Rikyu

I saw the film, "Rikyu," last Friday night at the Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple.

The film, directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara, himself an ikebana teacher and a devotee of Urasenke, was produced in 1989 (Japanese) and is about the late stages in the life of Sen Rikyu, the founder of the Omotesenke and Urasenke schools of tea. It starts at the end of Oda Nobunaga during the Sengoku Period of Japan and continues with his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi (Momoyama period). Sen Rikyu was a tea master to both, and spent most of his life avoiding the political life. But in the end, after political manipulations, Rikyu had to divulge his opnions of an upcoming attack on China and opposed Hideyoshi, which had tragic results.

Rentaru Mikuni portrayed Rikyu with the aesthetic passion and simplicity. He was awarded the Japanese equivalent of the Oscars that year.

Teshigahara does a great job in interpreting the story, of course, the importance of Sen is evident in the film. In the end, Rikyu walks to his death dressed in white in a dreamy-like sequence that is very powerful. In contrast to the near end of Hideyoshi, who becomes absorbed with power, playing "ball" with a globe with his son, almost deranged.

Rikyu preached minfulness. His teachings in tea were mindful of the process and the aesthetics of tea.

It is important to note, too, that this is the same period in which Hongwanji was built in Kyoto on land donated by Hideyoshi because he wanted the land in Osaka, on which Hongwanji had stood, for a fortress. This move was also partly a factor later during the Tokugawa period in which Hongwanji was split into two.

The current site of Osaka Castle was one of the last site of the Hongwanji prior to its move to Kyoto. In addition to the strength of the mass the Hongwanji was able to collect in people, this site was formidable in Osaka. The son of the monshu differed and he remained in Osaka to continue his fight. Because of this, he was not selected as the heir to the Monshu, but later plays figuratively in the formation of Higashi Hongwanji as the battle for succesion within the Hongwanji was played out during the Tokugawa shogunate.

One of the teahouses of Hideyoshi remains on the grounds of Hongwanji, the Floating Cloud Pavilion, which also appears briefly in this film.