Masters in Tea history
In this page, I’d like to talk about two great Masters in Tea history: Ikkyu and Rikyu.
Have you noticed the names of these two are quite similar?
They all finish by Kyu (休) which means repose, rest, break etc.
To tell the truth, Kyu (休) is the word greatly esteemed by Zen. As you can wisely infer from this fact, Ikkyu and Rikyu are both influenced by Zen. Moreover, Ikkyu is a Zen priest. As I mentioned in the page of Tea, tea itself has been cultivated under the influence of Zen.
1. Ikkyu (1394-1481)
Ikkyu is a master of Murata Juko (1422-1502) not only of Tea but also Zen.
He was a son of Emperor Go-Komatsu and his favorite young noblewoman.
As an illegitimate child, he was sent away at the age of six, and began to train as a Buddhist monk.
At the age of 25, Ikkyu heard a crow calling in the dead of night, and at that instant, achieved enlightenment.
The appearance of Ikkyu was far from what was expected for monks. He would dress in rags, carry a wooden sword, and play the shakuhachi flute. In addition, he had no qualms about breaking Buddhist laws, partaking meat, alcohol, and pleasures of the flesh.
At the same time, he remained a consistently harsh critic of the corrupt world of Zen. Because some high-ranking priests cloaked themselves in luxurious garments and pious expressions, but in reality they paid scant attention to Zen spirit.
However, at the age of 81, he became a head priest of Daitokuji by order of the emperor.
(Hanabusa Itchô “Ikkyu Osyô”, owned by Itabashi museum)
Three most popular monks
Ikkyu is what we call, one of the three most popular monks. These three were all very erudite, but always stood against “power”.
The three is as mentioned below:
1) Ikkyu (1394-1481)
Ikkyu is well known for his attic wit.
2) Takuwan (1573-1646)
Takuwan is considered as an inventor of pickles called Takuwan.
3) Ryôkan (1758-1831)
Ryôkan was always a mendicant priest. When he won nothing, he ate nothing. When he gained too much, he gave the excess to the poor.
Japanese people like to choose three magnificent things.
(for detailed information ⇒ Three magnificent things)
Unlike height or length, there are no objective standards regarding beauty or popularity.
Therefore I have to confess that the above three monks are chosen based on my preference.
I think the founders of Buddhist sects such as Kukai (774-835), Honen (1133-1212), Shinran (1173-1263) are too great to attract the sympathy of the common people.
2. Sen no Rikyu(1522-1591)
Daitokuji
As I mentioned above, Ikkyu’s disciple is Murata Juko. Subsequently, hisspirit was inherited by Takeno Joo and his disciple Sen no Rikyu completed “Wabi-cha” as an aesthetic and spiritual art form at the end of 16th century.
Rikyu was born in 1522 in Sakai city which used to be a free city governed by a council of 36 wealthy merchants and boasted the culture of the highest level in those days.
Soon he became known as a pre-eminent teamaster from around the age of fifty.
Firstly he was a teamaster for Oda Nobunaga and after his death in 1582, he served Toyotomi Hideyoshi.
However, Rikyu was not just a master of tea; he intimately involved himself in politics of Toyotomi’s regime.
When a feudal lord visited Hideyoshi’s brother named Hidenaga, Hidenaga told him,
“Consult your private matters to Rikyu, and public ones to me”.
But, after the death of Hidenaga, the situation surrounding Rikyu abruptly changed.
Rumors blaming Rikyu for treachery against Hideyoshi grew increasingly persistent and finally Hideyoshi ordered Rikyu to commit ritual suicide (Hara-kiri)on the unreasonable ground that he had installed a wooden image of himself at the main gate of Daitokuji temple.
On febrary in 1591, Rukyu followed this outrageous order from Hideyoshi without making any explanation.
