Vince Pitelka on sun 4 oct 98
I asked my son, Morgan, about this, and his response follows.
>Sen no Rikyu (1520-1591) was the most famous tea master in Japanese
history, credited with establishing the "wabi" style of tea, in which simple
and humble objects were valued over ornate ones. Documents show he was also
the patron of the first Raku potter, Chojiro (d. 1590s). Some people believe
Rikyu designed the first Raku tea bowls and hired Chojiro to make them and
fire them in the small kiln he had previously used for making roof tiles,
but there is no historical evidence for this. It is clear, however, that
Rikyu enjoyed a close relationship with Chojiro and the Raku workshop, until
he was forced to commit suicide (for unknown reasons) in 1591. There is no
known family relationship between the tea master Rikyu and the Raku lineage
of potters.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka - vpitelka@DeKalb.net
Home 615/597-5376, work 615/597-6801, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
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