Letter by Furuta Oribe

Furuta Oribe (1544-1615) was a tea master of the Azuchi-Momoyama and early Edo periods. He was the founder of the Oribe school of tea ceremony and was born in Mino Province. He was also known by the names Sōoku and Inzai, but was given the name Kinpo after visiting Shun’oku Sōen at Daitokuji Temple. He learned the tea ceremony from Sen’no Rikyū and developed the Oribe school of tea ceremony.

As a military commander under Toyotomi Hideyoshi, he served in the conquests of Kyūshū and Odawara. In Genna 1 (1615), after the Summer Siege of Osaka, he committed seppuku on charges of betraying Toyotomi.

In this letter to Ankokuji Temple in Osaka, Oribe informed them that he would like to confirm the number of tea containers to be purchased in Sakai, as well as their prices, the next day. It is believed that Ankokuji Temple was involved in tea utensils and served as a key center for the tea utensil trade.