Shunjo

JAPAN, Kumamoto; Heian to Kamakura period

A monk and patriarch of the Shingon school of Japanese Buddhism at Sennyuji Temple in Kyoto, Shunjo was also known as Fukaki and was granted the posthumous title of National Master Daiko Shobo. He was a native of Higo (present day Kumamoto) and renounced at the age of 18, taking the precepts at Kanzeonji Temple in Fukuoka the following year. Shunjo practiced and observed the precepts strictly, traveling frequently between Kyoto and Nara to study the Vinaya. He later established Shoboji Temple in Higo.
Shunjo went to China in 1199 and visited places such as Tiantaishan, Jingshan, and Simingshan. There, he learned the teachings of the Tiantai, Chan, Vajrayana, and Pure Land schools, in addition to Siddham and Confucianism. He returned to Japan in 1218, bringing with him over 1000 items including sutras and commentaries on Tendai and Avatamsaka teachings, as well as paintings and calligraphy. In 1218, Sennyuji Temple in Kyoto was donated to Shunjo who made it a center for Tendai and Shingon school practices.
Proficient in calligraphy, Shunjo was influenced by the Chinese calligrapher, Huang Tingjian. His legacy of works includes Certificate of Advanced Learning in Buddhism and Letter Requesting Donations, both of which are kept at Sennyuji Temple in Kyoto.