Letter to Yucho Somi

Letter by Sen’no Rikyū. The date is unknown, but it is addressed to Yūchō Sōmi, a tea master in Sakai.

Yūchō Sōmi (dates of birth and death unknown) was a merchant of Sakai in the Azuchi-Momoyama period. He was the son of Yūchō Sōen. Born in Sakai, Izumi. He was associated with Toyotomi Hideyoshi, presenting a painting of Ma Lin, which he inherited from his father Sōen, to Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

In this letter, Rikyū requested Sōmi to receive the promised sack directly. It is believed that the bag contained a jar of tea. He also recommends that he bring it to Hideyoshi as a thank you.

Since there are no related documents, we do not know the specific circumstances of the letter, but since it is dated December 23, it may be a letter regarding the year-end gift-giving ritual.