Letter to Yūchō Sōmi

This is a letter by Sen’no Rikyū (1521-1591). The date is unknown, but it is addressed to Yūchō Sōmi (dates of birth and death unknown), a tea master from Sakai.

Sen’no Rikyū 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 Jōō, where he learned the style of wabicha. He also received the name ‘Sōeki’ from Dairin Sōtō of the Daitokuji Temple School, who was Jōō’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.

Yūchō Sōmi 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 suggests 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 be related to the year-end gift-giving ritual.