The world of the tea ceremony has a profound connection with Zen Buddhism. For this reason, there are many pieces related to the tea ceremony among the treasures handed down through Shokoku-ji and its branch temples. In Buddhist rituals, tea is offered to the main object of worship, and tea is served to participants in the audience hall, etc. During the Edo period, tea houses were commissioned in the temples, and tea ceremonies were held there. In this way, the tea ceremony existed as a part of the lives of the Zen monks.
At this exhibition, we invite you to view a selection of 200 treasures and masterpiece tea utensils mentioned in tea ceremony records, including a national treasure, six important cultural properties, and pieces never before exhibited to the public.

Highlight 1Temples Related to Ashikaga Yoshimasa and Interaction with Tea Masters

The gravesite of Ashikaga Yoshimasa, eighth shogun of the Muromachi shogunate who helped foster the Higashiyama culture, is at Jisho-ji Temple, a branch temple of Shokoku-ji Temple, and there was interaction with many tea masters. Objects such as a water container gifted to the abbot of Jisho-ji Temple by Oda Nobunaga’s younger brother Oda Urakusai, and a four-footed pot with green glaze, an important cultural property, appear in Jisho-ji Temple’s records of tea ceremonies in the Edo period. These tea ceremonies were held at the Ishinshitsu, a tea house associated with the tale of Sotangitsune, a fox who took on the appearance of Sen no Sotan. You will have the opportunity to view temple treasures which reflect the interaction and exchange with early modern tea masters as a temple associated with Yoshimasa, including a strip of paper with a poem written Yoshimasa which was mounted by Sen Sososhitsu.

First public exhibition Poem written by Ashikaga Yoshimasa Mounted by Sen Sososhitsu Muromachi period Jisho-ji Temple collection

Highlight 2Tea Service and Tea Ceremonies

The temple has many buildings, and tea was served in several places. At major Buddhist rituals, places for dining were provided in the abbot’s quarters and the audience hall, and tea services were performed. The procedures were recorded, and these were carried on into modern ceremonies.
At the tea houses of the branches temples, close companions were invited, and tea ceremony rooms were established. From the Edo period up to the modern day, a wide variety of tea ceremonies have been held in the tea houses of Shokoku-ji Temple and its branch temples. At this exhibition, we will display many temple treasures, including important cultural properties, which are mentioned in the records of tea ceremonies from the Edo period and Kansei era, as well as modern tea ceremonies of the Heisei era.

River and Sky in Evening Snow Painting Painted by Mokkei Higashiyama treasure Heirloom of the Tokugawa family of Kii Province Rokuon-ji Temple collection

Keynote Speeches

• Period I

  Saturday, October 12th, 2024

  2:00 – 3:30 p.m.

  Speaker: Hiroe Nukui (Curator, Kanazawa-Bunko Museum)

• Period II

  Saturday December 21st, 2024

  2:00 – 3:30 p.m.

  Speaker: Reijiro Izumi (Deputy Director, Chado Research Center)

• Location: Lecture hall on the second floor of the museum (Doors open 1:30 p.m.)

*The first 80 guests to arrive will be admitted.

Lectures

• Period II

  Saturday, January 11th, 2025

  2:00 – 3:30 p.m.

• “Tea in Buddhist Rituals and Tea House Tea Ceremonies”
  Instructor: Junko Honda (Museum curator)
  Location: Lecture hall on the second floor of the museum (Doors open 1:30 p.m.)

*The first 80 guests to arrive will be admitted.

Gallery Talk

• Period I

  Saturday, October 5th, 2024

• Period II

  Saturday, December 7th, 2024

• Time: 2:00 – 2:30 p.m.
  Instructor: Junko Honda (Museum curator)
  Location: Exhibition room

*Each event requires an admission ticket.