Born in 1547 as Nagamasu, younger brother of Oda Nobunaga. During the Honnoji Incident of 1582, he was in Kyoto and survived by escaping in the chaos. He subsequently served Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu while deepening his devotion to tea, studying wabi-cha under Sen no Rikyu. In the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 he sided with the Eastern Army and earned merit, receiving a 20,000-koku domain in Yamato Province. During the Siege of Osaka in 1615, while initially on the Toyotomi side, he played a role in mediating peace negotiations with the Tokugawa. After the Summer Siege of Osaka, he resolved to abandon the world and retired to Shoden-in, a sub-temple of Kennin-ji in Kyoto. In his later years he devoted himself entirely to tea, built the National Treasure tearoom "Jo-an," and founded "Uraku-ryu." He died in 1622 at age 76. Tokyo's Yurakucho district is said to derive its name from his Edo-period residence.

A man who combined survival instincts in turbulent times with pure passion for tea. He kept distance from power struggles while maintaining his pride as a cultured person.

The National Treasure tearoom "Jo-an" is counted among Japan's three greatest tearooms. Uraku-ryū continues today. A rare figure who, despite being Nobunaga's kin, is remembered as a tea master.