was a Japanese monk of the

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 ...

school (one of three main schools of Zen Buddhism in Japan, the others being the Sōtō school and the much smaller Ōbaku school). He was known for his controversial teachings and writings, as well as for his lighthearted sumi-e paintings. After spending half of his life in Nagata near

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...

, he secluded himself in Shōfuku-ji in

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, 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 ancie ...

, the first Zen temple in Japan, where he spent the rest of his life. Though the Rinzai sect is particularly known for its hard-to-understand teachings, Sengai tried to make them accessible to the public.

Works

One of his most notable paintings depicts a circle, a square and a triangle. Sengai left the painting without a title or inscription, save for his signature. The painting is often called "Maru-Sankaku-Shikaku", written as "〇△□", or "The Universe" when referred to in English.

External links

Idemitsu Museum Sengai Collection (Japanese)

Kyushu University collection of images (Japanese)

Review of the exhibition at the Idemitsu Museum
1750 births 1837 deaths Japanese painters Rinzai Buddhists Buddhist artists Japanese Zen Buddhists Edo period Buddhist clergy Zenga {{Zen-bio-stub

Works

See also

External links