A major discovery of an authentic work by Sen no Rikyu?

TV personality Imada Koji, freelance announcer Fukuzawa Akira, and former member of Sakurazaka46, Yuka Sugai Yuuka, are the hosts of the variety show Kaiun! Nandemo Kanteidan (TV Tokyo, Tuesdays 8:54pm). On the July 29th episode, a tea scoop made by Sen no Rikyu will appear as a treasure. If it is real, it would be an incredible discovery, and producer Mizuno Ryota said, "I was really blown away!"

The treasure had been lying dormant for many years in the storehouse of the client's husband's family home. A tea scoop is a tool used to scoop matcha from a container and pour it into a tea bowl. It is 17.5 cm long, and the tube and box in which it was kept have inscriptions of the fifth generation of Omotesenke, Zuiryusai, and the eighth generation of Omotesenke, Sottakusai. If it is a genuine work by Rikyu, it would be an incredible discovery.

Imada was surprised by the unexpected appraisal value and exclaimed, "Wow, this is... a big deal..." The studio was in an uproar.

Producer Mizuno revealed, "Once again, an incredible treasure has been discovered!"

"I never expected to see tools made by Sen no Rikyu, the great tea master who lived during the Azuchi-Momoyama period over 400 years ago, appear before my eyes; I was truly stunned! The appraiser has described this miraculous treasure as being of cultural heritage level, and its appraised value is also quite shocking. Please come and see the moment of this amazing discovery!"