Shunoku Sōen
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Shunoku Sōen (pronounced with a hard 'n': "Shun'oku") (春屋宗園) (1529 - 1611) was a
Rinzai The Rinzai school (, zh, t=臨濟宗, s=临济宗, p=Línjì zōng), named after Linji Yixuan (Romaji: Rinzai Gigen, died 866 CE) is one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism, along with Sōtō and Ōbaku. The Chinese Linji school of ...
Zen monk of the Azuchi-Momoyama and early
Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
s and the 111th Head Priest of
Daitoku-ji is a Rinzai school Zen Buddhist temple in the Murasakino neighborhood of Kita-ku in the city of Kyoto Japan. Its ('' sangō'') is . The Daitoku-ji temple complex is one of the largest Zen temples in Kyoto, covering more than . In addition to ...
temple. He received the title Zen Master Rōgen Tenshin (Rōgen Tenshin Zenji 朗源天真禅師) from Emperor Ōgimachi in 1586 and the highest acclaim of National Teacher Taihō Enkan (Taihō Enkan Kokushi 大宝円鑑国師) from Emperor Go-Yōzei (1571-1617) in 1600. Sōen was born in
Yamashiro Province was a province of Japan, located in Kinai. It overlaps the southern part of modern Kyoto Prefecture on Honshū. Aliases include , the rare , and . It is classified as an upper province in the '' Engishiki''. Yamashiro Province included Kyoto it ...
and became a monk at an early age. He first trained under Rosetsu Yōha (dates unknown) at
Kennin-ji is a historic Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto, Japan, and head temple of its associated branch of Rinzai Buddhism. It is considered to be one of the so-called Kyoto ''Gozan'' or "five most important Zen temples of Kyoto". History Kennin-ji was ...
, and spent a period as a student at the
Ashikaga Gakkō is Japan's oldest standing academic building. It is located in the city of Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, about 70 kilometres north of Tokyo. It was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1928. History There are various theories and ...
before becoming a student of Kōin Sōken at Daitoku-ji.Genshoku Chadō Daijiten (in Japanese). Kyoto: Tankōsha 1975 (1986 10th printing), ISBN 4-473-00089-3. After Sōken's death, Sōen completed his training under Shōrei Sōkin (1505-1584) of
Daisen-in The is a sub-temple of Daitoku-ji, a temple of the Rinzai school of Zen in Buddhism, one of the five most important Zen temples of Kyoto. The name means "The Academy of the Great Immortals." Daisen-in was founded by the Zen priest , and was bui ...
and the 107th Head Priest of Daitoku-ji. Sōen became the 111th Head Priest of Daitoku-ji in 1569 (2nd year of the Eiroko Era).


Time at Nanshū-ji, Sakai

Sōen spent some years in
Sakai is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its '' kofun'', keyhole-shaped burial mounds dating from the fifth century. The ''kofun ...
at the Yōshun-an sub-temple of Nanshū-ji after assuming the position of 111th Head Priest, a tradition followed by such masters as Ikkyū Sōjun after becoming Head Priest of Daitoku-ji.
Takeno Jōō Takeno may refer to: *Takeno, Hyōgo, a former town in Kinosaki District, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan *Takeno Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Toyooka, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, operated by West Japan Railway Company ...
and Sen Rikyū trained in Zen at Nanshū-ji and the karesansui (dry landscape) garden on the temple grounds was designed by
Furuta Oribe , whose birth name was , was a daimyō and celebrated master of the Japanese tea ceremony. He was originally a retainer of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Biography His teacher in the tea ceremony was Sen no Rikyū. He became the foremost ...
. In 1580, Sōen founded Daitsū-an under the patronage of wealthy Sakai merchant and legendary tea master Tsuda Sōgyū. Sōen received great adoration from the people of Sakai and in 1583 he became the 3rd Head Priest of Nanshū-ji.


Return to Daitoku-ji and Opening of Sangen-in

Sōen returned to Kyōto in 1589 and resided at the Daisen-in and
Jukō-in is a sub-temple of Daitoku-ji, Kyoto, Japan. It was founded in 1566 as the mortuary temple of Miyoshi Nagayoshi. In 1589 Sen no Rikyū designated it as the mortuary temple for his family. The Hondō (1583) and chashitsu (1739) are Important Cu ...
sub-temples of Daitoku-ji before founding a new sub-temple Sangen-in under the patronage of
Ishida Mitsunari was a Japanese samurai and military commander of the late Sengoku period of Japan. He is probably best remembered as the commander of the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi–Momoyama period of the 16th century. He ...
and
Asano Nagamasa was the brother-in-law of Toyotomi Hideyoshi and one of his chief advisors. Asano also fought for Oda Nobunaga and Hideyoshi in a number of campaigns during the Sengoku period of the 16th century in Japan. He was sent to Korea as one of the Thre ...
. While at Sangen-in, Sōen founded Zuigaku-ji Temple in
Omi Province Omi or OMI may refer to: Organisations * Optical Mechanics, Inc., a US telescope company * Ottico Meccanica Italiana, an Italian company * Original Musical Instrument Company, manufacturers of resonator guitars * Open Music Initiative, a digital ...
, again sponsored by Mitsunari, and Yakusen-ji under the patronage of tea master and Sakai merchant Yamaoka Sōmu (?-1595).


Connection with the Japanese Tea Ceremony

Shunoku Sōen is famous for his deep connection with the Way of Tea. He held many tea wares now in the Sangen-in estate. In the collection of Sōen's poetry and Buddhist verses (
gatha ''Gāthā'' is a Sanskrit term for 'song' or 'verse', especially referring to any poetic metre which is used in legends or folklores, and is not part of the Vedas but peculiar to either Epic Sanskrit or to Prakrit. The word is originally derived ...
) entitled ‘Ichimoku Kō’ 一黙稿, he writes about the beauty of some of the most famous art objects in chanoyu history including the Chigusa, Miroku and Akebono tea jars and the Seitaka Katatsuki, and Enza Katatsuki tea caddies. The tea masters that studied Zen under him are a veritable who's who of
chanoyu The Japanese tea ceremony (known as or lit. 'Hot water for tea') is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . The term "Japanese tea ceremony ...
: Sōen bestowed Buddhist training names to
Furuta Oribe , whose birth name was , was a daimyō and celebrated master of the Japanese tea ceremony. He was originally a retainer of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Biography His teacher in the tea ceremony was Sen no Rikyū. He became the foremost ...
(Kinpo 金甫),
Ueda Sōko Ueda Sōko (上田宗箇) (1563 – 30 May 1650) was a warlord who lived during the Momoyama and early Edo Periods. He is best known for founding the Ueda Sōko-ryū, a warrior class school of Japanese tea ceremony from Hiroshima. Ueda Sōko ...
(Chikuin 竹隠),
Kobori Enshū was a Japanese aristocrat, garden designer, painter, poet, and tea master during the reign of Tokugawa Ieyasu. Biography His personal name was Masakazu (政一). In 1604, he received as inheritance a 12,000-''koku'' fief in Ōmi Province at K ...
(Daiyū 大有),
Sen Dōan Sen may refer to: Surname *Sen is a surname used by Magars and Thakuri in Nepal * Sen (surname), a Bengali surname * Şen, a Turkish surname * A variant of the Serer patronym Sène Currency subunit * Etymologically related to the English word ' ...
(Min'ō 眠翁),
Sen Sōtan Sen may refer to: Surname *Sen is a surname used by Magars and Thakuri in Nepal * Sen (surname), a Bengali surname * Şen, a Turkish surname * A variant of the Serer patronym Sène Currency subunit * Etymologically related to the English wor ...
, (Genshuku 元叔) and Yabunouchi Jōchi (Kenchū 剣中). Sōen was also closely associated with
Imai Sōkyū was a 16th century merchant in the Japanese port town of Sakai, and a master of the tea ceremony. His ''yagō'' was Naya. Biography A relative of the Amago and Sasaki samurai clans, Sōkyū originally came from Yamato Province. After settl ...
and Sen Rikyū. In 1589, Sōen was the officiating priest for the opening ceremony of the Sanmon gate, reconstructed from funds donated by Rikyū. Three days after the opening, Sōen again officiated for the 50th anniversary memorial for Rikyū's father at the Sanmon gate.After the completion of the Sanmon gate (金毛閣), in the offering written by Shunoku Sōen at the request of Rikyū, thousands of households opent their door at once said this sentence , which angered Hideyoshi then became a turning point of the relationship between Rikyū and Hideyoshi. Finally Hideyoshi ordered him to commit ritual suicide. Rikyū's grandson, Sen Sōtan, was sent to live at Sangen-in under the supervision of Shunoku Sōen at the age of ten through the wish of Rikyū. The calligraphy inscription of Rikyū's famous portrait by
Hasegawa Tōhaku was a Japanese Painting, painter and founder of the Hasegawa school. He is considered one of the great painters of the Azuchi–Momoyama period (1573-1603), and he is best known for his folding screens, such as ''Shōrin-zu byōbu, Pine Trees ...
was written by Sōen at the request of Sen Dōan. Sōen passed away in 1611 at the age of 83. His grave is at Sangen-in. As a spiritual leader, he did not create works of art for commercial purposes, so it is not appropriate to talk about his "most expensive work." However, Shun'oku Sogen is renowned for his calligraphy and is considered one of the greatest Zen calligraphers in Japan's history. Some of his calligraphy works are highly valued and considered national treasures, but they are not sold in the market. Instead, they are preserved and exhibited in museums and temples for their historical and cultural significance. Shun'oku Sogen is known for his contributions to the development and transmission of the tea ceremony in Japan, particularly the incorporation of Zen principles into the ceremony. One of his famous offerings is the "Jukoan Tea Ceremony," which emphasizes the Zen concept of "ichi-go ichi-e," meaning "one time, one meeting." This concept emphasizes the importance of being fully present in the moment and cherishing each encounter as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The Jukoan Tea Ceremony is still practiced today and is considered a valuable contribution to Japanese tea culture.


References

{{Authority control 1529 births 1611 deaths Zen Buddhist spiritual teachers Rinzai Buddhists Japanese tea masters 16th-century Japanese calligraphers Yamashiro Province