Brief Biography
The eldest son of Rikyū, originally named Shōan, later taking the name Mion. Due to a congenital foot ailment, he ceded the family headship to his younger brother, Shōan. It is said the tea room Dōan-i was designed to conceal his difficulty moving.
His mother is said to have been either the daughter of Rikyū’s first wife, Miyoshi Nagayoshi, or the daughter of Hōjō Ujitsuna. He was born when Rikyū was 35. A skilled tea master, he often impressed his father.
At age 55, in the spring of Keichō 5 (1600), he studied Zen under Shōen of Shun’oku and took the name Min’ō. Following Rikyū’s punishment in 1591 (Tenshō 19), he fled from Sakai to Hida, where he was sheltered by Kanamori Nagachika.
Subsequent accounts vary: some state he was spared collective punishment through the efforts of Maeda Toshitsune, the third lord of the Kaga domain; others claim he died in Awa; yet another suggests he fled to Buzen and served Hosokawa Sansai. The Buzen account is the correct one.
The ‘Tea Ceremony Yearbook’ records: “On the 17th day of the 2nd month in the 12th year of Keichō (1607), Chidō An died in Buzen Province at the age of 62. He was buried at Sōfuku-ji Temple in Dazaifu. His posthumous Buddhist name was Ryōchū Dōtetsu.” This is considered reliable evidence.
Tea Scoop
This is a quintessential, unyielding example of the Dōan style.
Case
Slightly thick-walled, yet balanced with the scoop, giving it a masculine feel. Particularly splendid is the inscription: “Shimurazame, Nemio (signature).”
Accessories
Box: White paulownia wood
Inside lid: Inscription by Kakukakusai Ganso
“Tea scoop case made by Dōan, inscribed ‘Murasame’. Left (signature).”
Dimensions
Tea Scoop
Length: 18.2 cm
Width: 0.6–1.1 cm
Thickness: 0.3 cm
Case
Length: 24.2 cm
Diameter: 2.3 cm
