Shunoku Sōen (pronounced with a hard 'n': "Shunn'oku") (春屋宗園) (1529 - 1611) was a

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 ...

Zen monk of the Azuchi-Momoyama and early

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characte ...

s and the 111th Head Priest of

Daitoku-ji is a Buddhist temple, one of fourteen autonomous branches of the Rinzai school of Japanese Zen. It is located in Kita-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The "mountain name" ('' sangō'') by which it is known is . The Daitoku-ji temple complex today covers more ...

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 i ...

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 ...

before becoming a student of Kōin Sōken at Daitoku-ji. 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 ...

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 keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the fifth century and inclu ...

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 and Sen Rikyū trained in Zen at Nanshū-ji and the

karesansui The or Japanese rock garden, often called a zen garden, is a distinctive style of Japanese garden. It creates a miniature stylized landscape through carefully composed arrangements of rocks, water features, moss, pruned trees and bushes, and us ...

(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 was a Japanese tea master. Biography Tsuda Sōgyū belonged to the influential family of merchants of Sakai whose business name was Tennōjiya. Together with his father, Tsuda Sōtatsu, he built the Tennōjiya into one of the most prosperous ...

. 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 sub-temples of Daitoku-ji before founding a new sub-temple Sangen-in under the patronage of Ishida Mitsunari 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 of Japan. He was sent to Korea as one of the Thre ...

. While at Sangen-in, Sōen founded Zuigaku-ji Temple in

Omi Province is a hereditary noble title (''kabane'') of ancient Japan. It was given to the descendants of the Imperial Family before Emperor Kōgen. Along with ''Muraji'', ''Omi'' was reserved for the head of the most powerful clans during the Kofun perio ...

, 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

Shunoko 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, and is not part of the Vedas but peculiar to either Epic Sanskrit or to Prakrit. The word is originally derived from the S ...

) 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 ) is a Japanese cultural activity involving the ceremonial preparation and presentation of , powdered green tea, the procedure of which is called . While in the West it is known as "tea ceremony", it is se ...

: Sōen bestowed Buddhist training names to

(Kinpo 金甫), Ueda Sōko (Chikuin 竹隠),

Kobori Enshū was a notable Japanese artist and aristocrat in 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 Komuro, present Nagahama, Shiga. ...

(Daiyū 大有), Sen Dōan (Minō 眠翁),

Sen Sōtan Sen may refer to: Surname * Sen (surname), a Bengali surname * Şen, a Turkish surname * A variant of the Serer patronym Sène Currency subunit * Etymologically related to the English word ''cent''; a hundredth of the following currencies: ** ...

, (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 settling ...

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 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 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. Shun'oku Sogen was a Zen monk and a founder of several temples during the late 16th century in Japan. 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 Rinzai Buddhists 1529 births 1611 deaths Zen Buddhist spiritual teachers Tea ceremony