

Late in the 1500s, an aging tea master teaches the way of tea to a headstrong Shogun. Through force of will and courageous fighting, Hideyoshi becomes Japan’s most powerful warlord, unifying the country.
Cinematography
Every frame looks like a museum piece you want to live inside.
Acting
Rentaro Mikuni's stillness hits harder than any sword fight.
Direction
Teshigahara's final film—obsessive, uncompromising, utterly singular.

Director
Hiroshi Teshigahara
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Hiroshi Teshigahara was himself a master of the Sogetsu school of ikebana, making this his spiritual autobiography as much as Rikyu's.
The real Sen no Rikyu's death in 1591 remains debated—some scholars believe Hideyoshi ordered it for political reasons, others that Rikyu's immense popularity threatened the Shogun's ego.