"Oda Nobunaga and the Tea Ceremony" The aesthetics of military might revealed through its specialties and space
Part 1: "Oda Nobunaga and the Tea Ceremony" - The aesthetics of military might revealed through famous objects and spaces
Preface: Is the tea ceremony a margin of war, or war itself?
During the Warring States period, tea ceremony was not just a hobby.
It was a stage where warlords could assert their authority through "beauty."
Sometimes it was sharper than a sword, and sometimes it had a more significant meaning than a castle.
Oda Nobunaga - just hearing his name conjures up images of a fiery innovator and a cool-headed strategist.
However, his view of the tea ceremony is not that of a mere hobbyist.
It was another "battle" that reconstructed order through specialties and projected authority through space.
1: Specialty Hunting - When Tea Utensils Become Territory
The most symbolic aspect of Nobunaga's tea ceremony is the "famous item hunting."
He collected the finest tea utensils in the country and gave them as rewards to his vassals.
It was a revolution that transformed the traditional feudal value of "granting land" and made "beauty" a symbol of authority.
• Specialty items = proof of authority: The bestowal of specialty items by Nobunaga was not merely a gift, but a sign of his "trust" and indicated the vassal's rank.
• Politicization of tea utensils: With prestigious tea utensils such as Chinese and Korean tea bowls functioning as "proof of military achievement," beauty became an extension of war.
This structure was later inherited by Hideyoshi and Ieyasu, but Nobunaga's was the most radical in the sense that it was a "reconstruction of order."
2. Spatial Design: The tea room is a stage, a grand stage
Nobunaga's tea ceremonies were not simply private gatherings.
It was a "stage setting" that projected his authority, a politics that spoke through the space itself.
• Tea room at Azuchi Castle: Nobunaga built a tea room at Azuchi Castle, decorated it with famous items, and welcomed guests.
While the tea room was a space of "quiet," it was also a place to speak of the authority of "activity."
• Structure of the tea ceremony: The order of the tea ceremony, the arrangement of the utensils, and the seating order of the guests - all of these were designed to embody "Nobunaga's worldview."
This spatial presentation differs from Rikyu's later "wabicha" tea.
Nobunaga's tea ceremony was not simple, but rather a place to speak of "dignity and order."
3. Meeting Sen no Rikyu - Rikyu before the "Ten Philosophers of Rikyu"
Nobunaga appointed Sen no Rikyu as his "tea master."
During this period, Rikyu had not yet perfected wabi-cha, but was a craftsman who adapted to Nobunaga's view of the tea ceremony.
• Rikyu's role: Designing the tea ceremony, selecting the utensils, and creating the space - Rikyu was the one who understood Nobunaga's intentions and embodied them in the tea ceremony.
• The distance between Nobunaga and Rikyu: Nobunaga treated Rikyu as an "artist" and never looked up to him as a spiritual teacher. This is where his relationship with Hideyoshi later differs.
During this period, Rikyu was still in the early stages of establishing the philosophy of "wabi" and "sabi."
Nobunaga's tea ceremony was closer to the "aesthetics of order and authority."
4. Tea Ceremony and Military Power: Does Beauty Speak of War?
Nobunaga's tea ceremony was not a side effect of war, but the war itself.
A specialty is comparable to a territory, and a teahouse is comparable to a castle.
The tea ceremony was part of the strategy, and the sense of distance from the guests, the choice of utensils, and the design of the space were all means of conveying the "world of Nobunaga."
This view of the tea ceremony differs from Hideyoshi's later "aesthetics of performance."
Nobunaga used the tea ceremony not as a place to "tell" but as a place to "show."
It was an aesthetic of silence, where space speaks more than words.
Conclusion: Nobunaga's tea ceremony is a restructuring of order
For Oda Nobunaga, tea ceremony was neither a mere hobby nor a form of spiritual training.
It is an aesthetic that reconstructs "order" amid the chaos of the Warring States period.
It was a way to express "military might" through local specialties and space.
This view of the tea ceremony was passed down to later masters such as Hideyoshi and Rikyu, and continued to change.
However, Nobunaga's tea ceremony possesses a "power of silence" that is unique to him.
This is beauty that speaks without words - a strength in silence, which is also reflected in WABISUKE's spatial design.