is the third spiritual leader of the
Sōtō
Sōtō Zen or is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (the others being Rinzai and Ōbaku). It is the Japanese line of the Chinese Cáodòng school, which was founded during the Tang dynasty by Dòngsh ...
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 ...
school of
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
in Japan. He began his Buddhist life as a student of the
Darumashū's Ekan, but later both became students of
Eihei Dōgen's newly established Sōtō school. Gikai received
dharma transmission from
Koun Ejō
(1198-1280) was the second patriarch of the Japanese Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism who lived during the Kamakura period. He was initially a disciple of the short-lived Darumashū sect of Japanese Zen founded by Nōnin, but later studied and recei ...
, Dōgen's successor, and later became the third abbot of the school's head temple,
Eihei-ji
250px
is one of two main temples of the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism, the largest single religious denomination in Japan (by number of temples in a single legal entity). Eihei-ji is located about east of Fukui in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. In E ...
. Shortly thereafter, he became embroiled in a leadership crisis known as the ''
sandai sōron
The ''sandai sōron'' (三代相論), or third-generation differentiation, was a putative dispute over the orthodoxy and succession of Sōtō Zen Buddhism. The major figures involved were Jakuen, Gikai, Gien, and Giin, all of whom claimed the righ ...
''. Other monks contended that other students, namely
Jakuen
Jìyuán (寂円, 1207 – 8 October 1299), better known to Buddhist scholars by his Japanese name Jakuen, was a Chinese Zen Buddhist monk and a disciple of Rujing. Most of his life is known to us only through medieval hagiography, legends, ...
, Gien or
Giin, had stronger claims to the abbacy. The controversy remained unresolved at the time of his death. His abbacy was unpopular with some monks because he introduced innovative practices aimed at making Sōtō more palatable with the Japanese laity, which some claimed Dōgen would have frowned upon. However, he also had many followers, and eventually his innovations became the standard form of Sōtō Zen. His leadership marked the first geographical expansion of the Sōtō school when he moved with his followers to
Kaga Province
was a province of Japan in the area that is today the south and western portion of Ishikawa Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Kaga bordered on Echizen, Etchū, Hida, and Noto Provinces. It was part of Hokurikudō Circuit. Its abb ...
. Most notably, his disciple
Keizan Jōkin became the second most famous figure in the school's history after Dōgen by generating mass appeal for Sōtō Zen and ultimately spreading the teachings to all corners of Japan.
Early life
Tettsū Gikai was born in 1219 in a rural area of
Echizen Province
was a province of Japan in the area that is today the northern portion of Fukui Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. Echizen bordered on Kaga, Wakasa, Hida, and Ōmi Provinces. It was part of Hokurikudō Circuit. Its abbreviated for ...
called Inazu. His family was part of the powerful
Fujiwara clan
was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until ...
, specifically claiming descent from the famous General
Fujiwara no Toshihito. Members of this extended family included prominent monks of the region. Others had formed bonds through marriage with the Hatano family, which was to become the primary donor to the early
Sōtō
Sōtō Zen or is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (the others being Rinzai and Ōbaku). It is the Japanese line of the Chinese Cáodòng school, which was founded during the Tang dynasty by Dòngsh ...
school. He became a monk at the age of twelve at a
Darumashū temple called ''Hajaku-ji'', which was located close to the future site of
Sōtō
Sōtō Zen or is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (the others being Rinzai and Ōbaku). It is the Japanese line of the Chinese Cáodòng school, which was founded during the Tang dynasty by Dòngsh ...
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 ...
's main temple,
Eihei-ji
250px
is one of two main temples of the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism, the largest single religious denomination in Japan (by number of temples in a single legal entity). Eihei-ji is located about east of Fukui in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. In E ...
. His teacher was
Ekan, a student of
Kakuan, in turn a student of the Darumashū's founder
Nōnin. His close connections to Echizen, and particularly its Buddhist elite, played a role in his importance to the early Sōtō school.
Joining Dōgen's Sōtō School
Shortly after becoming a monk, Gikai relocated to
Mt. Hiei
is a mountain to the northeast of Kyoto, lying on the border between the Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures, Japan.
The temple of Enryaku-ji, the first outpost of the Japanese Tendai (Chin. Tiantai) sect of Buddhism, was founded atop Mount Hiei by ...
for an unknown period of time for training, although he remained a student of Ekan. In 1241, most of the students of the Darumashū joined
Eihei Dōgen's early
Sōtō
Sōtō Zen or is the largest of the three traditional sects of Zen in Japanese Buddhism (the others being Rinzai and Ōbaku). It is the Japanese line of the Chinese Cáodòng school, which was founded during the Tang dynasty by Dòngsh ...
school, which at that time was centered at
Kōshō-ji outside of
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...
. Thus Ekan and Gikai both became students of Dōgen, although to an extent Gikai remained a student of Ekan simultaneously. In 1243, shortly after Dōgen and his followers had moved to Echizen where
Eihei-ji
250px
is one of two main temples of the Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism, the largest single religious denomination in Japan (by number of temples in a single legal entity). Eihei-ji is located about east of Fukui in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. In E ...
would be built, Gikai was assigned to the important position of
tenzo, or head cook. Dōgen considered ''tenzo'' to be suitable only for monks of high attainment, but on a more practical level Gikai was probably also better equipped to locate donors of food in his home province. About a decade later in 1251, Ekan gave
dharma transmission of his Darumashū lineage to Gikai realizing that he would soon die without a successor. However, he also urged Ekan to receive transmission of the Sōtō lineage as well. Four years later in 1255, two years after Dōgen's death, Gikai accomplished this when he received dharma transmission from his former fellow Darumashū student and Dōgen's successor,
Koun Ejō
(1198-1280) was the second patriarch of the Japanese Sōtō school of Zen Buddhism who lived during the Kamakura period. He was initially a disciple of the short-lived Darumashū sect of Japanese Zen founded by Nōnin, but later studied and recei ...
.
Abbot of Eihei-ji and Departure
In 1267 Tettsū Gikai became abbot of Eihei-ji when Koun Ejō, the previous abbot, retired due to illness. Gikai's promotion to abbot was specifically requested by the two major patrons of the temple.
Keizan Jōkin, who would go on to become an extremely important leader for the school, was ordained as a monk by Gikai in 1271 when Keizan was seven. The following year Gikai retired from his role as abbot, eventually being replaced by Gien, whose life and time at Eihei-ji is poorly documented. Gikai lived for the next 20 years caring for his mother near Eihei-ji and occasionally visiting the temple for various reasons. In 1280 he cared for his predecessor Ejō in the days before his death. During this time, Ejō apparently gave Gikai his robes, which he had in turn received from Dōgen. Nine days later Ejō died, after which Gikai performed the funeral. Gikai also held yearly services to commemorate Ejō's death, and it was during this period that a conflict arose between him and the followers of Ejō's other successor
Jakuen
Jìyuán (寂円, 1207 – 8 October 1299), better known to Buddhist scholars by his Japanese name Jakuen, was a Chinese Zen Buddhist monk and a disciple of Rujing. Most of his life is known to us only through medieval hagiography, legends, ...
. The reason for the dispute is not clear. Jakuen himself had left Eihei-ji many years before in 1261. Whatever the grounds, Gikai ultimately permanently departed from Eihei-ji in 1287 despite personal support from the temple's major patron.
Abbot of Daijō-ji and Death
Gikai left Eihei-ji and traveled to the neighboring province of
Kaga where he became the second abbot of Daijō-ji temple in 1293. The first abbot, Chōkai, was of the esoteric
Shingon
Shingon monks at Mount Koya
is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asia, originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra.
Kn ...
school and had probably known Gikai from his early years at Hajaku-ji, which was a Shingon temple that had hosted Darumashū students for several years. Furthermore, the temple was patronized by Togashi Iehisa of the
Fujiwara clan
was a powerful family of imperial regents in Japan, descending from the Nakatomi clan and, as legend held, through them their ancestral god Ame-no-Koyane. The Fujiwara prospered since the ancient times and dominated the imperial court until ...
, most likely a relative of Gikai. Several students from Eihei-ji joined Gikai at his new temple, including Keizan Jōkin,
Meihō Sotetsu
(1277-1350) was a Japanese Sōtō Zen monk who lived during the late Kamakura period and early Muromachi period. He practiced with Keizan Jōkin, often considered the second most important figure in Sōtō Zen after Eihei Dōgen, for twenty-nine ...
, and
Gasan Jōseki. Two years after Gikai's arrival, he gave dharma transmission to Keizan. Three years later in 1298 Gikai passed on the position of abbot to Keizan as well, though he remained at the temple for the rest of his life. By 1306 Gikai's health began to decline. During this period he ordained all of the non-monk workers at the temple at his own insistence. He died in 1309. Keizan only served as abbot for two years after Gikai's death, after which the position was transferred to Meihō Sotetsu. Shortly after, the patrons of the temple replaced Meihō with 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 ...
monk for unknown reasons. Keizan wrote that this was a betrayal of Gikai, although Meihō would go on to be reinstated as the abbot of Daijō-ji after many years.
References
*
William M. Bodiford. ''Sōtō Zen in Medieval Japan''. University of Hawai'i Press, 1993.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tettsu, Gikai
1219 births
1309 deaths
Zen Buddhist monks
Japanese Buddhist clergy
Soto Zen Buddhists
Kamakura period Buddhist clergy