Yamanoue Sōji (山上宗二 ; 1544–1590) was a Japanese tea master during the late

Sengoku period The was the period in History of Japan, Japanese history in which civil wars and social upheavals took place almost continuously in the 15th and 16th centuries. The Kyōtoku incident (1454), Ōnin War (1467), or (1493) are generally chosen as th ...

and early Azuchi-Momoyama period. Originally a merchant from

Sakai is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its '' kofun'', keyhole-shaped burial mounds dating from the fifth century. The ''kofun ...

, he became a famous disciple of

Sen no Rikyū , also known simply as Rikyū, was a Japanese tea master considered the most important influence on the ''chanoyu'', the Japanese "Way of Tea", particularly the tradition of '' wabi-cha''. He was also the first to emphasize several key aspect ...

and wrote the chronicle ''Yamanoue Sōji ki'' (山上宗二記), which gives commentary about Rikyū's teachings and the state of ''chanoyu'' at the time of its writing. In it he also elaborates on the principle of ''

ichi-go ichi-e is a Japanese language, Japanese four-character idiom (''yojijukugo'') that describes a cultural concept of treasuring the unrepeatable nature of a moment. The term has been roughly translated as "for this time only", and "once in a lifetime". T ...

'' (一期一会 "one time, one meeting"). He later entered into the service of the Later Hōjō lords of

Odawara is a Cities of Japan, city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 188,482 and a population density of 1,700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Odawara lies in the Ashigara Plains, in ...

. The clan, however, fell from power after their opposition to lord

Toyotomi Hideyoshi , otherwise known as and , was a Japanese samurai and ''daimyō'' (feudal lord) of the late Sengoku period, Sengoku and Azuchi-Momoyama periods and regarded as the second "Great Unifier" of Japan.Richard Holmes, The World Atlas of Warfare: ...

in the

Siege of Odawara (1590) The third occurred in 1590, and was the primary action in Toyotomi Hideyoshi's campaign to eliminate the Hōjō clan as a threat to his power. The months leading up to it saw hasty but major improvements in the defense of the castle, as H ...

. Toyotomi Hideyoshi sentenced Yamanoue Sōji to have his ears and nose cut off and was then decapitated. One year later, his master was also sentenced to death and had to commit

ritual suicide A suicide method is any means by which a person may choose to end their life. Suicide attempts do not always result in death, and a non-fatal suicide attempt can leave the person with serious physical injuries, long-term health problems, or ...

Literary Significance

The ''Yamanoue Sōji-ki'' remains one of the most important historical documents of the Japanese tea ceremony. Multiple manuscript copies exist, with the version addressed to Iwaya-ji temple in

Izumo Province was an Old provinces of Japan, old province of Japan which today consists of the eastern part of Shimane Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province is in the Chūgoku region. History During the early Kofun period (3rd century) this reg ...

dated Tenshō 16 (1588) considered to be in Sōji's own hand and housed in the Omotesenke collection.

Memorial

A memorial stone for Yamanoue Sōji stands at Sōun-ji temple in

Hakone is a List of towns in Japan, town in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the town had a population of 10,965, and total area of . Hakone is a notable spa town and a popular tourist destination due to its many onsen, hot springs being within view of ...

, near the site of his execution.

In popular culture

He was portrayed in the 1989 movies '' Rikyu'' by Hisashi Igawa, and '' Death of a Tea Master'' by Kei Kumai. '' Hyouge Mono'' (へうげもの Hepburn: Hyōge Mono, lit. "Jocular Fellow") is a Japanese ''

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

'' written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Yamada. It was adapted into an ''

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

'' series in 2011, and includes a fictionalized depiction of Yamanoue Sōji's life and execution.

References

{{authority control 1544 births 1590 deaths Japanese merchants Japanese tea masters People of the Azuchi–Momoyama period People of the Sengoku period 16th-century Japanese businesspeople