posthumous Buddhist name is Fushin'an Rikyū Sōeki Koji.

Memorials for Rikyū are observed annually by many [[schools of Japanese tea ceremony]].  The Omotesenke school's annual memorial takes place at the family's headquarters each year on March 27, and the Urasenke school's takes place at its own family's headquarters each year on March 28. The three Sen families (Omotesenke, Urasenke, Mushakōjisenke) take turns holding a memorial service on the 28th of every month, at their mutual family temple, the subsidiary temple Jukōin at Daitoku-ji temple.

==Rikyū's Seven High-Status Disciples==
The '''{{Nihongo3|||Rikyū Shichitetsu}}''' ({{Nihongo2|利休七哲}}) ('Seven Foremost Disciples', 'Seven Luminaries') is a set of seven high-ranking [[daimyō]] or generals who were also direct disciples of Sen no Rikyū: [[Maeda Toshinaga]], [[Gamō Ujisato]], [[Hosokawa Tadaoki]], [[Furuta Oribe]], Makimura Toshisada, [[Dom Justo Takayama]], and Shibayama Munetsuna. The seven-member set was first mentioned by Rikyū's grandson [[Sen no Sōtan]]. In a 1663 list given by Sōtan's son (and fourth-generation head of the [[Sen Sōsa]] lineage of tea masters), Maeda Toshinaga is replaced by Seta Masatada.

==See also==
*[[Sen Shōan]]
*[[Sen Sōtan]]
*[[Schools of Japanese tea ceremony]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
* [[Beatrice Bodart-Bailey|Bodart-Bailey, Beatrice]]. (1977). ''Tea and counsel, the political rele of Sen Rikyū.''  [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/469293854 OCLC 469293854]
* [[George Bailey Sansom|Sansom, George Bailey]]. (1961). ''A History of Japan: 1334-1615.'' London: Cresset Press. [https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/216583509 OCLC 216583509]

==Further reading==
* Tanaka, Seno, Tanaka, Sendo, Reischauer, Edwin O. “The Tea Ceremony”,  Kodansha International; Revised edition, May 1, 2000. {{ISBN|4-7700-2507-6}}, {{ISBN|978-4-7700-2507-4}}.

== External links ==
{{commons category|Sen no Rikyū}}
*[https://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/84980/rec/1 Momoyama, Japanese Art in the Age of Grandeur], an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Sen no Rikyū 
*[https://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15324coll10/id/121226 Turning point : Oribe and the arts of sixteenth-century Japan], an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Sen no Rikyū

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sen no, Rikyu}}
[[Category:1522 births]]
[[Category:1591 deaths]]
[[Category:Japanese tea masters]]
[[Category:Male suicides]]
[[Category:Suicides by seppuku]]
[[Category:People from Sakai, Osaka]]
[[Category:Forced suicides]]
[[Category:16th-century suicides]]
[[Category:Japanese Rinzai Zen Buddhists]]
[[Category:Buddhist clergy of the Muromachi period]]
[[Category:Buddhist clergy of the Azuchi–Momoyama period]]