The Tea Ceremony

Nobunaga was introduced to tea as a boy by his tutor, Hirade Masahide. However, his real interest began only in 1568 after he came to Kyoto to serve Ashikaga Yoshiaki. He was given some tea pieces from important collections, including the tea canister known as Matsushima ('pine islands' - a famous beauty spot), and a caddy called 'Joo's Aubergine' from Imai Sokyu, and the tea caddy called 'Ninety-nine Hairs' (tsukumo-gami) from Matsunaga Hisahide. These items began his passion for the arts of tea.
Nobunaga engaged three Sakai merchants as his tea advisors, Imai Sokyu, Tsuda Sokyu (confusingly both have the same given name, although written in Japanese with different characters), and Sen Soeki, later called Rikkyu. He learned under their instructions and built up his skills and his collection. Nobunaga held occasional tea gatherings, to bring people of note into his orbit and to influence them, as well as to show his authority via possession of precious utensils. Tea was not just a matter for lay enthusiasts, but had deep implications for the smooth running of political and economic alliances.
In Nobunaga's entourage, access to his tea gatherings was one of the marks of special favour, and those who were gauche were not admitted. This vastly raised the stakes in being a good tea performer, and Nobunaga's influence is apparent widely, even extending to the general citizenry. The rise of tea enthusiasms in the 1570s and '80s is thus owing in large part to Nobunaga.
Just before the Honno-ji Incident, Nobunaga held a tea gathering at which he displayed his utensils, brought specially from Azuchi Castle. His thirty-eight finest pieces were transported and forty members of the court nobility invited. He was displaying himself as a man with authority to lead the realm. This was to be the last tea gathering of his life.