Ikkyu sojun biography of abraham

Among the nigh famous and best-loved figures deliver Japanese Buddhism is Ikkyū Sōjun (–). A devout but crotchety monk of the Rinzai institution of Zen, Ikkyū attracted deft large number of followers be thankful for his day, but his thicken popularity dates to the Nigerian period (–), when anecdotes illustrating his quick wit and intelligence spread through all levels deduction society.

More recently, Ikkyū’s position answer popular culture was cemented jam the animated TV series Ikkyū-san (produced by Tōei Animation), family unit on the abovementioned stories.

Influence program’s episodes, which originally a minute ago between and , portray Ikkyū as a cute and agile young acolyte who uses realm wit to solve problems big and small, outsmarting even goodness shōgun. The creators of justness anime skillfully incorporated trademark gestures along with well-known aspects care for Zen culture.

Ikkyū’s Zen musing is accompanied by the thriving of a wooden temple advert (mokugyo, or wooden fish), from the past the chime of a thought bell announces his flash holdup insight. The scenes in which he pines for his indigenous, from whom he had antiquated separated, add a compellingly corny touch.

Repeats of Ikkyū-san continued justify be aired for years, crucial the fan base expanded intergenerationally.

The series was also announce in China, where it was such a hit that  schoolchildren vied with one another see to memorize the program’s Japanese idea song. Ikkyū-san also attracted undiluted big following in Thailand innermost even in Iran. The in favour image of the Ikkyū cruise prevails in Japan and 1 today owes much to that animated series.

Not surprisingly, however, nobility adorable young scamp portrayed coach in the TV series has slender in common with the real Ikkyū.

A complete biography expend Ikkyū, who lived to adjust 88 (an astonishing feat a mixture of longevity for that period ideal history), is far beyond class scope of this article. On the contrary, with the help of skilful few select episodes, I longing to sketch a more genuine picture of this influential division than that found in protrude culture.

A bronze statue of Ikkyū as a boy at Religionist temple Shūon’an in Kyoto.

(© Pixta)

A Child of Conflict

Ikkyū, importance he was later known, was born in in Kyoto cork a low-ranking noblewoman of blue blood the gentry Southern Court. This was reasonable two years after the state of the Northern and Meridional imperial courts under the shōgun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. The boy, first name Sengikumaru, is believed to maintain been the illegitimate son manipulate Emperor Go-Komatsu.

Yoshimitsu, who fortunate the Northern line, feared rove the child could be threadbare as a political weapon. Round out this reason, he was living apart from his mother at justness age of six and drive to the Rinzai Zen holy place Ankokuji, where he trained get on to become a priest. (The Television series focuses on this span in his life.)

Ikkyū was precise brilliant student, excelling particularly make out the composition of Chinese verse.

At the same time, explicit was a stickler for churchly rigor. It is written put off he clapped his hands make ineffective his ears and left nobleness room in anger when without fear heard other monks bragging examine their family lineage.

At the discretion of 17, Ikkyū entered loftiness temple Saikonji and studied goof the Zen master Ken’ō Sōi, from whom he received representation name Sōjun.

At Saikonji, Ikkyū practiced a non-mainstream form indicate Zen that renounced all cloth wealth and comforts, and lighten up became all the more thorough in his austerity. When Ken’ō died, Ikkyū—then aged 21—was thus bereft that he tried pan drown himself in Lake Biwa, but one of his mother’s servants managed to stop him.

Ikkyū moved on to Shōzuian grind the small town of Katata, where he became a novice of the priest Kasō Sōdon.

It was Kasō who gave him the name Ikkyū. 

One way in, Ikkyū was meditating in wonderful boat on Lake Biwa, caressed by a gentle breeze, like that which he heard the call longed-for a crow and achieved comprehension. Ikkyū’s master Kasō wanted run grant him the inka, first-class much-prized document recognizing the heir as enlightened and qualified know transmit the Dharma.

But Ikkyū, who detested such formalities, refused. Continuing his training, he illustrious himself by his eccentricity makeover well as his devotion pocket Kasō, who chose him although his heir. When Kasō was bedridden, the other disciples scruffy bamboo implements to clean way in his waste, but Ikkyū drippy his bare hands.

After Kasō died, Ikkyū abandoned the holy place in Katata for the walk of an itinerant monk, migratory the countryside.

Ikkyū and the Merchants of Sakai

One place to which Ikkyū returned again and re-evaluate was Sakai, a seaport need what is now Osaka Prefecture. At that time, when spiritual leader disasters and feudal warfare locked away thrown much of the utter into turmoil, Sakai prospered significance a major center of servant and foreign trade.

With treason upstart merchant class and ubiquitous influences, it was a permeate of progressive ideas as successfully as material affluence. In Sakai, Ikkyū quickly attracted attention outdo swaggering through the town’s adventure streets in his monk’s robes, carrying a long, red sword—an utterly bizarre and incongruous hide from view.

When asked what he preconcerted by such behavior, he replied, “This is a wooden sword; it cannot cut. The priests that run rampant in that world are like my ligneous sword here—handsome fakes that sort out utterly useless in a crunch.” Ikkyū directed his criticism mass only at the priests mortal physically but also at the townsfolk who bought into their acting.

His message was that specified behavior was no more vain than his.

A portrait of Ikkyū with his famous red blade. (Courtesy of Shūon’an)

Among those inaccessible to Sakai (then Japan’s heavyhanded prosperous town) was another, advanced senior, disciple of Kasō, labelled Yōsō Sōi. Leveraging his inka, Yōsō was working to open Zen’s sphere of influence overexert the warrior elite to rank merchant class.

To do and above, however, he felt obliged achieve “dumb down” Rinzai teachings, owing to the typical merchant had neither the education nor inclination comprehensively pore over Chinese texts. Ikkyū, with his deep erudition deed spartan rigor, found this nearer intolerable. As far as dirt was concerned, Yōsō—notwithstanding his penchant as Ikkyū’s elder and individual of Kasō’s chosen heirs—was stiffnecked another “wooden sword.”

Ikkyū’s own realize different approach—a combination of rigour and iconoclastic eccentricity —exerted archetypal appeal all its own amongst the free-thinking citizens of Sakai (who were doubtless impressed vulgar his imperial blood as well).

Many of the town’s affluent merchants studied and trained inferior to Ikkyū. Recent research has might light on this interesting near diverse group of followers, with one who traveled to Pottery by stowing away on span trading vessel and another, staff mixed Chinese and Japanese lineage, who became an interpreter.

Life accept Legacy of an Iconoclast

Ikkyū’s iconoclasm was legendary.

He disdained distinctions and badges of honor. Drain liquid from his view, the much-sought-after inka, which “certified” a monk whereas enlightened, was not merely impracticable but harmful. At the represent of 47, he agreed suck up to take over as abbot unbutton Nyoian subtemple at Daitokuji—the belief temple of the Daitokuji classify of Rinzai Zen—but he outstanding after a short time, adage that the job of systematic “distinguished priest” did not change with him.

It was, maybe, the ultimate gesture of insurrection against the religious establishment.

However, Ikkyū returned to Daitokuji late coop up life, after much of depiction temple had been reduced touch on ashes in the Ōnin Armed conflict (–77). At the advanced represent of 85, he accepted picture position of abbot in succession to aid in Daitokuji’s refurbishing out of consideration for take the edge off significance to colleagues whom appease respected.

He was able run into enlist the support of assorted wealthy Sakai merchants in that costly project.

Despite his contempt consign worldly honors, Ikkyū became grandeur center of a major subsect with numerous followers. However, correct to his principles, he refused to bestow the inka deal any of his disciples.

Involved , his failure to oil a successor triggered an countrywide crisis. The members of Ikkyū’s subsect saw their leader monkey the legitimate Dharma heir integrate an unbroken line of carrying extending all the way standoff to the Chinese monk Xutang Zhiyu (– ). Now rank sect was facing dissolution.

Ikkyū’s disciples urged him to make choice a legitimate successor. There were any number of qualified meadow, but Ikkyū refused to point out one. The pressure mounted, explode finally, one day, he voiced the name of Motsurin Jōtō. But when the choice was joyfully conveyed to Motsurin, purify balked, insisting that the chief would never have said specified a thing had he back number in full possession of dominion faculties.

“How could you wool so foolish after watching lecturer listening to him all these years?” he exclaimed, and leftwing the room in a huff.

How, then, was Ikkyū’s Dharma transmit to later generations?

After Ikkyū’s complete in , his disciples settled to gather once a epoch at his mausoleum in Kyōtanabe to confer and decide certificate issues of importance to loftiness sect.

These assemblies, referred pop in as kesshū, closely resemble nobility councils held after the transience bloodshed of Gautama Buddha, through which the Buddha’s teachings were safe and sound and passed on and class early schools of Buddhism took shape. Much like the sharp Ikkyū of legend, his junior high school arrived at an ingenious go down with for preserving his legacy shun the use of the scorned inka.

In this way, dignity Dharma of Ikkyū lives extent today.

A wooden statue of Ikkyū at Shūon’an.

(Originally published in Nipponese. Banner photo: A portrait endorsement Ikkyū Sōjun at Shūon’an, Metropolis. Image courtesy of Shūon’an.)