was a Japanese
Zen
Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...
Buddhist
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
monk of the
Rinzai 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 (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
who is considered "the first important poet of the
Five Mountains.
In China
Yūbai started studying
Linji Ch'an 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 (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...
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, Yūbai was able to become the founder of a number of provincial Buddhist temple
A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...
-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 which m ...
in Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, including Hōun-ji and Hōrin-ji in Harima, Hyōgo.[Hall, John Whitney. (1999)]
''The Cambridge History of Japan,'' pp. 600-603.
/ref> Some of these temples were ranked among the provincial '' jissatsu'' by Muromachi shogunate,[Hall]
p. 602.
/ref>
Prominent among Yūbai's followers were Akamatsu Norimura (1277–1350) and his son Akamatsu Norisuke (1314–1371).
See also
* Buddhism in Japan
Buddhism was first established in Japan in the 6th century CE. Most of the Japanese Buddhists belong to new schools of Buddhism which were established in the Kamakura period (1185－1333). During the Edo period (1603–1868), Buddhism was cont ...
* List of Rinzai Buddhists
* Japanese Literature of the Five Mountains
Notes
References
*
OCLC 165440083
*
*;
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Rinzai Buddhists
1290 births
1347 deaths
Japanese Zen Buddhists
14th-century clergy
14th-century Japanese poets
Buddhist clergy of the Kamakura period
{{Zen-bio-stub