Takeno Joo (武野紹鴎)
Joo TAKENO (1502- December 22, 1555) was the wealthy merchant (merchant for armory or leather) of Sakai City. He was an expert of Sado (Japanese tea ceremony). His correct name was written as '紹鷗,' but since some Japanese environment in computers cannot display it correctly, his name would be written as '武野紹鴎' (Joo TAKENO) in this article.
Biography
He was the grandson of Nobutaka TAKEDA and was a bushi (samurai) with the name of Shinshiro TAKEDA, but he changed the family name of Takeda (武田)to Takeno (武野) (according to the phrase that '田' [paddy field] changes to '野' [field]). He was supposedly active as a renga poet (linked-verse poet). He practiced Zen in Nanshu-ji Temple of the branch temple of Daitoku-ji Temple. He became the Daikoku (god of wealth) Anju (master of hermitage) and had the priest's name of Ikkansai after receiving shiho(to inherit the dharma from a priest master) from Soto DAIRIN.
He declared chazenichimi (Zen and Tea Ceremony are same) and established tea learned from Sogo JUSHIYA and Sochin JUSHIYA as sado. He was awarded the title of Inaba no kami (Governor of Inaba Province) with Jugoinoge rank (Junior Fifth Rank, Lower Grade) in his later years. He was the possessor of o-meibutsu (great famous projects) chaire (tea container) Joo Nasu (speciality of a tea ceremony).
The Joo Forest
There is a small forest within Tenjin no Mori Tenman-gu Shrine near Tenjinno Mori Station on Hankai Line of Hankai Tramway Co., Ltd., which is considered to be remaining site where Joo spent in seclusion in his late years and left as it was as the Joo forest.
Joo Chanoyu (tea ceremony)
The "Nanpo roku" (Southern Record) that determined the notion of modern 'wabicha' (wabi style of tea ceremony) stated the poem of FUJIWARA no Teika (Sadaie), "there are no flowers or autumn leaves around, but heart moves with sadness when viewing small cottage bathed in autumn sunset," as the heart of 'wabi' (an aesthetic ideal that finds surpassing beauty and deep significance in what is humble or commonplace and appears natural or artless) of Joo. While "Nampo roku" has low reference value, it was true that Joo was the first person who incorporated the calligraphy of waka (a traditional Japanese poem of thirty-one syllables) to a tea ceremony room.
"YAMANOUE no Soji ki" (book of secrets written by YAMANOUE no Soji, who was the best pupil of a great tea master SEN no Rikyu) stated that mental state of chanoyu that Joo aimed for was 'withered and cold.'
It was quoted from words of Shinkei, who was a rengashi. There was a diagram of Joo's four-and-a-half-mat chashitsu (tea room) in "YAMANOUE no Soji ki", by which the people of today can know the Chanoyu zashiki (Japanese style guest room with tatami flooring) at the time of Joo.
It was kitamuki (facing north) and had climbing entrance with rim made from wooden slats, kakubashira (a corner post or square or rectangular) made from Japanese cypress, covered wall, 1.818 m sized floor, tokogamachi (an ornamental wooden bar in the front part of tokonoma [alcove in a traditional Japanese room where art or flowers are displayed]) made of 'クリノ木、カキアワセニクロク十遍計ヌル, and kamoi (a generic term for a head jamb, normally have tracks for sliding doors or partitions) uchinori (a method of measuring internal dimension) being '常ノヨリヒキ(ク)シ.'
Disciples (or people counted as disciples)
Sokyu IMAI
Yoshiteru ASHIKAGA
Murashige ARAKI
SEN no Rikyu
Sogyu TSUDA
Gensai TSUJI
Yusai HOSOKAWA
Hisahide MATSUNAGA
Yoshikata MIYOSHI