HIDEYOSHI GREAT CHA-NO-YU AT KITANO
秀吉の北野大茶会
Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Kwanpaku, was a diletante who always liked to do things on large scale.
関白豊臣秀吉は常に大きな事をするのが道楽の一つでした。
He conceived the idea of assembling all the Tea masters in the country and collecting all the rare tea vessels for a huge Cha-no-yu, and with this object he had placards erected inscriptions of two kinds.
彼は国中の茶人達を集めて珍しい茶道具を並べ大茶会をひらく事を思いつき、そのおふれを書いた看板を二つ城下に建てました。
The first was a foot and a half wide, and on a space one foot one inch high within this was the following inscription:
On the first day of the coming tenth month Cha-no-yu will be held in the pine woods of Kitano.
一つは縦約３０センチ横約１５センチの板、それには「来る十月一日、北野の松林において茶の湯を催す。
Let all, of whatever degree of rank wealth come and enjoy it.
階級や貧富の差を問わず楽しんでほしい。
Everything is to be carried out with an absence of luxury and in the proper of economy.
贅沢はせず分相応であること
The Lord Hideyoshi will place on view all the tea vessels that he has collected for several decades, and all are welcome to inspect them.
Tensho 15th year 8th month (1587)."
秀吉太閤殿下がお出まし、ここ数十年で収集した道具を披露したり出席者達の席を見聞される」天正十五年八月（１５８７年）と書かれていました。
The other placard was three feet inches wide and the space of the inscription was one foot five inches high.
もう一つの立て看板は横半間（９０ｃｍ）ほどの板に４３ｃｍほどの高さの字列が示されていました。
The words ran thus:
内容は、
"From the first to the tenth day of the tenth month Cha-no-yu will be held in the pine woods of Kitano if the weather be suitable, and by favor of his Excellency the Taiko all his famous collection of tea vessels will be displayed for the benefit of connoiss e urs.
来る十月一日、天候次第ではあるが、北野松林において茶の湯会は催される。これは太閤殿下のご厚意であり、多くの鑑定家達の利の為に有名な収集品の数々が使われるであろう。
The devotees, whether rear-vassals, retainers, servants, citizens, farmers or lesser people even, without distinction, should bring a tea-kettle, a bucket and a cup, and if they have no tea, rice powder or other substitute may be use any other straw matting sewn together.
愛好家達、道具を問わず、隠棲者、奉公者、市民、農民、貧民など皆分け隔て無く茶釜、手桶と茶碗を使い茶を点てる事が出来る。そして、茶が無くても餅菓子や茣蓙（ござ）など代わりの品々を持ち寄り集おうぞ。
As to dress, guests may wear what they please.
服装も好きにしてよろしい。
It is unnecessary to say that, according to Japanese custom, all who are interested are welcome, Chinese as well as our own subjects.
だれでも例外はない、日本の伝統ではあるが、興味があれば中国人も歓迎である。
The period has been extended from the first to the tenth day so that all from the most distant province may be able to attend.
期間は十日までに及ぶ、よってどんなに遠方でも参加出来るであろう。
It is out of his great consideration for those of small means that his Excellency makes this proclamation, and he fut ure starts that those who do not come shall never afterwards be allowed to use tea-substitute, and this prohibition shall apply even to those who go to visit such people.
この告示は太閤殿下の宣言であり重要である、今後は茶の湯の代用品は認めない。そして、そう言った会に参加することも禁止である。
To those of small means, even if they do not come from a far province, tea will be presented by favor of His Excellency.
例外として、とても遠方で参加が出来ない者があれば、太閤殿下の特別な温情と解釈されたし。
Fkuhara Umanosuke.
福原馬之助
Nakae Shikibu-taiyu.
中江式部大輔
Miyagi Ukyo-no-taiyu.
宮城右京太夫
Makita Gonnosuke.
槇田権之輔
Kinoshita Taizen-no-suke."
木下泰善之輔
This announcement was placarded throu g hout the Capital and its suburbs as well as at Nara and Sakai, and all Tea lovers were greatly excited at the opportunity thus provided of seeing the Taoko's treasures as well as of sharing his bounty, while there were not a few who rejoiced at the chance of scoring off the Sakai tea-masters and attracting the attention of Hideyoshi himself, for at this time the men of Sakai had a great reputation for skill in the art, and so were much invited to the houses of the great, and had come rather to despise the people of the Capital in consequence.
この告示は首都を始め奈良、堺にも示されました。沢山の茶の湯愛好家達が、太閤所有の道具展示と言う気前の良さに興奮し、堺の茶人達をも喜ばせ秀吉自身への忠誠心も増すうまいやり方でした。堺の茶人達は、我々の茶は高い芸術であると言う評価を得る機会として、挙って太閤の元へ参じました。全体として、この催しに否定的な者は少なかったのです。
And so the meeting was held as arranged, and everywhere in the wide open space under the pines at Ukon-no-baba at Kitano tea-enclosures were made in a setting of plum trees and rocks and pools of water, and all the tea lovers flocked thither and did their utmost to see who could produce the most interesting and recherche effect.
そうして茶会は催され、北野の右近ノ馬場は桜の下や岩、水辺に至るまで茶の湯処がひしめき、茶の湯愛好家が群がり、凝った演出や名物茶器を使った取り合わせなどで最大の催しとなりました。
The whole extent of the gathering was about a mile square.
開催面積は東西十五町（約１．６ｋｍ）にも及びました。
Fortunatly the day was a fine one, and Hideyoshi with all his nobles and retainers set out at daybreak to find some five hundred and fifty tea-masters assem b led, while immense crowds of spectators appeared from all over the country, and the number of the fires that were lighted under the kettles seemed greater than that of the stars in the autumn heaven.
当日は快晴そのもので、秀吉以下家臣、茶坊主一行は終日まで約五百五十にも上る茶処主人達の席を見聞して回りました。もちろん、全国から集まった観衆の数は想像を絶し、釜炉の光が秋の夜空の星よりも輝いていたと記憶にあります。
The Taiko was in the highest spirits, and deigned to make with his own hands and serve it to his special guests.
太閤殿下は高揚し、彼の特別な客人に対して自ら茶を点て振る舞われました。
They were divided into three parties ; first Konoe Nobusuke, Hino Terusuke, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Oda Nobuo and Oda Nobukane; second Toyotomi Hidenaga, Toyotomi Hidetsugu, Maeda Toshiie, Gamou Ujisato and Sen Rikyu ; and third, Oda Yuraku, Toyotomi Hidekatsu, Hachiya Yoritaka, Ukita Hideie and Hosokawa Tadaoki.
客は三組に分かれ、一組目は近衛信助、日野輝助、徳川家康、織田信夫、そして織田信兼。二組目は豊臣秀長、豊臣秀次、前田利家、蒲生氏郷そして千利休。三組目は織田有楽、豊臣秀勝、蜂屋頼隆、宇喜多秀家、そして細川忠興でした。
When this was fin i shed Hideyoshi expressed his intention of going round to see the assembly, and strolled about att e nded by ten pages-in-waiting.
秀吉は接待が終わると、その他の茶処を見て回る旨を示し散策、十の茶処を訪問しました。
He first enter e d the tea-enclosure of Hachiya Dewa-no-kami Yoritaka and took a cup there, after which he invited Hachiya to join him and they went to together.
最初に訪れたのは蜂屋出羽守頼隆の茶処で、そこで一服所望後、蜂谷に同行するように誘い彼も加わりました。
And as Hachiya was very merry fellow and never wanting for droll remarks, the whole company soon had sides that ached from laughter.
蜂屋はとても陽気な男で冗談ばかりを言い、その場にいた人たちは笑いに包まれていました。
As they went on they came to a place where a priest of about fifty had hung up a gourd to a branch of a tree and had water boiling beneath it.
一行が五十ほどある茶処の一つに入ると、そこには坊主が一人いて、木の枝に瓢箪を一つぶらせげて真下で湯を沸かしていました。
Hideyoshi asked for a cup, and the priest relied, with a respectful obeisance, "As your Lordship sees, it is quit ready," and poured out the hot water into a speckless tea-bowl, took down the gourd, and shaking out some tea-substitute from it into the bowl, presented it to the Taiko, who drank it with relish and praised its simple flavor.
秀吉が茶を所望し、坊主はすぐ尊敬を込めたお辞儀をし「太閤さま、しばし」っと言い、汚れ一つ無い茶碗に湯を注ぎ、瓢箪を取り、しゃかしゃか振り揺らしながら茶の代わりの粉をその中へ入れ太閤へ差し出しました。彼はその風味を感じ、その端正な風味を賞賛しました。
This priest turned out to be that odd character Yamashina Hechigwan.
この茶人は変人の山科ノ貫でした。
Hideyoshi then proceeded to visit Karasumru O sho, and praised a certain famous tea-bowl that he had, when he noticed a bamboo thatched tea-booth next to him and enquired whose it was.
秀吉は次に烏丸和尚の茶処へ向かい、彼所有の茶碗を絶賛しました。すると、その隣になる竹葺屋根の茶処に気付き誰かを彼に尋ねました。
"That is Fukuami's," they replied.
「福阿弥殿でございます」っとの返答でした。
"Ah," laughed the Taiko, that's the funny fellow who made that odd verse, - how does it run?
「あぁ！」っと太閤は笑って、あの変わった詩の面白い奴かっと合点。 それは
The 0an who does not clean his house
Or plant the gate-way pine,
Who beats no New Year rice-cake out,
For him too the New Year will come,
• Just the same as for anyone else.”
翁庵は掃除もしない彼の家
松の木の門を立て
正月でもないのに餅をつく
誰が何と言おうと
彼一人の正月がやってくる
And he went in here too.
もちろん訪問しました
And so he went round visiting all kinds of people without any respect of rank or possessions until the sun began to sink and he returned to his Palace of Juraku .
そして彼は地位や貧富の分け隔てなく、日が落ちるまで様々な茶人達の茶処を訪れて聚楽台へ戻って行きました。
Very great was the joy and enthusiasm of the people, and the display would have continued for ten days as arranged, but unfortunately a rebellion broke out in Higo, and Hideyoshi had to break up the meeting after-one day only, so that all the carefully prepared tea-booths were soon taken down and the glade resumed its wonted quiet.
熱狂家達によって宴はその後十日に渡り盛大に行われました。しかし、残念な事に肥後にて謀反が起こり、秀吉は一日しか出席出来ませんでした。そして、渾身の茶処は片付けられて、空き地は元の静けさを取り戻しました。
And only the sound of the wind in the pines, which again resumed their sovereignty over the landscape, remained to recall the bubbling of a thousand kettles.
松風の音だけがそよぎ、それは千の釜音が鳴り響く風景を思い起こさせるものでした。