Chanoyu Ichie Shu (Collection on the Oneness of Chanoyu) (茶湯一会集)
"Chanoyu Ichie Shu (Collection on the Oneness of Chanoyu)" is a book on tea ceremony written by Naosuke II (title in tea ceremony: Sokan), the lord of the Hikone Domain in the end of the Edo Period. This book propagates the concept of 'Ichigo ichie' (meeting only once in a lifetime) which advocates a thoughtful attitude from the host during a tea ceremony.
Summary
At the beginning of this book consisting of 23 articles, Ii states the idea of 'ichigo ichie': "We should keep in mind that an encounter today can never be experienced again, so the host should pay attention to every single matter and guests should never neglect the host's care; both should communicate in earnest." It is quite interesting that Ii, a statesman at the time of political turmoil at the end of Tokugawa Shogunate, wrote a book advocating absolute stillness during a tea ceremony, which continues to make the book attractive to people throughout the ages.
Conclusion
The descriptions in the book indicate that Chanoyu Ichie Shu was completed in 1858, two years before Ii was assassinated in the Sakuradamongai Incident. The incident occurred during the course of change in the feudal nation.
Original manuscript
The original manuscript of Chanoyu Ichie Shu, its draft manuscript and a clean copy, are both kept by the Ii family in Hikone City.