He created the style of tea called 'kirei-sabi' (pure elegance), which fused the spirit of the Momoyama period with SEN no Rikyu and Oribe styles of tea ceremony; he became the tea master for the third shogun, Iemitsu TOKUGAWA, and instructed many daimyo (feudal lords), nobles and Buddhist monks in the tea ceremony.
千利休・織部の茶風に桃山時代の気風を取り入れた「綺麗さび」と呼ばれる茶風に達し、3代将軍徳川家光の茶道師範を務めた他、諸大名、公卿、僧侶などに茶道を指導した。