was a Japanese

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 ...

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 My ...

sect. This priest and

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wr ...

who is considered "the first important poet of the Five Mountains.

In China

Yūbai started studying Linji

Ch'an Chan (; of ), from Sanskrit '' dhyāna'' (meaning "meditation" or "meditative state"), is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming especially popular during the Tang and S ...

under Chinese master Issan Ichinei in Japan and later moved to China where he studied with many other teachers. He lived in China for over twenty years (1307–1329). He was imprisoned in

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin ...

during the period in which Zen Buddhists were persecuted. Many of the poems were created during or about this period survive; and they form the basis of his reputation.Katō, Shūichi. (1997)
''A History of Japanese Literature: From the Man'yōshū to Modern Times,'' p. 105.
/ref> In ''Bingatshū,'' the collection of 242 poems includes this one: :::I do not like praises and honours :::Nor did I fear disdain :::I just stayed away. :::My mind, clear water, :::My body bound and tied :::For three years in Chang'an. :::I sing what I feel in songs :::In straight words, undecorated.

In Japan

With the patronage of the

Akamatsu clan is a Japanese samurai family of direct descent from Minamoto no Morifusa of the Murakami-Genji. Papinot, Jacques Edmond Joseph. (1906). ''Dictionnaire d’histoire et de géographie du Japon''; Papinot, (2003)"Akamatsu" at ''Nobiliare du Japon ...

, Yūbai was able to become the founder of a number of provincial Buddhist temple-

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

in Japan, including Hōun-ji and Hōrin-ji in

Harima, Hyōgo 260px, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology is a town located in Kako District, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 34,735 in 15410 households and a population density of 3800 persons per km². The total are ...

.Hall, John Whitney. (1999)
''The Cambridge History of Japan,'' pp. 600-603.
/ref> Some of these temples were ranked among the provincial ''

jissatsu The system, more commonly called simply ''Five Mountain System'', was a network of state-sponsored Chan (Zen) Buddhist temples created in China during the Southern Song (1127–1279). The term "mountain" in this context means "temple" or "monas ...

'' by

Muromachi shogunate The , also known as the , was the feudal military government of Japan during the Muromachi period from 1336 to 1573.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Muromachi-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', p. 669. The Ashikaga shogunate was establi ...

, which encouraged its vasssls ''shugo'' to found monetaries in the provinces.Hall
p. 602.
/ref> Prominent among Yūbai's followers were

Akamatsu Norimura also well known as Akamatsu Enshin was a Japanese samurai of the Akamatsu clan in the Muromachi period. He was governor (''shugo'') of Harima Province in Hyōgo Prefecture. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005) "Akamatsu Norimura,"''Japan encyclope ...

(1277–1350) and his son Akamatsu Norisuke (1314–1371).

Notes

References

*
OCLC 165440083
* *; * * Rinzai Buddhists 1290 births 1347 deaths Japanese Zen Buddhists 14th-century clergy 14th-century Japanese poets Kamakura period Buddhist clergy {{Zen-bio-stub

In China

In Japan

See also

Notes

References