Markus Article About The Death Of A Famous Tea Master

[BIG]

Markus story...https://markussesko.com/2017/09/28/the-blade-with-which-sen-no-rikyu-committed-seppuku/

 

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[BIG]

and here is some background, hope not to special...

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uomP1qdwo0I

 

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[ROKUJURO]

Very interesting and surely a lot of research work.

But I am not sure if I understood the term SUNNOBI TANTO SUGATA correctly. In my understanding, a TANTO in SUNNOBI NAGASA has slightly more than 1 SHAKU, which would not apply here as the blade is only 25 cm.

Is there indeed a SUNNOBI SUGATA?         

[Markus]

There is indeed the term sunnobi-sugata but it is not very clearly defined. That is, the term sunnobi-sugata refers to a blade shape that reminds in its overall proportions to a sunnobi-tantō, regardless of its actual nagasa. I might have to point out that subtlety in one of my next Kantei Series chapters. Thanks for bringing it up Jean.

[seattle1]

Hello:

 Thanks to Peter for the reference and of course to Markus for his conjectures about weighing and distilling the known inputs of the blade's history. A DVD titled Death of a Tea Master, with Toshiro Mifune as Sen no Rikyu, Venice Film Festival award winner, is an excellent watch. It can be acquire from Merlin David, often seen at US sword shows with piles of DVDs, or by going to www.samuraidvd.com

 Arnold F.

[John A Stuart]

https://youtu.be/OrvJvx5kKC0

[Curran]

Markus,

 

I am familiar with the waifu'ya koshirae and the various falconry elements in some of the early Higo fittings designs,

but I am totally guilty of not having studied the Hon'ami lines.

 

As I once felt Goto was too large to tackle until I had more foundation, I still haven't tackled Hon'ami. I have your book, and circle it cautiously wondering when I will have adequate mindspace to tackle it.

 

The one simple question here:  "Rikyū commissioned Hon’ami Kōsa (本阿弥光瑳, 1578-1637) with making its koshira"

Rikyu left the mortal coil in 1591.  Kosa-sama would have been 13 at the time?

Are those dates correct?

---Based on that alone, the Kyoto National Museum opinion of "Rikyū commissioned Hon’ami Kōtoku (本阿弥光徳, 1552-1619) with making a koshirae for it." seems to make more sense.

 

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The first person records of so many things from back then are really treasures.

Yesterday I saw an extensive guide written by an Imagawa Clan patriarch on how newly married women should set up and maintain households at that time. It was extensive, yet well organized.

I wondered about comparable literacy rates between western Europe vs Japan at the time. In contrast, only 80 years ago my wife's grandmother ran quite the cottage industry in her hometown being the only one able to read to wives and mothers the letters written home by fathers and sons off at war.

[Markus]

@Curran: Someone should have taught me calculating... Kosa was born in 1573 not in 1578. Well, he would still have been only 18 years old when Rikyu died. Makes the issue a little "better" but still pretty young...