oil lampstand (tankei) used at evening tea.
5. Rikyu the Connoisseur
Rikyu practiced many times distinguishing good natsume tea caddies from bad ones among those lacquered by Joami. After much study he was able to make no mistakes even when shown many natsume mixed together at random.
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natsume: lacquered caddy for powdered tea, usually used in the preparation of usucha (thin tea); shaped like a natsume (jujube) (p. 58)
Joami: also known as Joho; considered the finest of lacquerers
The design of horse trappings is not what it was years ago. It happened one day that Lord Nobunaga wanted to have new horse trappings designed for his personal use, and he himself showed some of his ideas for them. Just at that time Rikyu arrived to pay homage. The lord at once requested Rikyu to present his own ideas for redesigning the trappings. At first Rikyu wanted to be excused from the task because it was out of his area of expertise. And yet, since the lord requested him to do so, Rikyu cut out a paper pattern on the spot and presented it to him. Nobunaga accepted it with a compliment, saying, “Well done!” But a while later he said to Rikyu, “That pattern you cut seems to have disappeared, so cut another one.” The lord compared the new pattern with the first one and found them not a bit different from each other. He was extremely pleased with this design and decided to adopt it. It has been used ever since. There are many tea utensils known to be of Rikyu’s design, but in the case of the horse trappings no recognition of his design was given, probably because he was not after all a warrior.
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Nobunaga: Oda Nohunaga (1534--82), greatest general of his age and enthusiastic sponsor of the tea ceremony
7. The Ashiya Kettles
The Ashiya kettles were cast not at Ashiya in Settsu Province, but at Ashiya in Chikuzen Province. The kettles with designs sketched by Sesshu are said to be the best ones. Sesshu was a man of Iwami Province, but he often traveled to Ashiya and its vicinity. Metal craftsmen at Ashiya asked him to draw sketches for their kettles. It is said that the Ouchi family was most powerful and influential in those days. They employed the metal craftsmen of Ashiya and also invited Sesshu to draw designs which they had cast. His sketches were mostly of pine, cedar, plum, bamboo, and other trees.
Later, in the days of these craftsmen’s descendants, it once happened that a criminal who had committed a diabolical crime was sentenced to death by boiling in a caldron cast by Ashiya craftsmen. Since then, tea connoisseurs have disliked newly cast Ashiya kettles. Consequently, the craftsmen were forced to earn their living by casting only kitchen utensils such as pots and pans for daily use.
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Settsu Province: Hyogo Prefecture at present
Chikuzen Province: Fukuoka Prefecture at present
Sesshu: Sesshu Toyo (1420-1506), Buddhist priest and great sumie (ink painting) artist
Iwami Province: Shimane Prefecture at present
Ouchi family: lords of several provinces, including Iwami, and patrons of the arts
The Temmyo kettles were made by the kettle casters of Temmyo in Sano, Kamitsuke Province. They are also called Kanto kettles. The best meibutsu kettles were said to be those which were cast at Ashiya or at Temmyo.
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Kamitsuke Province: Tochigi Prefecture at present
Kanto: district taking in Tokyo and the surrounding area, including Temmyo
meibutsu: article of historical fame
A man named Tsuji Yojiro lived in Kyoto at the time of Rikyu, and he was a master of kettle casting. His descendants have not followed his art. His kettles are commonly called Kyo kettles. It is said Rikyu loved them so much that he possessed many kettles cast by Yojiro.
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Kyo: abbreviated form of “Kyoto”
6. Three kinds of iron kettle.
10. Metal Casters
Otogoze,Juton, shiribari, and so on are all names of meibutsu kettles of the time of Rikyu. The kettle rings made by the metal casters of Nara are commonly called Nara rings. The kettle rings cast by a man by the name of Kanamori Tokugen are said to be the best ones. Trivetshaped kettle-lid rests, pothangers, and other items were cast by him as well.
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otogoze: kettle with a rounded shape, like that of a moonfaced woman (otogoze)
futon: according to one opinion, a kettle shaped like a round cushion (futon); on another view, a kettle which Rikyu wrapped in a cushion for protection when it was lowered from a castle tower in which a tea gathering had been held
shiribari: kettle with the shape of wide hips (shiribari)
kettle rings: removable handles inserted into holes of a kettle when moving (p. 84)
7. Otogoze kettle.
11. The Placement of the Tankei
There seems to be no fixed rule as to where to place the tankei. This is said to be a comment made by Rikyu to Lord Nobunaga. (p. 31)
While Lord Hideyoshi was pitching camp at Odawara, Rikyu discovered a very fine type of Nirayama bamboo. Rikyu said to the lord that it could be made into an excellent flower container. On hearing this, the lord ordered him to cut the bamboo and work on it. So Rikyu got to work and produced an astonishingly marvelous masterpiece, and presented it to Hideyoshi. Contrary to his expectations the lord did not like it at all, but looked quite displeased with it, and threw it away into the yard. So Rikyu then worked another piece of Nirayama bamboo into a shakuhachi flower container, and showed it to Hideyoshi. This time it pleased him very much. Actually the new container was not so good as the first one, Rikyu said to himself, but the lord treasured the new one.
8. Contrary to Rikyu’s expectations, Hideyoshi was displeased with his flower container and hurled it into the yard.
