Accessories: Box (unfinished paulownia wood); Inscription by Kobori Enshū
Accompanying Letters: Two letters from Yobuya Sōsa to Mitsui Hachirōbei; written by Ryōryōsai Sōsa
Record by Gengensai Sōshitsu
Accompanying Scrolls: Two; written by Sawan Sōhō and Kōgetsu Osho
Scroll: Written by Daishin Osho
Dimensions
Height: 26.2–27.1 cm; Mouth Diameter: 11.1–11.5 cm; Body Diameter: 11.9 cm; Weight: 308 g
When one hears the term “Shakuhachi,” everyone generally assumes it is one shaku and eight sun in length, but this one is only eight sun and five bu.
Rikyu explained to Hideyoshi that he inscribed it as “Shakuhachi” in reference to the story of Ikkyu’s ode to the musical instrument, the shakuhachi.
As mentioned earlier, this is one of the three flower vases that Rikyu carved from Nirayama bamboo while at the Odawara encampment. It has no floral window; only a single section remains from the middle downward, and there is merely a nail hole at the rear—a remarkably unrefined piece. It was this form that came to be called the “shakuhachi.”
When Rikyu presented it to Hideyoshi, the latter was delighted; however, the following year, after Rikyu committed seppuku, Hideyoshi deemed it no longer of use and threw it away, breaking it. It was subsequently acquired by Sōmu Yamaoka, then passed to the wealthy Sakai merchant Sōfu Itamiya, and from the Nakamura Ichizaemon family to Hachirōemon Mitsui. After passing through the hands of various families, it is now held by a certain family in the Kansai region.
Box: Unfinished paulownia wood; inscription by Kobori Enshū
Shakuhachi flower tube
Inscription on box by Sawan Sōhō
The verse follows:
From the moment it arrived,
The shakuhachi,
Eight inches long,
Now here,
This matter,
One out of three thousand,
Only this,
The sound of the clouds
Inside the box lid: Inscription by Ryoryosai Soza
Made by Rikyu: Contains a shakuhachi
Presented by Fukaya Soho to Lord Hideyoshi of Wanan
I have been instructed to convey this
Subsequently received by Yamaoka Doshin at Itamiya in Sakai
Transmitted from Dosho to Itamiya Sofu
This is indeed a national treasure and a Meibutsu
Ryoryosai (Seal)
