Ikkyū Sōjun
Japonista Dictionary › Zen
Ikkyū Sōjun (一休宗純) was the most unconventional Zen master of medieval Japan: a poet who scorned the hypocrisy of the great monasteries, frequented taverns and brothels, wrote love poems in old age, and yet was appointed abbot of Daitokuji. His calligraphy is among the most prized of all Zen writing, and his life has become legend.
| Japanese |
一休宗純, Ikkyū Sōjun |
| Lived |
1394 to 1481 |
| School |
Rinzai Zen, Daitokuji lineage |
| Known for |
Poetry, calligraphy and his influence on tea, Noh and ink painting |
Life
Said to be a son of Emperor Go-Komatsu, Ikkyū entered a temple as a child. He trained under severe masters, achieved awakening, and refused the trappings of office, wandering and teaching among ordinary people. He called himself Kyōun, Crazy Cloud, and his collection of poems, the Kyōunshū, mixes devotion, satire and passion, including poems for Mori, a blind singer he loved late in life. At eighty he became abbot of Daitokuji and led its rebuilding after the Ōnin War.
Influence
Ikkyū's circle included the tea pioneer Murata Jukō, the Noh playwright Konparu Zenchiku and painters of the Soga school. His teaching that Zen is found in ordinary life helped to shape the spirit of tea. In later folklore he became a clever boy monk who outwits adults, a figure still loved by Japanese children.
His calligraphy
Ikkyū's brushwork is bold, rough and unrestrained, with long trailing final strokes. His scrolls are treasured in tea collections and appear in museum collections worldwide. The subtemple Shuōn-an, called Ikkyū-ji, south of Kyoto, keeps his memory and his portrait.
Collecting notes
- Authentic Ikkyū calligraphy is extremely rare and expensive, and later copies and works in his manner are common. Box inscriptions and provenance are essential.
- Works by later Daitokuji abbots offer the same tradition at a more accessible level. See Bokuseki.
In the collection
Browse hanging scrolls. Our collector concierge can search Japan for Daitokuji calligraphy.
See also
