【Reading】しょうきゃく

【English Name】Principal Guest

Shokyaku refers to the most important guest at a tea gathering or kaiseki occasion. In the world of the tea ceremony, the three—teishu (host), shokyaku (principal guest), and makkyaku (last guest, otsume)—are called the "three roles" and are regarded as bearers of the foundational roles that compose a tea gathering.

In kaiseki, the shokyaku is positioned at the seat of honor (kamiza) and receives the host's hospitality of food and sake on a priority basis. In the hassun course, the host first fills the shokyaku's cup with sake and serves the accompaniments. Next, the host requests "I would like to receive your cup," borrows the shokyaku's cup, and moves to the stage of the "chidori no sakazuki," in which they exchange sake with one another. When sweets are brought out in a fuchidaka stack, the shokyaku keeps the bottommost vessel at hand and passes the remaining tiers to the next guest, as the custom prescribes.

In Western table manners as well, a common idea is seen in which the honored or higher-ranking person performs an action first and those seated together follow suit.

Historically, records survive such as Furuta Shigekatsu serving as shokyaku at a tea gathering hosted by Furuta Oribe in Keicho 8 (1603), and Ono Harufusa being invited as shokyaku to Oribe's tea seat. Even at a sushi counter, the seat directly across from the artisan is sometimes described as the "shokyaku's seat," showing that this concept derived from the tea ceremony has taken broad root in the culture of Japanese cuisine.