SHIMAI SHOSHITSU
島井 宗室
Shimai Shoshitsu was a wealthy merchant of Hakata.
島井宗室は博多の豪商です。
His name was Shigekatsu and his ordinary name Tokudaiyu.
名は茂勝、通称は徳太夫と言います。
When he retired he called himself Kyuhakuken Tan-O.
隠居したときには虚白軒端翁と名乗りました。
He traded with Chosen , China , the Philippines and Siam and was a great friend of the well known merchants Kamiya Sotan, Suetsugu and Sotoku, two of whom were known with him as the Three Hakata Merchant Princes.
彼は朝鮮、中国、フィリッピンやシャム（タイ）などと交易し、友人の神屋宗湛、末次平蔵と共に博多三人衆として良く知られています。
Soshitsu studied Tea under Sen-no-Rikyu and Tsuda Sokyu and Zen philosophy under the famous priests Kokei and Kogetsu of the Daitokuji, and became a great adept at both.
宗室は茶の湯を千利休と津田宗及に学び、大徳寺の古渓和尚やＫｏｇｅｔｓｕ和尚に禅の教えを受け、供に名人の称号を得ました。
He was received in the highest circles both of rank and letters.
あの時代、最も権威あるサロンの一人となり書付けも取っています。
In the tenth year of Tensho (1583) he went up to the Capital on the first day of the sixth month and paid his respects to Oda Nobunaga at the Honnoji where he was entertained to Cha-no-yu.
天正十年（１５８３）六月初め、彼は織田信長を本能寺へ訪ね忠誠と金品を献上し茶の湯を催しています。
This night happened to be the one on which Akechi Mitsuhide made his sudden attack on his Lord, and Nobunaga immediately rushed out of the Tea-room to lead his men.
その晩に明智光秀の謀反の襲撃を受け、信長は家臣達に促されを茶室から出て行きました。
But though the whole mansion was thrown into an uproar like hell let loose, Soshitsu and the others sat calmly in the tearoom, and when the clash of swords and the sound of the war-cries drew nearer and nearer, until they were right round them, the dignity and quiet deliberateness of the Tea-master did not leave them and still they remained unmoved.
建物中が地獄の様な大混乱に陥りましたが、宗室や他の人達は茶室に落付いて座っていました。鍔迫り合いの音や合戦の怒号が迫りましたが、この誇り高き茶人達は達観したようにその場を動きません。
Soshitsu took from the Tokonoma a scroll of the Thousand Character Classic written by Kukai, and, putting it into his bosom, took refuge with Sotan in the priests' residence of the Honnoji.
ついに、宗室は床の間から空海筆の掛け軸を取り、鞄にしまい、宗湛と共に本能寺本殿へ避難しました。
It was solely owing to the presence of mind of Soshitsu that this precious writing survived.
これは宗室自身の回想の記述によります。
＊ After Nobunaga's death two Tea-caddies were recovered from the ashes of the Tea-room in which he had been when the attack was made.
信長が死んだ後、二つの茶入が無事に茶室の炉の中から発見されました。異変が起きた時、彼自身が隠したとされています。
One, of Chinese ware, was repaired by Kobori Enshu with lacquer, for it had been split by the heat, and is known as Honnoji Bunrin.
一つは「本能寺文琳」の名で知られる茶入、唐物で火による欠けが有り、小堀遠州の漆による補修があります。
The other was a Ko-Seto Cha-ire afterwards named Enjobo.
もう一つは和物で古瀬戸、「円乗坊」の名が付いています。
Both were acquired by Matsudaira Fumai and are still in the possession of his house.
両方とも松平不昧候が入手し現在も所持しています。