Ikkyu Sojun

JAPAN; Muromachi period

Ikkyu Sojun, also known as Kyounshi, was a monk of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism. He was the 47th Patriarch of the lineage in Japan. Ikkyu renounced at the age of six in Ankokuji Temple in Kyoto, and later went to Shiga at the age of 21 to study the Dharma under Zen Master Keso Sodon. It is said that Ikkyu attained realization upon hearing the sound made by a crow. He succeeded Keso Sodon in 1420, but boldly rejected the certificate issued to him, claiming it to be superficial, and strongly condemning the issuance of a mere piece of paper to prove the profound comprehension of Buddhist philosophy. When it was forced upon him, Ikkyu tore up and burned the document.
He founded both Shidaji Temple in Osaka and Shuonan Ikkyuji Temple in Kyoto, and in 1474, when he was 81 years old, he was issued an imperial edict to become the abbot of Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto. Even in his old age, he still shouldered the responsibility of reconstructing the temple after it was burned down during war.
Ikkyu enjoyed the arts, and was particularly talented in calligraphy, painting, and music. To encourage the acceptance of Zen teachings among more people, he traveled extensively and propagated the Dharma. Through music and poetry, he enabled the teachings to be accessible to the masses.
Well-known words by Ikkyu include the phrases, “Refrain from Evil Deeds” and “Do Good Deeds,” which are scripted in calligraphy and displayed at Shinjuan Temple in Kyoto. His calligraphic works include Hamurogou, kept at Shuonan Ikkyuji Temple in Kyoto, and Gatha, at the Nezu Museum in Tokyo. In addition, two of his works are listed as Important Cultural Properties; they are Deathbed Will, kept at Shinjuan Temple, and Lecture by National Master Daito, kept at the Tokyo National Museum.