The ruins of Sen-no-Rikyū’s mansion sit opposite the Sakai Plaza of Rikyū and Akiko. The roof over the well here uses wood from the main temple gate of Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto, which is inseparable from Sen-no-Rikyū himself.
Rikyū taught the way of the tea ceremony to Daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The pair were close, with Hideyoshi coming to him not only for matters of tea but also for political counsel. However, when Rikyū angered Hideyoshi, he committed suicide via seppuku. What could’ve happened between them?
Many theories attempt to explain the reason. One such reason concerns Daitokuji Temple’s main gate. Rikyū invested money in repairing the gate, and to show his gratitude, the chief priest carved and enshrined a wooden statue of Rikyū at the top of the gate. This made Hideyoshi furious, exclaiming to Rikyū, “Every time I pass through this gate is akin to being trampled under your feet.”
Moreover, he was accused of corruption by mass-producing tea utensils without permission. Owning tea utensils, which were expensive due to their scarcity, was an honor for the samurai class. Despite that, Rikyū had a personal craftsman create original tea utensils. Hideyoshi feared that if Japan’s top tea ceremony master entered the manufacturing game, his own collection would depreciate and lose its value as a reward for the samurai class.
He had his reasons, but Hideyoshi ordered the one and only Sen-no-Rikyū to open his own belly in ritual suicide. Thus died a Chanoyu luminary, one who greatly influenced the powers that be. We invite you to take a moment and imagine what sort of person Sen-no-Rikyū was.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi may have had another reason for ordering Sen-no-Rikyū to commit seppuku.
The statue on Daitokuji Temple’s main gate wore “setta,” leather-soled sandals. Stepping into a tea room with traditional geta wooden sandals made an uncouth racket. To avoid making noise, Sen-no-Rikyū made leather-soled sandals using cowhide. In those days, however, cowhide leather was made only by the “Eta,” the lowest social class in the feudal caste system. In other words, an item created by the lowest of the low crowned a gate through which nobles or even the Emperor might pass. The insult sent Hideyoshi into a rage.
Nowadays, Sakai has a thriving leather industry; Takano Jōō, Rikyū’s master, is said to have made a fortune from leather used for weapons. Leather was used to make armor as flexible as possible. It’s quite fitting that his disciple, Rikyū, would use leather to create sandals.
Hideyoshi told Rikyū he would forgive him if he’d only bow his head in contrition. To this, Rikyū said he had no cause to bow his head. Thus, he chose seppuku. The act may have been a warning to the Daimyo about how power completely changes a man. Afterward, it was said that Hideyoshi regretted driving Sen-no-Rikyū to his death.