KURODA JOSUI UNDERSTANDS THE MEANING OF CHA-NO-YU
黒田如水、茶の湯を理解する
Kuroda Kampei Yoshitaka, known as Josui after his retirement, was a great strategist under Hideyoshi.
黒田官兵衛孝高は引退後如水と号し、秀吉の下、名策士家でした。
He often deplored the fashion for Cha-no-yu that prevailed in the Taiko's circle, saying,
彼はしばしば太閤の周りで流行っていた茶の湯の形について嘆いておりました。
“Tea making is no business for warriors.
「茶を点てるのは武人の仕事ではない」
It's very risky for host and guests to huddle into a little room like that unarmed.”
「武器不要の小さな部屋での亭主と客の関係は危険極まりない」
But one day HIdeyoshi invited him to a Tea, and as it was not possible for him to decline his Lord's order he entered the Tea-room very reluctantly.
ある時、秀吉が彼を茶の湯に誘いました、殿下の命令であれば断る事は出来ないので、、しぶしぶ茶室に入りました。
Soon Hideyoshi came in, but he did not proceed to serve tea.
秀吉が直ぐ入室、ですが茶を振る舞う様子がありません。
He sat down close up to Kuroda and in a low voice began to discuss certain confidential military affairs.
黒田の側に座り、小声で軍事機密の話を始めました。
When he had finished he remarked, “This is one advantage of Cha-no-yu.
話が終わると茶について、「これが茶の湯の一つの大きな良い所だ。
If I had invited you to meet me somewhere on the quiet, suspicions would very likely have been aroused and something untoward might have resulted.
もしワシがソナタを他の場所で内々に密談したら、疑惑は広まり何か悪い事が起こる。
But since it is Cha-no-yu there is no fear if that.
しかし、茶の湯であればその心配がない。
What do you think?”
どうじゃ？」
“Ah,” replied Kuroda, “I should never anything without a very good reason.
「はあ」っと黒田は答え、「私は今までその意味が解りませんでした」
Now I understand the real meaning of Cha-no-yu.”
「茶の湯の本質が見えました」
And from that day he too began to study it and ended by becoming an expert.
それ以来彼は研鑽に勤しみ、達人となったのです。
This was a case of Hideyoshi's using tea for his own purposes as he used everything.
これが秀吉があらゆる場面で茶を利用する目的の一つなのでした。
Both he and Kuroda were merely abusing it, for Cha-no-yu has no affinities with politics or militarism and knows no distinction of rank.
秀吉や黒田は頻繁に多用し、茶の湯は政治や軍事、身分の違いも無用なモノとして存在していました。
It is said that the subject of Hideyoshi's conference on this occasion was the punishment of the Kwampaku Hidetsugu.
関白秀次処罰の決定など、秀吉の戦略会議の場として利用されたのです。
大徳寺竜光院：黒田長政が父如水の菩提の為建立、床柱や違棚が特徴
• Also known to the Portuguese missionaries as ‘the virtuous Simon Kondera,' from his earlier name Kodera.
彼は又「高徳なシモン小寺」ポルトガル宣教師から洗礼を受け、幼少の姓を入れていたと知られています。
He was a Christian among other things, and when he died both Buddhist and Shinto as well as Christian services were held.
彼はクリスチャンであり、亡くなった時には仏教、神道同様、クリスチャン達も彼の為に集いました。
But his tomb is Buddhist and bears the posthumous name Ryuko-in-ensai- josui-dai-koji, Great Enlightened Recluse, round and clear like water, in the Mansion of Dragon Light .
しかし、彼の墓はお京都大徳寺竜光院にあり戒名は Ryuko-in-ensai- josui-dai-koji 「偉大なる啓蒙隠者」と記されています。
His pen name Josui, “Like Water,” refers to the Chinese saying that water adapts itself to the shape of the vessel that contains it, and signifies his great admiration for that quality of which he was a most eminent exponent.
彼の号である如水は「水のごとし」と言う意味があり、中国の故事から「水は水だがそれ自身は入れ物の中に入るとその形になる」、すなわち、彼は偉大な演奏家の一人であり水の様に生きる事こそが彼の賞賛すべき点であったと言う意味。
He was perhaps the greatest military expert of his time, and it was largely by his diplomacy that Ieyasu was able to be sure of his ground at Sekigahara.
彼はずば抜けた軍事専門家であり、家康が関ヶ原でも認めた様に外交術にも長けた生涯でした。
With Konishi Yukinaga he led the van of Hideyoshi's Korean campaign.
小西行長と共に秀吉の朝鮮出兵の先陣も勤めました。
Cf. his famous Tea Maxims.
有名な黒田如水茶湯定書を参照して下さい。