What would Rikyu, the mentor of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, have said? [Column by a special correspondent]

A friend in Tokyo introduced me to a restaurant called "Nijiri-guchi" that features a wooden entranceway about 80 cm high. This establishment claims, "Once you go there, you won't be able to forget the entrance." Nijiri-guchi literally translates to "a gate where you walk on your knees." Established in the late 1500s during the Japanese feudal era, this space is where tea was served during the tea ceremony, which elevated the act of drinking tea to an artistic and religious level.

Oda Nobunaga, who unified Japan, was a tea master known as "Dabusu," while Toyotomi Hideyoshi, his successor, served as the second Dabusu. Nobunaga's tea ceremony involved placing a cup of tea in a flask and illuminating it with a full moon, creating a "flower and moon tea." During the feudal era, tearooms served as spaces for political interaction, power struggles, and displays of wealth.

Powerful figures would give their tea cups as symbols of authority, with only the most influential being allowed to participate in large gatherings. Hideyoshi, known for his ostentatious nature and love of gold, commissioned Nijiri-guchi from Nijiri-guchi. However, the narrow and simple tearoom made powerful figures uncomfortable as they had to kneel to enter and walk backward through the narrow entrance.

The irony was that Hideyoshi, who was the opposite of Nijiri-guchi in terms of approach, would not be able to bear the discomfort. Moreover, Nijiri-guchi had served as the spiritual guide to two of the highest-ranking power figures of his time. Hideyoshi may not have wanted to be called "the static who wields no sword." Ultimately, Hideyoshi demanded repentance from Nijiri-guchi, implying that if he apologized, his life would be spared, but Nijiri-guchi rejected it and ended his life.

Toyotomi's fate, like in the novel "To Nijiri-guchi," was to end his life in shame. Despite being revered as a "divine one," Hideyoshi's decision to take his own life was tragic.