was the

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...

of both Ryūtaku-ji and Shoin-ji in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

—also serving temporarily as the head of the

Myōshin-ji is a temple complex in Kyoto, Japan, and head temple of the associated branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism. The Myōshin-ji school is by far the largest school in Rinzai Zen, approximately as big as the other thirteen branches combined: it contains wit ...

branch of

Rinzai The Rinzai school ( ja, , Rinzai-shū, zh, t=臨濟宗, s=临济宗, p=Línjì zōng) is one of three sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (along with Sōtō and Ōbaku). The Chinese Linji school of Chan was first transmitted to Japan by Myōan E ...

Zen Buddhism Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

.Victoria, 3

Biography

A renowned

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

calligrapher Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

, Yamamoto was a

Zen Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

priest who followed in the footsteps of the famous Master

Hakuin Ekaku was one of the most influential figures in Japanese Zen Buddhism. He is regarded as the reviver of the Rinzai school from a moribund period of stagnation, focusing on rigorous training methods integrating meditation and koan practice. Biog ...

. According to the book ''Zen and the Art of Calligraphy'', Yamamoto is sometimes called the "''twentieth century

Hakuin was one of the most influential figures in Japanese Zen Buddhism. He is regarded as the reviver of the Rinzai school from a moribund period of stagnation, focusing on rigorous training methods integrating meditation and koan practice. Biograp ...

''."Terayama, et al.; 113 Like so many prolific Zen masters throughout the ages, Yamamoto had no formal education. By today's standards Gempō would be deemed

legally blind Visual impairment, also known as vision impairment, is a medical definition primarily measured based on an individual's better eye visual acuity; in the absence of treatment such as correctable eyewear, assistive devices, and medical treatment� ...

, and it was not until later in life that he was able to write and read. At the age of 25 he became ordained as a

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

, travelling during this period to various temples throughout Japan. Yamamoto is probably most remembered for his many

zenga ''Zenga'' is the term for the practice and art of Zen Buddhist painting and calligraphy in the Japanese tea ceremony and also the martial arts. Definition As a noun, Zenga is a style of Chinese and Japanese calligraphy and painting, done in ink ...

paintings, which can be found hanging at Ryūtaku-ji today. He also produced a number of

Inuyama ware refers to a type of Japanese pottery, stoneware, and ceramics produced in and around the municipality of Inuyama, Owari Province, in central Japan. History The term refers to two kilns that produced in this area. The earlier one was locat ...

. In 1934, he testified in favor of his disciple Nissho Inoue, a militant Nichirenist preacher, during the trial for the League of Blood assassinations. He remained close to Inoue until Inoue's death in 1961.
Zen terror
', Brian Victoria, 10 July 2019,

Aeon The word aeon , also spelled eon (in American and Australian English), originally meant "life", "vital force" or "being", "generation" or "a period of time", though it tended to be translated as "age" in the sense of "ages", "forever", "timeles ...

. Quotes from ''

Asahi Shimbun is one of the four largest newspapers in Japan. Founded in 1879, it is also one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. Its circulation, which was 4.57 million for its morning edition and ...

'', 15 September 1934.

Bibliography

*Gempō Yamamoto, 慧開, Ekaku (1962).''Mumonkan teishō: fu, Hakuin Zenji rōhachi jishū teishō''. Daihōrinkaku.

Notes

References

* * * Nordstrom, Louis ed. (1976)
''Namu Dai Bosa''
Theatre Arts Books
LCCN 7611286
* * Tanahashi, Kazuaki (Ed.). Chayat, Roko Sherry (Ed.)
''Endless Vow: The Zen Path of Soen Nakagawa''
Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1996. . * * Rinzai Buddhists Zen Buddhist abbots Japanese Zen Buddhists 1866 births 1961 deaths People from Wakayama Prefecture {{Japan-reli-bio-stub

Biography

Bibliography

See also

Notes

References