MIYOSHI JIKKYU

三好実休

Miyoshi Buzen-no-Kami Motoyasu took the name of Jikkyu when he retired from the world and became Nyudo .

三好豊前守元康は剃髪して入道となり実休を名乗ります。

He learned Tea from Takeno Sho -o and became a great adept.

武野紹鴎に茶を師事し、当代の名武将茶人となりました。

In the third year of Eiroku (1561) Hatakeyama Owari-no-Kami Takamasa attacked the castle of Kishiwada which he was holding, with a great force of fifteen thousand men, so Jikkyu , who had only eight thousand, came forth took up a position at Kumeda .

永禄三年、畠山尾張守隆正が三好実休の岸和田城を攻めます。畠山軍勢一万五千人、実休軍勢は八千人でした。彼は久米田と言う場所に陣を張りました。

Then in the third month the warrior-priests of Negoro came up against them and Shinohara Ukyo-no-Shin Nagafusa assaulted them and broke their army, while his younger brother Yamashiro-no-Kami Yasunaga also went out to the attack, leaving Jikkyu with only a hundred men under his own banner.

三月ほどが経った時、根来の僧兵が戦に加わって来ました。そして、篠原うきょうのしんながふさが実休軍に急襲をかけ、実休軍敗走、加えて弟の山城守康長が離脱してしまいます。実休の旗の下には百人の兵のみとなってしまいました。

Jikkyu was bold enough, but no great strategist, and when his men told him that they thought it would be advantageous to fight with the river Kume in front of them rather than behind, he replied: “To be too far to the front is no bad thing, but it looks very ugly to retreat. If I don't win this fight I'll never take up a tea whisk again.”

実休は勇敢な男でしたが戦略家ではなかったのです。家来達が久米川を背にするのではなく、川を挟んで敵と対峙したほうが戦いが有利だと進言しました。すると彼は言いました、「敵との距離が離れるのは悪くはないが、退却したと思われるのは見苦しいではないか。もしこの戦いに負けたら、私は二度と茶せんは持たない。」

And he remained where he was.

そう言って彼はそこに留まったのです。

T akamasa , taking advantage of this mistake, immediately attacked, and though Jikkyu encouraged his men and fought most boldly, the odds were too much for him.

隆正は相手のミスを見逃しませんでした。すぐさま攻撃を開始、実休は家来と共に勇敢に戦いました、しかし、形勢の逆転は不可能でした。

So taking the tea-spoon named ‘ Asaji ,' which he greatly prized, he broke it in two, and then drew his sword, a fine blade by Mitsutada , and slew himself.

彼は「浅知」と言う銘の茶杓を大切にいつも持っていました。懐から取り出し、それを真っ二つに折り、自身の光忠作の名刀で自害しました。

A certain Sakyo, priest of Negoro , took his head.

ある左京と言う根来の僧兵、彼の首を上げたとの事です。