Souji Matsuo - Souji Matsuo

A tea master in the early Edo period. He was known as Monosai and Rakushiken. He was a disciple of Sen no Sotan. The Matsuo family began when Tosei Gosuke, the son of Tsuji Gensai, a Kyoto kimono merchant and tea master, inherited his mother's family name. Gosuke's son was Souji. Nichio, an ardent follower of the Lotus Sutra, was exiled to Tsushima Island due to the oppression of Tokugawa Ieyasu and was the son of Tsuji Tobei, a member of the family. When he was pardoned, Souji accompanied his disciple Nisshu to the island (1612). He studied tea under Sotan and is sometimes considered one of the Four Heavenly Kings, despite being roughly the same age. Sotan gave him three Rakushi wares (the main paper of the plaque "Rakushiken", a single-layer cut flower vase, and a tea scoop, both bearing the name Rakushi). The Matsuo family moved to Nagoya at the end of the Edo period.

[Murai Yasuhiko]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

江戸前期の茶人。物斎、楽只軒(らくしけん)と号す。千宗旦(せんのそうたん)の弟子。松尾家は京の呉服商・茶人辻玄哉(つじげんさい)の子等政(とうせい)五助が母方の姓を襲ったのに始まる。五助の子が宗二。熱烈な法華(ほっけ)信者で、徳川家康の弾圧で対馬(つしま)配流となった日奥(にちおう)は一族辻藤兵衛(とうべえ)の子であり、その赦免の際には宗二も弟子日習(にっしゅう)に従い渡島している（1612）。宗旦について茶を修め、ほぼ同年齢ながら四天王の一人とされることもある。宗旦より楽只三種（扁額(へんがく)「楽只軒」の本紙、一重切花入と茶杓(ちゃしゃく)、ともに銘楽只）を与えられている。松尾家が名古屋に居を移したのは幕末のことである。

［村井康彦］

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