Those who are allowed to receive this secret tradition were called the ‘Seven Masters of the Daisu' (Daisu no shichinin shu).
RIKYU AND THE DAISU
利休と台子
Oda Nobunaga ordered Rikyu to make Tea for him and used the Daisu in a way that was quite new, so that Nobunaga questioned him about it, but approved when Rikyu explained in detail why he did not adhere to the older methods.
ある時、織田信長が利休に茶を入れるように命じました。そこで利休は台子を使った手前を披露、すると信長が「なぜ従来のやり方をしないのか？」っと質問、そこで利休はその理由を説明して彼を納得させました。
Afterwards Hideyoshi summoned Rikyu and asked him to teach him the way of making Tea with the Daisu, and made him swear that he would not transmit the secret to anyone else except with his permission, so afterwards he made Tea with the herth on ordinary occasions.
その後、秀吉が利休を呼び、台子手前を彼に教えるように命じました。そして、これは利休の弟子以外教えてはいけないことを彼に誓わせたのです。それ以降、炉手前が一般的な方法となりました。
Those who are allowed to receive this secret tradition were called the ‘Seven Masters of the Daisu' (Daisu no shichinin shu).
秘伝の台子手前を許されたのは七人で、台子七人衆と言います。
They were the Kanpaku Toyotomi Hidetsugu, Gamo Ujisato, Hosokawa Sansai, Kimura Hitachi-no-suke, Takayama Ukon, Seta Kamon, Shibayama Kenmotsu.(Shinsho.)
氏名は、関白豊臣秀次、蒲生氏郷、細川三斎、木村常陸介、高山右近、瀬田掃部、芝山監物です。
The luxurious style of Cha-no-yu in vogue until the days of Sho-o and Rikyu is called Sho-in or Reception Room style because given in such an apartment.
紹鴎までの贅沢な茶の湯の流行や利休においても、建物の中で行われる茶の儀式を書院の茶として行っていました。
The main idea of Teaism is a quiet simplicity (Wabi), and a mellow experience taste (Sabi).
茶の湯の精神は簡素の極である「侘」と、円熟の極である「寂」に凝縮されます。
* Sabi=mellowed by use, paginated by age, reticent and lacking in the assertiveness of the new.
寂とは、使い込んだり年齢を重ねた味、寡黙さや断定を避ける慎重さを言います。
Brinkley maintains that it meant ‘rusty' another kind of sabi, and was originally applied as a comic epithet, but this does not seem so likely. It is applied to the voice of a singer.
Brinkley は「寂」とは「錆び」だとも主張し、もともとは喜劇の軽口だと言っていますが定かではありません。歌読みの言葉だと言う説もあります。
Luxury and gorgeousness are quite alien to it. So Sen Rikyu was always saying “People like expensive utensils because their minds run to covetousness and avarice. A chipped earthenware mortar, if suited to the occasion, is entirely in harmony with the Tea spirit. He expressed his meaning in these verses:
「贅沢や豪華さとは対極にあるものだ」っと千利休は常々言っていました。「高価な道具好きは貪欲や強欲に走る。一つの土のかたまり、それが気に入って場が整えば、茶の湯の精神の元になるのです。」彼は使う茶碗にその意味を込めました。
If you have one pot
And can make your tea in it
That will do quite well.
How much does he lack himself
Who must have a lot of things.
もしあなたがヤカンを一つ持っていて、茶を沸かすことができればとてもすばらしい。自分を見失う多くは、沢山の物を持たなきゃ行けないと思う心だ。
If you have no pot
Take a saucepan and in that
Boil your hot water.
Even so your tea may be
Quite the best in all Japan .
もしあなたがヤカンを持っていなければ、ナベで湯を沸かし茶を飲めばいい、これが日本の精神だ。
Though I tell you this
Do not go and hide away
Things you now possess.
To pretend you have them not
Is affected elegance.
私はあなたに言う、実行しないで隠し持ちそのふりだけをしていれば、それはあなたの品格に影響することになる。
He who hesitates
Saying that he has no flowers
Let him go and see
The spring herbage that ‘mid snow
Shows upon the mountain side.
花が無いとためらう人へ、彼を雪深い山郷へ、春花を見せに行くとよい。
Kama hitotsu
Moteba Cha-no-yu wa
Naru mono wo
Yorozu no dogu
Konomu hakanasa.
Kama nakuba
Nabeyu nari tomo
Suku naraba
Kore zo Cha-no-yu
Nihon Ichi nari.
Kaku ieba
Aru dogu wo mo
Oshikakushi
Naki mane wo suru
Hito mo hakanashi.
Hana wo nomi
Matsuran hito ni
Yamazato no
Yukima no kusa no
Hana wo misebaya.
Rikyu bade his pupils always keep these verses in mind. It was in the Tea itself that he was interested and not so much in the utensils.
利休はこの詩を常に心の中に置くように弟子たちへ命じていました。茶とは点てることであり、沢山の道具ではないと言っていました。
Once he went to a reception at Hideyoshi's Palace of Juraku and there found all the great vassals and distinguished men of the day intently engaged in examining a collection of Tea vessels that was on view in one of the apartments.
ある時、彼は秀吉の聚楽第の式典に行きました。そこには臣下の面々を始め多くの招待客がいて、夢中になって普段は同時には見ることが出来ない沢山の茶道具のコレクションを品定めしていました。
For a while he listened quietly but heard only such observations as ‘Ah, that is an antique and must be very valuable,' or ‘That looks new. I don't expect it is worth much.'
しばらくして、観覧の中静かなため息が聞こえて、それは骨董でとても価値が有るもの、始めてのお披露目で値踏みが出来ないほどでした。
So seeing that their criticism was no more than an appraising of values he interrupted them with, ‘Really Sirs, this is most unbecoming talk.
見ていると、会話にならない言葉が飛び交い価値についての批評のやり取りでした。
The connoisseurship of Tea vassels consists in judging whether they are interesting and suitable for their purpose or not, and whether they combine well or badly with each other and has nothing to do with their age at all.
茶碗の鑑定家たちは熱心に品定めをし、良し悪しを論じあっていました。しかし、とにかく、結論は出なかったのです。
That is the business of curio dealers and ought to be beneath the notice of men of taste.'
それは古物の商売人たちで、趣向を同一下すべきだったのです。
Rikyu did not particularly value antiques.
利休は古物にたいして特別な価値はもっていませんでした。
He had his Teabowls made by contemporary potters such as Chosuke and Jokei and his kettles by craftsman like Yojiro Yaemon and Toemon.
彼は茶碗を、今焼、例えば Ctousuke や Jokei などの陶工に作らせていましたし、釜は Yojiro 、 Yaemon そして Toemon などの職人に作らせていました。
He did not necessarily require them to copy old models but had the utensils shaped according to his fancy.
古物の写し等はせず、彼の好みの道具を作らせていました。
His flower vases and Tea-spoons he made himself of bamboo.
花器や茶杓は庭の竹を切り出し自作していました。
Neither did he care anything for things that were difficult to obtain.
いわゆる、物欲にかなう高価珍古物には興味が無かったのです。
He got his writings done for him by the artists of the day.
彼について現在の芸術家達が書いています。
So the criticism of Dazai Shundai and others that Tea people only like old or odd looking things certainly could not be applied to him.
DazaiShundai や他の批評家達は、茶人達の古物を好み、変な形の道具は理解することが出来ない。
Rikyu himself once bought a writing of the priest Mitsuan for two hundred kwan and had a Cha-no-yu in its honor to which he invited Kitamuki Dochin and another priest.
利休自身は一度 Mitsuan 和尚の墨蹟を二百両で購入していて、 KitamukiDochin 和尚を始め何人かの和尚を招待した茶の湯で使っています。
But neither of them seemed to admire it and Rikyu asked them the reason. ‘Because it isn't genuine,' was the reply. Whereupon he immediately burnt it last anyone else would be taken in.
利休の意に反し敬服はありません、その理由を尋ねると、「本物じゃないから」っと返答。彼はその墨蹟を焼き払い、以後買うことはありませんでした。