1578-1645
male
Practitioner of the art of tea ceremony and feudal lord of the Omi-Komuro domain during the early Edo period. He was born in Omi province. From a young age he received special education from his father Shinsuke Masatsugi, took over the main school of tea ceremony continued by Sen no Rikyu and Furuta Oribe, and ascended to the position of tea ceremony instructor for the originators of the Tokugawa dynasty. In year 13 of the Keichou era (1608), he took the role of overseer for the construction of Sunpu Castle, and in doing so, he was bequeathed the official court title of Lord of Totomi, junior fifth-class lower – from this point on, he began to be known as “Enshu”.
During his lifetime he conducted over 400 tea ceremonies, at the request of feudal lords, court nobles, vassals, townsfolk – members of all classes – reaching some 2000 people. A master of both calligraphy and waka poetry, he constructed an elegantly graceful and simplistic tea ceremony known as “Kirei-sabi”, combining tea ceremony with the ideals of dynastic culture. Beginning with Emperor Mizunoo, he became a figurehead for culture salons during the Kanei era, and demonstrated his talents in the construction and landscape design for Katsura Imperial Villa, Sendougosho, Nijo Castle, and Nagoya Castle, among others. Daitokuji-kohoan and Nanzenji-konchiin are his exemplary works.
In the realm of artistic handicraft, he left a lasting impression in both his selection of “Chuuko-Meibutsu (Revival Goods)” (items chosen based on Enshu’s own aesthetic sense) as well as his leadership of the various schools of kuniyaki pottery – Takatori, Tamba, Shigaraki, Iga, and Shitoro. He also concentrated his efforts on importing pottery from China, Korea, and The Netherlands.
