Page 363 - JAPAN THE SHAPING OFDAIMYO CULTURE 1185-1868

277 Tea container, named Rikyu
350
for his alliance and, remembering Sansai's
shiribukura earlier desire for the chaire, presented it to
h. 6.7 (25/8) him as a reward. This dramatic prove-
Southern Song nance adds immensely to the value of a
utensil that also is held in great artistic re-
Eisei Bunko, Tokyo
Important Art Object gard. In this way the chaire has been im-
bued with a lasting legacy.
This small container for thick tea, or Being relatively small in size, the
chaire, was probably first used as a medi- Rikyu shiribukura chaire lends itself well to
cine container in China, and later came to the tea man's gentle handling. The dark
be greatly treasured by the Japanese. For brown color of the outer glaze resembles a
warriors such as Oda Nobunaga (1534- thin coating of molasses. The shiny glaze
1582), Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598), and covers the chaire from the upper rim to
Tokugawa leyasu (1543-1616), who sought the lower area, where it is only partially
to unify Japan at the end of the sixteenth glazed. A spiralling pattern on the foot of
century, the possession of a prize chaire of- the chaire indicates that it was cut from
ten symbolized political and cultural the wheel with a string.
power. Chaire were often bestowed upon Appreciation of a chaire depends to a
daimyo as rewards for loyalty and support large extent upon what the Japanese call
on the battlefield. Hosokawa Sansai (1563- its "scenery," or the appearance of the
1646), for instance, is said to have so de- glaze on the outer surface. This tea con-
sired the chaire shown here that he tainer has obviously experienced a less
declared he would trade one entire prov- than peaceful life, attested by the evi-
ince for it. Owners would display famous dence of repair around the upper edge.
pieces boldly, in order to humble and sub- The attitude toward preservation in the
due those who possessed nothing as great. tea ceremony (chanoyu) illustrates the seri-
Chaire were also appreciated for their ous reverence tea people held for their
artistic value and actual use in the tea utensils. A chip or crack would be lovingly
gathering. Many warriors treasured and repaired and the utensil would be valued
protected their utensils because of strong even more after having suffered such a
sentimental attachment. In a time of con- blemish. The natural weathering of the
stant warfare, when retainers could easily utensils provided yet another dimension
change sides, utensils proved unable to be- that would affect its legendary worth. Ap-
tray their owners. preciation depends also on the shape of
Chaire were brought to Japan around the chaire, which is one of several desig-
the middle of the thirteenth century, dur- nated standard chaire shapes. As with most
ing the Kamakura period. Many of the val- utensils in the tea gathering, one also
ued chaire were fired in China during the views the bottom of the chaire. This is
Southern Song and Yuan dynasties. The done by gently tilting the chaire to one
locations of many of these Chinese kilns side to obtain a view of the foot with the
are unknown, as is the name of the potter mark left behind when the potter cut it
who made this small container. Chaire of- from the wheel.
ten are discussed under the rubric kara- The mouth of this chaire is covered
mono, or Chinese objects, superior to with an ivory lid. It is said that the paper-
Japanese objects and therefore held in thin gold foil applied to the reverse side of
high esteem by the Japanese. the lid served as a device to signal any ob-
This container is called the Rikyu vious tampering with the tea. The foil
shiribukura. As recorded in the Kitano would change color if poison were present.
ochanoyu no ki, the great tea master Sen In the world of the warrior, taking part in a
no Rikyu owned and used it at the great tea gathering could at times be dangerous.
Kitano tea gathering held by Toyotomi Hi- Three cloth bags made of different
deyoshi in the tenth month of 1587. This fabrics accompany this chaire. During the
grand tea gathering is believed to have actual preparation of tea only one bag cov-
been an attempt by Hideyoshi to invite tea ers the chaire, but the Rikyu shiribukura
connoisseurs from all over the country to can be used with any of the three inter-
come and display their most famous uten- changeable cloth bags, all of a type known
sils. The latter part of the chaire's name, as kantd, which is a striped cloth. The fab-
shiribukura, derives from its stout shape, ric of the two outer bags is labeled jodai
which slightly bulges out toward the base. and chùko, pointing to the period of im-
Despite Hosokawa Sansai's known desire portation; jôdai objects were imported dur-
to possess this chaire, he was denied this ing the first half of the Muromachi period
privilege during Rikyü's lifetime. It was (fifteenth century and before) and chùko
only after Rikyü's untimely death that the arrived in the latter half (sixteenth cen-
chaire found its way into the Tokugawa tury). The fabric of the center bag is
family. Following the important Battle of known as Taishi kantd, which is an ikat-
Sekigahara (cat. 104) in 1600, Sansai was in- weave cloth found in Indonesia. The
vited by leyasu for a banquet. Hidetada,
leyasu's son, is said to have praised Sansai