* Image is for illustrative purposes only.Ueda Sōko (Ueda Shigeyasu)
上田宗箇（上田重安）
Warrior, Tea Master, and Garden Designer
Description
Life
Born in 1563 in Owari Province, he lost his father at a young age. He served Niwa Nagahide before being recognized by Toyotomi Hideyoshi and granted a fief in Echizen. After the Battle of Sekigahara, he served the Asano clan, following them first to the Kii domain and later to the Aki-Hiroshima domain.
Military Career
Around age twenty, he made a name for himself by killing Oda Nobuzumi. He also took part in the Siege of Osaka, adding to his record of achievements as an Asano retainer.
Anecdote
While waiting for an enemy attack during the Siege of Osaka, he became absorbed in carving a tea scoop (chashaku) from a fine piece of bamboo he had found in camp. His enemies, unsettled by his composure, reportedly withdrew without attacking. The tea scoop carved that day survives under the name "Tekigakure" (Hidden from the Enemy).
Tea Master and Garden Designer
He studied tea ceremony under Sen no Rikyū and, after Rikyū's death, formed a close bond with Furuta Oribe, receiving the Buddhist name "Sōko" from Daitoku-ji temple. He founded the Ueda Sōko school of tea ceremony and designed gardens across Japan, including Shukkei-en in Hiroshima.
Later Reputation
Despite being a warrior, he left a lasting legacy as a first-rate tea master and garden designer, embodying the ideal of "warrior tea ceremony" (buke-cha) that is still carried on today by the Ueda Sōko school. He died in 1650 at the age of 88.