Sen’no Rikyū (1521-1591) was a great master of the tea ceremony active during the Azuchi-Momoyama period. He was the founder of the Rikyū school of tea ceremony and was born in Sakai, Izumi. His name was Sōeki, and he was also known as Hōsensai. He studied the tea ceremony under Kitamuki Dōchin and Takeno Jouō, where he learned the style of wabicha. He also received the name ‘Sōeki’ from Dairin Sōtō of the Daitokuji Temple School, who was Jouō’s Zen meditation master.
His role as a tea master led him to become the tea master for Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, establishing himself as the foremost tea master in Japan. However, Hideyoshi ordered him to commit seppuku, and he died in Tenshō 19 (1591) at the age of 70.
This letter was written by Rikyū to Shūson Nyūdō. The date and details regarding Shūson Nyūdō are unknown.
In this letter, Rikyū requests that Shūson Nyūdō travel to Kyoto to meet him.