Brief Biography
Eldest son of Kagashige, lord of Hida Takayama Castle. Initially served the Toyotomi clan and was appointed Junior Fifth Rank, Hida-no-kami. He later served the Tokugawa clan, but was disowned by his father during the Winter Campaign of Osaka. He retired to Kyoto, practiced Zen under Shōin of Daitoku-ji, shaved his head, and took the name Sōwa. Invited by Maeda Toshitsune, the third lord of Kaga, he declined and sent his son Shichinosuke instead. He associated with court nobles like Konoe Ōzan and Ichijō Akira, serving tea at the imperial court. Meireki 2 (1656)
Died on the 16th day of the 12th month, aged 73.
Chashaku (Teascoop)
It has a rounded, flexible handle with a broad scoop, resembling a shakushi, but the left shoulder slopes downward.
Tsubo (Case)
Genuine tsubo. At the position corresponding to the mouth seal, Sōwa’s brushwork reads “Hakusan” (White Mountain), flowing in five elegant lines. “Furiken, my friend, shall we share this? Snow piled high, the white mountain. Sōwa (signature)”
Accessories
Inner box: Paulownia wood, natural finish, with label and inscription: “Teaspoon of Lord Kanamori Sōwa”
Outer box: Cedar wood, natural finish, with inscription by Yagura Chikō: “Teaspoon of Hakusan”
Inside lid: Inscription by the same hand
“One Ryōen Gokuzatsu, one Ryōi Gokuzatsu, enclosed within the inner and outer boxes (signature)”
Gokuzatsu, same commendation, ancient calligraphy by Ryōen
Postscript
Yagura Chikō likely belongs to the Yagura family lineage, which traces back to Yōken-ryū Yamamoto Taian. He is one of the four: Anju, Anshō, Anshō, or Antei.
Source
Yakura Inventory Ledger (Hakusan, written by Kanamori Sōwa)
Three Hundred Selected Tea Scoops
Dimensions
Tea Scoop
Length: 18.2 cm
Width: 0.5–1.0 cm
Thickness: 0.25 cm
Tube
Length: 22.4 cm
Diameter: 2.4 cm
