Sen no rikyu biography of barack

16th century Japanese master of the tea ceremony

In this Japanese name, the surname is Sen.

Sen no Rikyū (Japanese: 千利休, – April 21, ), also known simply as Rikyū, was a Japanese Buddhist monk and tea master considered the most important influence on the chanoyu, the Japanese "Way of Tea", particularly the tradition of wabi-cha.

He was also the first to emphasize several key aspects of the ceremony, including rustic simplicity, directness of approach and honesty of self. Originating from the Sengoku and Azuchi–Momoyama periods, these aspects of the tea ceremony persist.^[1] Rikyū is known by many names; for consistency, he will be referred to as Rikyū in this article.

There are three iemoto (sōke), or 'head houses' of the Japanese Way of Tea, that are directly descended from Rikyū: the Omotesenke, Urasenke, and Mushakōjisenke, all three of which are dedicated to passing forward the teachings of their mutual family founder, Rikyū.

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