Sen no Rikyu
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Sen no Rikyu was an ancient master of the Japanese tea ceremony.
Bio[edit | edit source]
Born to a humble warehouse owner, Rikyu studied tea and the Japanese custom of serving it from a young age. Which might have him seem like a glorified waiter to modern audiences, but back then (and, to an extent, still today), the proper etiquette of the tea ceremony was of proverbially religious importance to the Japanese; with strictly codified and ritualized rules of conduct that would make a Catholic mass look like some casual New Age wish-wash.
It follows that the masters of the way of the tea held a highly prestigious social position, and often served as close confidants of the ruling nobility. Rikyu himself was no exception, and arranged ceremonies for various historical footnotes such as Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Alas, his close contact with the rulers got a bit too close, and while historians still debate why he did it, the boring old fact is that Daimyo Toyotomi eventually ordered Riyku to play a fatal round of soduku.
Despite (or perhaps because) of this gruesome outcome, Rikyu is fondly remembered as one of the patron saints of the Japanese tea ceremony. He personally invented and introduced a plethora of new items to the art that range from mere tea bowls to entire tea rooms; one of which went on to become a national treasure of Japan.
In 8chanmania[edit | edit source]
Sen no Rikyu fought in the inter-board tournament of 8chanmania XXVIII, where he faithfully represented /tea/. His fight against Dan Murphy was the stuff of legend, but in the raging war between tea and alcohol, the power of the bottle ultimately proved stronger.