Years after the death of legendary tea master Rikyu, his disciple Honkakubo attempts to resolve the mystery of the master's death.
Years after the death of legendary tea master Sen no Rikyu, his disciple Honkakubo attempts to resolve the mystery of the master's final days. Honkakubo communes with his memories of Rikyu and discusses his philosophy with other disciples in an effort to understand Rikyu's final split from his longtime patron, the warlord Hideyoshi Toyotomi. Between dreams, flashbacks, and visions, Honkakubo comes to a greater understanding of the unique path that Rikyu tread through one of Japan's most violent yet culturally-robust eras.—David A. Conrad (www.davidconradauthor.com)
In thsi meditative historical drama, the "Tea Master" Sen no Rikyo (Mifune), who was included in the shogun Toyoto Hideoyoshi's (Ashida) close circle of advisors. Rikyu popularized the famous WABI-SABI aesthetic central to art and culture in 16th C Japan, including architecture, ceramics and garden design. His disciple Hokakubo (Okuda) attempts to discover the reasons for Rikyu's ritual suicide.When the shoguns put an end to the factional fighting between the various regional warlords, they were forced to hang up their swords and armor and concentrate on cultural pursuits and honor. It seems that the "tea masters", equally dedicated to the "Way of Tea" almost as militantly as their lords were to Bushido,the Way of the Warrior, also decide to take an equally strict attitude towards Life and Death in this new world.
