"Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the Tea Ceremony" The aesthetics of the production as told by the Golden Tea House and Kitano's Grand Tea Ceremony
Part 2: "Toyotomi Hideyoshi and the Tea Ceremony" - The aesthetics of the Golden Tea Room and the Kitano Grand Tea Ceremony
Preface: The tea ceremony is the stage for the rulers of the country
The tea ceremony is often described as a way to find beauty in silence.
However, for Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the tea ceremony was a stage where the "voice of the ruler of the country" resonated in the silence.
If Nobunaga used the tea ceremony as a way to "reconstruct order," Hideyoshi elevated it into an "aesthetics of performance."
The golden tea room, the Kitano Grand Tea Ceremony, and the tension and disconnect with Sen no Rikyu - Hideyoshi's tea ceremony was a grand performance that involved both the people and the Emperor, and was a place where his aesthetic sense and political views intersected.
1. The Golden Tea House: A Combination of Luxury and Simplicity
When talking about Hideyoshi's tea ceremony, the first thing that comes to mind is the "Golden Tea Room."
The tatami mats, walls, pillars, and utensils are all covered in gold leaf in this tea room, which seems to be the polar opposite of the "wabi-sabi" (traditional Japanese rustic beauty) of the tea ceremony.
• Portable Tea House: The Golden Tea House was designed so that Hideyoshi could hold tea ceremonies even when he was away on military expeditions. In other words, the tea ceremony was a device that allowed him to "present himself as the ruler of Japan anywhere."
• Simplicity amidst luxury: Placing simple tea utensils among the gold leaf creates a beautiful contrast. This is a Hideyoshi-style presentation that takes advantage of the spirit of wabi.
This tea room was not merely a hobby, but a device for spatially conveying the existence of Hideyoshi.
2. Kitano Grand Tea Ceremony: A Tea Ceremony Involving the Common People and the Emperor
In 1587, Hideyoshi held the Kitano Grand Tea Ceremony at Kitano Tenmangu Shrine in Kyoto.
This tea ceremony was an unprecedented large-scale event that anyone could attend, regardless of their social status.
• Democratization of the tea ceremony: Samurai, townspeople, farmers - anyone could make tea and share the same space as Hideyoshi, which also sent the message that "the ruler of the country stands above all the people."
• Distance from the Emperor: Members of the Imperial Court were also invited to this tea ceremony. Through the tea ceremony, Hideyoshi sought to narrow the distance between himself and the Emperor and culturally legitimize his authority.
The Kitano Grand Tea Ceremony was the first attempt to use the tea ceremony as a "point of contact with the people," and it was also the venue where Hideyoshi's political powers were most clearly displayed.
3. Tension with Sen no Rikyu: A break in aesthetic sense and questions of spirituality
The relationship between Hideyoshi and Sen no Rikyu was different from that during the Nobunaga era.
Hideyoshi looked up to Rikyu as his teacher and was deeply devoted to the spirituality of the tea ceremony, but their relationship eventually became strained and led to a severance.
• Rikyu's wabi-cha tea ceremony and Hideyoshi's aesthetic presentation: Rikyu valued wabi-cha tea ceremony, which "discovers depth in simplicity," while Hideyoshi preferred presentation that "places simplicity within luxury." This difference in aesthetic sense eventually created a rift between them.
• Background of Rikyu's seppuku: There are various theories, but one is that Rikyu's attempt to protect the tea ceremony as a "spiritual space" clashed with Hideyoshi's view of the tea ceremony as a "performance space."
This discontinuity continues to raise questions today about who the tea ceremony is for and what it should say.
4. Tea Ceremony and Performance: Hideyoshi's Aesthetics
Hideyoshi's tea ceremony was a production, a performance, and politics itself.
Through the tea ceremony, he tried to explain what it meant to be a ruler of the country, show it to the people, and convey it to the Emperor.
• Selection of tea utensils: Hideyoshi liked famous tea utensils, but he used them not as a "proof of military achievement" but as a "tool for presentation."
• The structure of the tea ceremony: the seating arrangement of the guests, the placement of the utensils, the design of the space - everything was a stage that spoke to "Hideyoshi's worldview."
This view of the tea ceremony contrasts with Nobunaga's "beauty of silence" and differs from Rikyu's "beauty of spirituality."
It was the kind of "beauty that speaks" and "beauty that shows" that only Hideyoshi could do.
Conclusion: Hideyoshi's tea ceremony is the story of a man who ruled the country
Toyotomi Hideyoshi's tea ceremony was not just a hobby or a form of spiritual training.
It was a beautiful performance that involved the people and the Emperor and spoke about what it meant to be a ruler of the country.
The golden tea room expresses Hideyoshi's aesthetics through space.
Kitano Daichayu is a talk about Hideyoshi's politics with the people.
And the break with Rikyu has left the question of "What is the tea ceremony?" to this day.
Hideyoshi's tea ceremony is the beauty of speaking and the beauty of showing, and it is the story of a man who ruled the country.
This may be something that is also reflected in WABISUKE's spatial design, which is not "beauty to show to someone" but "beauty to share with someone."