Records of Kubogontayu Rise, a Shinto priest of the Kasuga Grand Shrine in Nara. One volume. A kind of autobiography of him as a Wabi-teacher. There is an inscription dated 1640. It is extremely valuable as it describes the fashion of tea in the Rikyu school, as well as the actual tea ceremony and anecdotes of Yamakami Soji, Furuta Oribe, Kanamori Kashige, Kobori Enshu, and others. Originally written on the backs of letters from Enshu and Shokado, and dispersed and sold by tool dealers during the Genbun period (1736-41), it was re-published and edited by Yurisai Rakutada, and various variants exist. It is included in the “Complete Collection of Tea Ceremony Classics,” vol. 3.
Gontayu was devoted to the tea ceremony from his youth, and was especially patronized by Enshu for his sackcloth work. He used the seven-foot shadow hall of Todaiji’s Shunjo Shonin as his residence and enjoyed tea, and Enshu compared him to Kamo Chomei and gave him the name “Yakudo. He died on June 28, 1640. Enshu’s own handwritings, “Mourning Kubo O no Ki,” are in the collection of Kofukuin Temple in Nara.
