Database: Sen no Rikyu

Sen no Rikyū was a renowned tea master of his time. He was originally from Sakai and was the son of a wealthy merchant who held a position in the city council. Rikyū was also influenced by Zen meditation and developed the wabi aesthetic under the guidance of Takeno Joo, his mentor. On the recommendation of Imai Sōkyū, he joined the circle of Oda Nobunaga, then of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who preferred him over Sōkyū. Moreover, Hideyoshi specifically assigned Rikyū to be in charge of the grand tea ceremony, during which he personally served the emperor. Hideyoshi and Rikyū were very close, but neither of them had an easy character to the point that they ended up arguing, and Hideyoshi sentenced him to death by ordering him to cut open his abdomen. There is no information on why Hideyoshi acted in such a cruel manner, however, historians have made numerous assumptions, none of them prevailing over the others. Though, it is evident that Rikyū made a serious mistake to provoke the anger of his lord in such a way.

The three main tea schools of today, known as the San Senke, are all from descendants of Sen no Rikyū.