Ii Naosuke was lord of Hikone and chief minister of the Tokugawa shogunate, assassinated in the Sakuradamon incident. He is famous as a political figure, but he was also a serious practitioner in the Sekishu-ryu lineage and the author of the *Chanoyu Ichie Shu*, the text through which the principle of ichigo ichie entered general understanding.
Life
As fourteenth lord of Hikone he governed the domain, and later, as chief minister, drove the conclusion of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United States and the Ansei purge. He was assassinated outside the Sakurada gate in 1860.
Influence on tea
During his time as domain lord he studied Sekishu-ryu closely and wrote the *Chanoyu Ichie Shu*. The phrase ichigo ichie became widely known through that text and settled into place as one of the fundamental principles of the practice.
Note
His standing as a political figure is contested; his position in the intellectual history of tea rests on the text and is independent of it.
About this article
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Term info
- Life dates
- 1815–1860
- Category
- Term
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