sen no rikyū (千利休, 1522 – april 21, 1591), also known simply as rikyū, is considered the historical figure with the most profound influence on chanoyu, the japanese 'way of tea'. he was born in sakai, japan in 1522 and died in 1591. rikyū is known by many names; for consistency, he will be referred to as rikyū in this article. he is the founder of the three iemoto (sōke), or 'head houses' of the japanese way of tea, that are directly descended from rikyū: the omotesenke, urasenke, and mushakōjisenke, all three of which are dedicated to passing forward the teachings of their mutual family foun…