was a

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

Ōbaku The is one of several schools of Zen in Japanese Buddhism, in addition to Sōtō and Rinzai. History Often termed the third sect of Zen Buddhism in Japan, Ōbaku-shū was established in 1661 by a small faction of masters from China and their ...

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 ...

sect A sect is a subgroup of a religious, political, or philosophical belief system, usually an offshoot of a larger group. Although the term was originally a classification for religious separated groups, it can now refer to any organization that b ...

, and was also an accomplished poet and calligrapher. His teacher Ingen Ryūki,

Mokuan Shōtō Mu'an (; Japanese language, Japanese Mokuan Shōtō) (1611–1684) was a Chinese Zen, Chan monk who followed his master Yinyuan Longqi to Japan in 1654. History Together they founded the Obaku (school of Buddhism), Ōbaku Zen school and Mampu ...

and Sokuhi were together known as the "Three Brushes of Ōbaku" or

Ōbaku no Sanpitsu is a name given to a group of three famous Chinese calligraphers who lived in Japan: * Ingen Ryūki, 隱元隆琦 1592–1673 * Mokuan Shōtō Mu'an (; Japanese Mokuan Shōtō) (1611–1684) was a Chinese Chan monk who followed his master Yinyua ...

China

Sokuhi was born in

Fuzhou Fuzhou (; , Fuzhounese: Hokchew, ''Hók-ciŭ''), alternately romanized as Foochow, is the capital and one of the largest cities in Fujian province, China. Along with the many counties of Ningde, those of Fuzhou are considered to constitute t ...

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of 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 capi ...

, Southeast

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. 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 Ingen Ryūki () (December 7, 1592 – May 19, 1673) was a Chinese poet, calligrapher, and monk of Linji Chan Buddhism from China.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Ingen" in ; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, ' ...

, abbot of

Wanfu Temple Wanfu Temple () is a Buddhist temple on Mount Huangbo in Fuqing, Fujian, China. It is famous as the original temple of Yinyuan Longqi, the temple's 33rd abbot and a Chan master. He later travelled to Japan with his disciple Muyan to found the J ...

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 is famous for its Buddhist temples, including Wanfu Temple (home of Yinyuan Longqi, founder of the Ja ...

. There he became a colleague of

Muyan Mu'an (; Japanese Mokuan Shōtō) (1611–1684) was a Chinese Chan monk who followed his master Yinyuan Longqi to Japan in 1654. History Together they founded the Ōbaku Zen school and Mampuku-ji, the school's head temple at Uji in 1661 ...

. In 1651 he nearly died due to asphyxiation while fighting a

forest fire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

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

Japan

In 1654,

and

travelled to

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 ...

and summoned Sokuhi, who followed to

Nagasaki is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan. It became the sole port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hidden Christian Sites in the ...

in 1657. Sokuhi was made abbot of Sōfuku-ji, a Chinese temple built in 1629, and

was serving as abbot of

Fukusai-ji is an Ōbaku Zen temple in Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Japan. Its honorary '' sangō'' prefix is . History The first temple built in Nagasaki was Kofukuji, built in 1623 by traders from the northern provinces of China, such as Jiangsu and Zhejian ...

. 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 is a city on the southern outskirts of the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Founded on March 1, 1951, Uji is between the two ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto. The city sits on the Uji River, which has its source in Lake Biwa. ...

where he was abbot of

Manpuku-ji is a Buddhist temple located in Uji, Kyoto. It is the head temple of the Japanese Ōbaku Zen sect, named after Wanfu Temple in Fujian, China. The mountain is likewise named after Mount Huangbo, where the Chinese temple is situated. History The ...

. In 1664 Sokuhi left for Nagasaki intending to return to China but was convinced to stay by lord of

Kokura is an ancient castle town and the center of Kitakyushu, Japan, guarding the Straits of Shimonoseki between Honshu and Kyushu with its suburb Moji. Kokura is also the name of the penultimate station on the southbound San'yō Shinkansen lin ...

and found a new temple Fukuju-ji on

Mount Kujū , located on the border of Kokonoe and Taketa in Ōita Prefecture, Japan, is the highest mountain 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. ...

(now 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 ...

). 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.

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 people category:17th-century Chinese calligraphers 17th-century Japanese calligraphers Edo period Buddhist clergy {{China-reli-bio-stub

China

Japan

See also

References