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TheGolden Tea Room (黄金の茶室,Ōgon no chashitsu) was a portablegildedchashitsu (tea room) constructed during the late 16th centuryAzuchi–Momoyama period for theJapanese regent LordToyotomi Hideyoshi'stea ceremonies. The original Golden Tea Room is lost, but a number of reconstructions have been made.
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In the 1580s, asToyotomi Hideyoshi defeated a large number of opposingsamurai clans, he also gained more control overprecious metal mines.[1] There is scant information as when precisely the tea room was built, by which artisans, and for what total cost. In 1585, theImperial Court appointed him to the prestigious position ofImperial Regent (kampaku). The first mention of the Golden Tea Room is dated to January of the yearTenshō 14 (1586), when he had the room brought to theKyoto Imperial Palace to hostEmperor Ōgimachi.[1] Historians typically assume that the room was completed around or shortly before that date, probably expressly for the first official visitor that Hideyoshi hosted as regent.
After this crowning inauguration, Hideyoshi would exhibit his most preciousspecial tea tools (meibutsuki) in the room and give tours of it to his guests.[2] Its use was again recorded for theGrand Kitano Tea Ceremony onShíyuè 1, Tenshō 15 (November 1, 1587) at theKitano Tenmangū shrine inKyoto. It was transported fromOsaka Castle toHizen Nagoya Castle in the fifth month ofBunroku 1 (1592), from where Hideyoshi launched theJapanese invasions of Korea (1592–98).[3][4] The Golden Tea Room travelled to wherever Hideyoshi went, and was therefore probably also used inFushimi Castle and theJurakudai residence before it was ultimately lost.
A number of reconstructed versions were made, including ones in Fushimi Castle,[5]Osaka Castle,[6] Hakuza gold-leaf company inKanazawa,[7][8] Chōfuku-ji temple inToyama,[9] and the MOA Museum of Art in Shizuoka.[10] A set of golden tea utensils are exhibited at theKyoto City Archaeological Museum.[11] The version in the MOA Museum was made under the architectSutemi Horiguchi, an expert ofsukiya architecture, and is considered probably the best version in terms of quality and thoroughness of research.[12] Around 50 kilograms (110 lb) of gold were used for the utensils in this room. They are reproductions from bronze heirlooms of theOmotesenke school used at the Fushin-anchashitsu. For the sliding doors, silk fabric uses thepaulownia floral patterns favoured by Hideyoshi, which were modeled afterkarakami printed paper from theKo-shoin of theKatsura Imperial Villa.[10]
Another version of the room was recreated under mastergoldsmith Ishikawa Kōichi III (三代目 石川光一) from Tokyo.[13][14] It was reproduced following the historic records of an eyewitness, with the cooperation of theNational Museum of Nature and Science, the Konishi Decorative Arts and Crafts company (which specialises in the preservation of historic shrines and temples), and the temple architect Ogura Yoshihito. The measurements of this reproduced room are height 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in) in height and 2.7 metres (8 ft 10 in) in width, with a diameter of 2.55 metres (8 ft 4 in). 200-year old Japanese cypress wood was used, along with 15,000 sheets of 23K gold leaf, weighing a total of 26.10 kilograms (57.5 lb), which was applied by hand. The construction time was around eight months. In addition to the room, all the tea utensils (such as the kettle, stove, bowls) were created out of pure gold.[15] It was offered in 2013 for commercial sale in an auction for a worth ranging betweenUS$1,890,000–2,610,000.[15][16]
In April 2022 theSaga Prefectural Nagoya Castle Museum installed a Golden Tea Room, recreation costs of this room were around 55 millionJapanese yen.[17][18]
Historical records by court nobles, warriors, tea ceremony masters, andJesuit missionaries document the room's appearance,[10][19] such as those by Kamiya Sōtan, Yoshida Kanemi, and Ōtomo Sōrin.[2]
The room was made fromJapanese cypress,bamboo, reeds, andsilk, and could be disassembled and packed into crates for transport then transported and set-up again at different locations wherever the lord desired it.[20] The room was probably near the size of threetatami mats, or 2.865 m (9.40 ft) × 5.73 m (18.8 ft).[2] Its layout and appearance adhered to a standardchashitsu tea room with flat walls and rectangular pillars devoid of any carvings, with a flat orcoffered ceiling, andtokonoma alcove. It would typically be assembled within a larger room in a castle or residence. Thegold leaf covered every surface inside and outside of the room, including theshōji sliding doors.[2][6]Silkgossamer was on the latticework of the sliding doors.[4] Thetatami mats on the floor were also covered with acrimsonfelt or fabric.[4] The tea utensils were all either made out of gold or gilded, except for thewhisk and the cloth.[1][2][6][10]
The Golden Tea Room was constructed to impress guests with the might and power of the regent. This was in contrast to the rustic aesthetics codified under his tea masterSen no Rikyū, although it is speculated that Rikyū might have helped in the design.[6][12] The room's opulence was highly unusual and may have also been againstwabi-sabi norms.[2] At the same time, the simplicity of the overall design with its clean lines could be seen as within the canon. The extent of teamaster Rikyū's involvement in the design of the room is not known, however he was in attendance on a number of occasions when tea was being served to guests in the room.[2]
Hideyoshi's rise from a lower-class background to the most powerful person and unifier of the realm was something completely new in Japanese history. Despite the ongoing war under his rule, the country was nevertheless starting to emerge from the violentSengoku period. As the old order broke down and a new one emerged, so did the tastes in art. Many warriors who came from provinces outside of the capital did not have deep contacts with the subdued and restrained courtly aesthetics, but searched for something that was more reflective of their character and life experiences. A shift in usage of colours, patterns, materials, and gold started already under the predecessorOda Nobunaga, and was a hallmark of the Azuchi–Momoyama period.[3] The shift is represented in the new architectural style ofAzuchi Castle and the Jurakudai residence in the Momoyama district of Kyoto, which gave the period its name.[21] The Golden Tea Room was a part of this new taste, but unique in the history of the way of tea.[22]
The room features in a scene in the 1962 filmLove Under the Crucifix, directed byKinuyo Tanaka.[23]
The historic event of the regent presenting tea to the emperor in the room, and the ultimately conflicting relationship between Hideyoshi and his teamaster is shown in the 1989 filmRikyu, byHiroshi Teshigahara.[24]
Hyouge Mono is a Japanesemanga written and illustrated by Yoshihiro Yamada. It was adapted into ananime series in 2011, and includes the Golden Tea Room in its story.[25]
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Media related toGolden Tea Room at Wikimedia Commons
唐津市の佐賀県立名護屋城博物館で開かれている開館２０周年記念企画展「秀吉の宇宙～黄金、そして茶の湯」を特集する。