The reason officially announced for the sudden execution of Sen no Rikyu in 1591 was unsatisfactory to the point of absurdity. The real reason is a mystery that may never be resolved.
Whatever it was, the execution threw the world of chanoyu into turmoil. Rikyu's title of "Tenka-ichi Sosho (World's Foremost Teacher)" was no mere hyperbole; it was backed up by the might of his most famous student, the dictator Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and carried real authority over the way tea was taught. After Rikyu's death the great question (apart from "Why?!") was who would succeed him.
The answer soon became clear: Furuta Oribe no Kami Shigenari, also known by the Buddhist names Kinpo, Sooku and Insai, but usually referred to simply as Oribe. From then until his own seppuku in 1615 Oribe's very distinctive taste dominated chanoyu. A huge show at the Mitsukoshi department store in Nihonbashi until June 11 highlights Hideyoshi, Oribe, his student Ueda Soko and the luxurious splendor of the Keicho Era (1596-1615), when Japan's reunification was completed in a grand finale of cultural and military fireworks.