was a Buddhist monk of the
Ōbaku Zen
Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...
sect
A sect is a subgroup of a religion, religious, politics, political, or philosophy, philosophical belief system, typically emerging as an offshoot of a larger organization. Originally, the term referred specifically to religious groups that had s ...
, and was also an accomplished poet and calligrapher. His teacher
Ingen Ryūki,
Mokuan Shōtō and Sokuhi were together known as the "Three Brushes of Ōbaku" or
Ōbaku no Sanpitsu.
China
Sokuhi was born in
Fuzhou
Fuzhou is the capital of Fujian, China. The city lies between the Min River (Fujian), Min River estuary to the south and the city of Ningde to the north. Together, Fuzhou and Ningde make up the Eastern Min, Mindong linguistic and cultural regi ...
,
Fujian
Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
, Southeast China. He was born into a declining Confucian scholar gentry family of the Chen clan. Life became difficult for him and his mother after his father died. He was ordained at 17 by
Feiyin Tongrong. At 21 he became a disciple of
Ingen, abbot of
Wanfu Temple,
Mount Huangbo
Mount Huangbo () is a mountain in Fuqing county of Fujian Province, in the East China region of the People's Republic of China.
The mountain has many Buddhist temples, including Wanfu Temple (home of Yinyuan Longqi, founder of the Japanese ...
,
Fujian
Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
. There he became a colleague of
Muyan. In 1651 he nearly died due to asphyxiation while fighting a
forest fire
A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a bushfire ( in Australia), dese ...
near the temple, and was suddenly enlightened. Sokuhi received dharma transmission from Ingen and the next year received a promotion to high monastic office. He then became abbot of
Chongsheng Temple on
Mount Xuefeng, also in
Fujian
Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
.
Japan
In 1654, Ingen and
Mu'an travelled to Japan and summoned Sokuhi, who followed to Nagasaki in 1657. Sokuhi was made abbot of
Sōfuku-ji, a Chinese temple built in 1629, and
Mu'an was serving as abbot of
Fukusai-ji. The two became known as ''nikanromon'' ("two gates to enlightenment"). In 1663 Sokuhi met Ingen for the first time in 12 years, after he received permission to go to
Uji where he was abbot of
Manpuku-ji. In 1664 Sokuhi left for Nagasaki intending to return to China but was convinced to stay by lord of
Kokura
is an ancient Jōkamachi, castle town and the center of modern Kitakyushu, Japan. Kokura is also the name of the Kokura Station, penultimate station on the southbound San'yō Shinkansen line, which is owned by JR West. Ferries connect Kokura ...
and found a new temple
Fukuju-ji on
Mount Kujū
, located on the border of Kokonoe and Taketa in Ōita Prefecture, Japan, is a stratovolcano in Kyushu Island, Japan, with a summit elevation of . It is one of the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains. It is part of the Aso-Kujū National Park.
S ...
(now in
Fukuoka
is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...
). In 1668 he passed this position to his Japanese disciple
Houn Myodo and returned to Sōfuku-ji to retire. He became ill in 1670 and died at Nagasaki in 1671. He was cremated and his remains were placed at Fukuju-ji and Sōfuku-ji.
See also
*
Japanese Buddhism
Buddhism was first established in Japan in the 6th century CE. Most of the Japanese Buddhists belong to new schools of Buddhism which were established in the Kamakura period (1185－1333). During the Edo period (1603–1868), Buddhism was cont ...
*
Ōbaku
References
1616 births
1671 deaths
Ming dynasty Buddhist monks
Obaku Buddhists
Qing dynasty Buddhist monks
Chinese Zen Buddhists
Ming dynasty calligraphers
Qing dynasty calligraphers
Writers from Fuzhou
Artists from Fuzhou
Poets from Fujian
Japanese Zen Buddhists
17th-century Chinese calligraphers
17th-century Japanese calligraphers
Buddhist clergy of the Edo period
{{China-reli-bio-stub