Rikyu

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Rikyu ★★★ 1990

Set in 16th century Japan, Rikyu is a Buddhist priest who elevated the tea ceremony to an art form. To him it is a spiritual experience, to his master, Lord Hideyoshi Toilyotomi, the ruler of Japan, mastery of the ceremony is a matter of prestige. Conflict arises between Rikyu's ideal of profound simplicity, symbolized by the ceremony, and Toilyotomi's planned conquest of China, which Rikyu opposes. In Japanese with English subtitles. 116m/C VHS, DVD . JP Rentaro Mikuni, Tsutomu Yamazaki; D: Hiroshi Teshigahara; W: Hiroshi Teshigahara, Genpei Akasegawa; C: Fujio Morita; M: Toru Takemitsu.