著者

福井 幸男

出版者

桃山学院大学

雑誌

桃山学院大学人間科学 (ISSN:09170227)

巻号頁・発行日

no.42, pp.37-91, 2012-03-27

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Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591) was one of the well-known founders of the traditional tea ceremony (sado) in medieval Japan. Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598) ordered Sen no Rikyu to commit ritual suicide (seppuku) in February, Tensho 19 (1591), because he was the general who won the final victory in the military conflicts among the samurai and unified medieval Japan. Various opinions have been offered concerning the reasons for Sen no Rikyu's death. However, no firm conclusion has yet been reached. The author has critically reviewed a large number of historical materials and theories regarding this episode to try to elucidate the truth. The official announcement of the Toyotomi Hideyoshi regime gave as the principal reasons for Sen no Rikyu's punishment , his lese majesty toward both General Toyotomi himself and the emperor, together with his unreasonable valuation and trade in tea-ceremony items. The lese majesty charge also included his construction of an overly splendid gate to the Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto, and his order to place a wooden figure of himself on the gate. However, the author has managed to locate many descriptions from sources about the circumstances of his death that differ quite considerably from information found in other cases of ritual suicides. Especially, the author notes the following ; (1) the strict guard of Rikyu's home by 3,000 soldiers before his death to prevent his being rescued by influential feudal lords (daimyo), and (2) the crucifixion of Rikyu's figure and exposure of his head at Ichijyo-Modoribashi Bridge, Kyoto. From these idiosyncratic materials, the author seeks to further elucidate the truth about the causes of Sen no Rikyu's seppuku. The author infers the cause of Rikyu's death as follows. General Toyotomi Hideyoshi had planned to invade the Korean Peninsula after the unification of all Japan. Ishida Mitsunari, who was one of the most influential vassals of Hideyoshi, falsely told him that Rikyu had opposed the invasion, in collaboration with major influential feudal lords in East Japan, especially Tokugawa Ieyasu and Date Masamune, in a room for the tea ceremony. Hideyoshi was frightened by Mitsunari's slander, and got angry with Rikyu. Therefore, Hideyoshi ordered the seppuku, and these idiosyncratic matters concerning his death were a tacit warning to each feudal lord to collaborate in the invasion.