Grand Kitano Tea Ceremony
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The , also known in English as the Grand Kitano Tea Gathering, was a large
Japanese tea ceremony The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or lit. 'Hot water for tea') is a Culture of Japan, Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . The term "Japa ...
event that was hosted by the regent and chancellor
Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...
at
Kitano Tenmangū is a Shinto shrine in Kamigyō-ku, Kyoto, Japan. History The shrine was first built in 947 to appease the angry spirit of bureaucrat, scholar and poet Sugawara no Michizane, who had been exiled as a result of political maneuvers of his enemi ...
shrine in Kyoto on the first day of the tenth month in the year Tenshō 15 (1587). Japanese cultural historians view it as a major cultural event of the
Momoyama period Momoyama may refer to: History *Azuchi–Momoyama period, the final phase of the Sengoku period in Japanese history 1568–1600 People * Ion Momoyama, Japanese singer and voice actor * Momoyama Kenichi (1909–1991), Korean prince and cavalry offi ...
. Louise Cort points out these three reasons: The event was "a key move in Hideyoshi's strategy to prove his cultural legitimacy; a turning point in the development of chanoyu style and theory; and a crisis in the personal relationship between its chief designers, two of the most influential figures of the Momoyama period, Hideyoshi and
Sen no Rikyū , also known simply as Rikyū, was a Japanese tea master considered the most important influence on the ''chanoyu'', the Japanese "Way of Tea", particularly the tradition of '' wabi-cha''. He was also the first to emphasize several key aspect ...
".


Background

Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a warrior of humble background who rose to eventually become the national ruler, recognized cultural knowledge to be as important an attribute of leadership as military might and took up the practice of chanoyu as a means of demonstrating his cultivation. This had been the same with aspiring rulers before him, such as
Oda Nobunaga was a Japanese ''daimyō'' and one of the leading figures of the Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods. He was the and regarded as the first "Great Unifier" of Japan. He is sometimes referred as the "Demon Daimyō" and "Demo ...
in particular, whom Hideyoshi succeeded in the campaign to reunify the country after the fall of the Ashikaga shogunate. To further enhance their image as legitimate rulers, Nobunaga and Hideyoshi after him sought to acquire works of art that had belonged to the Ashikaga shōguns. Nobunaga acquired some of those treasures as tokens of allegiance from warlords and merchants with whom he had formed political alliances. Others he ordered confiscated from their owners, often men whom he had defeated on the battlefield. Nobunaga furthermore made use of chanoyu as his "way of politics" (') in his relationships with his military commanders. This was by prohibiting them from practicing chanoyu without his permission, and giving them esteemed art works for use in chanoyu as rewards for distinguished service. After the dramatic death of Nobunaga in the summer of 1582 at
Honnō-ji is a temple of the Nichiren branch of Buddhism located in Kyoto, Japan. Honnō-ji incident Honnō-ji is most famous for the Honnō-ji incident, the assassination of the powerful warlord Oda Nobunaga, which occurred there on 21 June 1582. Nob ...
temple, Kyoto, Hideyoshi within days had seized political initiative. He continued the course set by Nobunaga and, with respect to chanoyu, he took possession of Nobunaga's cherished art works for chanoyu use, symbols of his new wealth and culture. Later that year, he announced to Nobunaga's three chief chanoyu advisors -- Rikyū,
Tsuda Sōgyū was a Japanese tea master. Early life Tsuda Sōgyū belonged to the influential family of merchants of Sakai whose business name was Tennōjiya. Together with his father, Tsuda Sōtatsu, he built the Tennōjiya into one of the most prosperous ...
, and
Imai Sōkyū was a 16th century merchant in the Japanese port town of Sakai, and a master of the tea ceremony. His ''yagō'' was Naya. Biography A relative of the Amago and Sasaki samurai clans, Sōkyū originally came from Yamato Province. After settl ...
-- his intention of enlisting them in his own service. The Grand Kitano Tea Gathering was one of the many extravaganzas staged by Hideyoshi as part of his quest for legitimacy through cultural authority. In 1583, he marked the opening of his newly completed Osaka Castle with a volley of ceremonies that lasted days and brought together both tea men and warlords. The visiting generals at that event followed custom by presenting him with art works for chanoyu use. On the 5th day of the 3rd month in 1585, he held a mammoth event at
Daitoku-ji is a Rinzai school Zen Buddhist temple in the Murasakino neighborhood of Kita-ku in the city of Kyoto Japan. Its ('' sangō'') is . The Daitoku-ji temple complex is one of the largest Zen temples in Kyoto, covering more than . In addition to ...
, heartland of Zen power in the capital and training ground for many men who became lay monks as part of their chanoyu practice. The participants included twenty-five chanoyu practitioners from Sakai, fifty merchants from Kyoto, the monks of the temple, and Hideyoshi's commanders and allies. As the focal point of the event, Hideyoshi set up a display of his collection within the abbot's quarters of
Sōken-in is a sub-temple of Daitoku-ji, Kyoto, Japan. It was founded by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1582 as the mortuary temple of Oda Nobunaga. Hideyoshi granted the temple three hundred koku and staged his celebrated Daitoku-ji tea gathering on its grounds i ...
, the subtemple which he himself had had built to commemorate Nobunaga's family. In the 5th month of 1587, Hideyoshi was victorious in his campaign against one of his last undefeated opponents,
Shimazu Yoshihisa was a powerful ''daimyō'' and the 16th Chief of Shimazu clan of Satsuma Province, the eldest son of Shimazu Takahisa. He was renowned as a great general, who managed to subjugate Kyushu through the deft maneuvering of his three brothers. Eventu ...
, who had dominated most of Kyūshū. Hideyoshi had the support of the wealthy merchant, Kamiya Sōtan, and other prominent merchants in the port city of Hakata, and after his victory on the battlefield, he returned to Hakata, where he celebrated with a round of tea gatherings hosted by those influential merchants. The site for these tea gatherings was the seaside pine grove at Hakozaki. Then, just two weeks after his triumphant arrival back in Osaka on the 14th day of the 7th month of that same year, 1587, the signboards went up about the Grand Kitano Tea Gathering.


Participants and scheme

Around the end of the 7th month (1587), the signboards announcing the event were erected in Kyoto, Sakai, Nara, and other sites where chanoyu practitioners were numerous. The chanoyu records kept by the Matsuya Genzaburō family, who ran a lacquerware business in Nara and were very active in the world of chanoyu, includes a handwritten transcription of the signboard text. According to the copy of it in the collection of the Kyoto Mingei Museum, the signboard stated as follows: * Item: In the Kitano grove, weather permitting, from the first day of the tenth month and continuing for ten days, His Lord, in connection with his presence at a Grand Chanoyu, will assemble every single one of his ), in order to let chanoyu devotees view them. * Item: All chanoyu devotees, including also warriors' attendants, townspeople, farmers, and those of lower station, regardless, should bring a kettle, a well bucket, a drinking bowl, and tea -- no offense will be taken if substituted by ''kogashi'' (powdered roasted rice) -- and take part. * Item: As for the room (''zashiki'') hat each participant is to set up since it will be in a pine grove, a floorspace of two tatami will be suitable. However, ''wabi'' people may simply spread mat-covers or rice-hull bags. Participants may arrange themselves as they please. * Item: This invitation is not limited to Japan but extends to everyone who sets his heart on chanoyu (''suki''), even to people on the continent. * Item: In order that he may show the treasures to participants from distant countries, His Lord is extending the duration so that it is not limited to the first day of the tenth month. * Item: His Lord has made these arrangements for the benefit of ''wabi'' people. Any among such people who fail to attend will be prohibited hereafter from preparing even ''kogashi'', and anyone who visits such a person will suffer the same punishment. * Item: His Lord has declared that he will prepare tea personally for all ''wabi'' people, not only those attending from distant places. About one month before the scheduled day that the grand event was to commence, Hideyoshi had word sent to members of the aristocracy in Kyoto, urging their participation in the event. He also had one of his three main men in charge of chanoyu matters, Tsuda Sōgyū, deliver a formal letter from him to the Hakata merchant Kamiya Sōtan, ordering him to come to Kyoto without fail and participate in the event, as he would be the only from Kyushu. It is especially notable that this grand event was intended to be impartial to social rank or wealth, and, together with Hideyoshi's own chanoyu venue, venues hosted by the three great chanoyu masters in Hideyoshi's service, who all were of the influential merchant class in the politically crucial city of Sakai, were designed as the special attractions. According to the diary kept by the nobleman Yoshida Kanemi, who was chief priest at
Yoshida Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Sakyō-ku in Kyoto, Japan. It was founded in 859 by the Fujiwara clan. History The shrine became the object of Imperial patronage during the early Heian period. In 965, Emperor Murakami ordered that Imperial ...
in Kyoto, the bamboo grove of Kitano Tenmangū shrine was packed with more than 800 tea houses and other spaces for preparing and serving tea by the 28th day of the ninth month, 1587. And it is estimated that altogether approximately 1,500-1,600 such tea venues had quickly been set up by the 30th of that month, the day before the event was to commence. Amongst the participants were Hideyoshi's three tea masters
Sen no Rikyū , also known simply as Rikyū, was a Japanese tea master considered the most important influence on the ''chanoyu'', the Japanese "Way of Tea", particularly the tradition of '' wabi-cha''. He was also the first to emphasize several key aspect ...
,
Tsuda Sōgyū was a Japanese tea master. Early life Tsuda Sōgyū belonged to the influential family of merchants of Sakai whose business name was Tennōjiya. Together with his father, Tsuda Sōtatsu, he built the Tennōjiya into one of the most prosperous ...
, and
Imai Sōkyū was a 16th century merchant in the Japanese port town of Sakai, and a master of the tea ceremony. His ''yagō'' was Naya. Biography A relative of the Amago and Sasaki samurai clans, Sōkyū originally came from Yamato Province. After settl ...
, as well as nobles and warriors. The set-up were various stations where each host accommodated very small to larger groups and prepared tea in front of them and served it. The
Golden Tea Room The was a portable gilding, gilded ''chashitsu'' (tea room) constructed during the late 16th century Azuchi–Momoyama period for the kampaku, Japanese regent Lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Japanese tea ceremony, tea ceremonies. The original Golden T ...
was also set up in the gardens of the shrine. Initially scheduled to be 10 days long, it was cut off by the regent after only one day for unknown reasons. Based on this historic event, the shrine organises every year the , held on February 25, with a large offering of tea and ''
wagashi is traditional Japanese confectionery, typically made using plant-based ingredients and with an emphasis on seasonality. ''Wagashi'' generally makes use of cooking methods that pre-date Western influence in Japan. It is often served with green ...
'' to about 3,000 guests, served by ''
geisha {{Culture of Japan, Traditions, Geisha {{nihongo, Geisha{{efn, {{IPAc-en, lang, ˈ, ɡ, eɪ, ., ʃ, ə, {{IPA, ja, ɡei.ɕa, ɡeː-, lang{{cite book, script-title=ja:NHK日本語発音アクセント新辞典, publisher=NHK Publishing, editor= ...
'' and ''
maiko A is an apprentice geiko in Kyoto (in Tokyo it is geisha). Their jobs consist of performing songs, dances, and playing the or other traditional Japanese instruments for visitors during banquets and parties, known as . are usually aged 17 ...
''.


In popular media

is a Japanese ''
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
'' written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Yamada. It was adapted into an ''
anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
'' series in 2011, and includes the Grand Kitano Tea Ceremony in its story.


References


Recommended reading

* Cort, Louise. "The Grand Kitano Tea Gathering," Chanoyu Quarterly no. 31, pp. 15–44. (Urasenke Foundation, Kyoto, 1982: {{ISSN, 0009-1537) 1587 in Japan Chadō Yamashiro Province