Letter to Yūchō Sōmi

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

Yūchō Sōmi (dates of birth and death unknown) was a merchant from Sakai during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. He was the son of Yūchō Sōen and was born in Sakai, Izumi. He was associated with Toyotomi Hideyoshi and presented a painting of Ma Lin, which he inherited from his father Sōen, to him.
In this letter, Rikyū requested that Sōmi receive the promised sack directly. It is believed that the sack contained a jar of tea. He also recommends that Sōmi bring it to Hideyoshi as a gesture of thanks.

Since there are no related documents, we do not know the specific circumstances of the letter. However, as it is dated December 23, it may pertain to the year-end gift-giving ritual.