Sen no Rikyu (1522-91)
Rikyu Sen was a great tea master born in a wealthy merchant family in
Sakai Izumi Province (Osaka) in late
Muromachi to
Azuchi Momoyama Period founded Senke Tea Schools. His Buddhist name was Soeki. Rikyu leaned 'Wabicha'
handed down from Shuko Murata by Jouo Takeno. He successfully completed
his style of simple and clean
tea ceremony with ingeniously designed tea sets and a tea room like a thatched hut,
so he completed 'wabicha'. Rikyu became 'Go Sado (the leader of the tea
masters)' in the government of
Nobunaga Oda and
Hideyoshi Toyotomi, therefore
he was praised as the greatest tea master in Japan. Rikyu entered into
the politics. Finally, he was killed himself by the anger of Hideyoshi.
参考
大辞林
日本世界人名辞典
新制版 日本史辞典
Chado or Sado / Cha no Yu
Chado or Sado is the manner of Cha no Yu (holding tea ceremony).
In
Kamakura Period, Eisai, a priest of Buddhism, brought a tradition drinking tea, at first
tea gave people as a kind of medicines. Then tea ceremonies held at temples
belonging to
Zen Shu in Buddhism. The tea ceremony gradually spread among people, Cha Yoriai
(many people gathered and drunk tea) became popular, then next Tocha (a
game that participants guess what kind of tea leaves are serving) became
popular in
Nanbokucho Period.
In
Muramachi Period, Shuko Murata served Yoshimasa Ashikaga, the 8th Shogun of
Muromachi Bakufu, he started 'Wabicha' that tea masters and their participants would make
much of some ingeniously designed tools, and it would be emphasized how
important participants at the ceremony kept their mental conditions well.
It means that people would strengthen themselves emotionally and master
the profound studies of social manners. And Jouo Takeno succeeded his style
and his disciple,
Rikyu Sen completed the Wabicha.
After Rikyu, his school has been divided into three such as Omote Senke,
Ura Senke and Mushanokoji Senke. His schools are the main streams. On the
other hands, there are some other schools,
Oribe Furuta, Enshu Kobori and Sekishu Katagiri are famous.
参考
大辞林
日本世界人名辞典
新制版 日本史辞典