RELIGIOUS FIGURE

Sen no Rikyū

1522 - 1591

Photo of Sen no Rikyū

Icon of person Sen no Rikyū

Sen no Rikyū (Japanese: 千利休, 1522 – April 21, 1591), also known simply as Rikyū, was a Japanese Buddhist monk and tea master considered the most important influence on the chanoyu, the Japanese "Way of Tea", particularly the tradition of wabi-cha. He was also the first to emphasize several key aspects of the ceremony, including rustic simplicity, directness of approach and honesty of self. Originating from the Sengoku and Azuchi–Momoyama periods, these aspects of the tea ceremony persist. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Sen no Rikyū has received more than 472,459 page views. His biography is available in 31 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 29 in 2019). Sen no Rikyū is the 805th most popular religious figure (up from 822nd in 2019), the 185th most popular biography from Japan (down from 182nd in 2019) and the 8th most popular Japanese Religious Figure.

Sen no Rikyu is most famous for his tea ceremony. He was the first person to create a new style of tea ceremony, which was called wabi-cha.

Memorability Metrics

  • 470k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 61.91

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 31

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 2.98

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 4.00

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among RELIGIOUS FIGURES

Among religious figures, Sen no Rikyū ranks 805 out of 3,187. Before him are Gemma Galgani, Basilides, Peter Chrysologus, Papias of Hierapolis, Giuseppe Moscati, and Margot Frank. After him are Agnes of Bohemia, Odile of Alsace, Sheikh Adi ibn Musafir, Ibn Qutaybah, Malik al-Ashtar, and Apollinaris of Laodicea.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1522, Sen no Rikyū ranks 8. Before him are Şehzade Mehmed, Margaret of Parma, Eleanor of Toledo, Ulisse Aldrovandi, Lamoral, Count of Egmont, and Lodovico Ferrari. After him are Joachim du Bellay, Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq, Charles II de Valois, Duke of Orléans, Moses ben Jacob Cordovero, Shibata Katsuie, and Catherine of Ricci. Among people deceased in 1591, Sen no Rikyū ranks 8. Before him are Pope Gregory XIV, John of the Cross, Aloysius Gonzaga, Vincenzo Galilei, Veronica Franco, and Dmitry of Uglich. After him are Christian I, Elector of Saxony, Jacobus Gallus, Jost Amman, Luis de León, Anna Sophia of Prussia, and Anna of Hesse.

Others Born in 1522

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Others Deceased in 1591

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In Japan

Among people born in Japan, Sen no Rikyū ranks 185 out of 6,245. Before him are Taira no Kiyomori (1118), Emperor Momozono (1741), Sanada Yukimura (1567), Emperor Tenji (626), Katsura Tarō (1848), and Emperor Kōgen (-272). After him are Emperor Seimu (83), Shimazu Yoshihiro (1535), Emperor Sakuramachi (1720), Emperor Kōtoku (596), Nagisa Oshima (1932), and Emperor Antoku (1178).

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Among RELIGIOUS FIGURES In Japan

Among religious figures born in Japan, Sen no Rikyū ranks 8. Before him are Dōgen (1200), Nichiren (1222), Benkei (1155), Paulo Miki (1564), Empress Meishō (1624), and Abe no Seimei (921). After him are Yamamoto Tsunetomo (1659), Mikao Usui (1865), Dom Justo Takayama (1552), Ikkyū (1394), Eisai (1141), and Saichō (767).

Japanese born Religious Figures

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