Takuan Sōhō
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| Takuan Sōhō | |
|---|---|
| School | Rinzai |
| Personal | |
| Born | 1573 Izushi, Tajima province, Japan |
| Died | 1645 |
| Senior posting | |
| Title | Roshi |
Takuan Sōhō (沢庵 宗彭, December 24, 1573 – January 27, 1645) was a major figure in the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism.
Takuan Sōhō was born into a family of farmers in the town of Izushi, located in what was at that time called Tajima province (present-day Hyōgo Prefecture). At the age of 8 in 1581 young Takuan began his religious studies and 2 years later he entered a Buddhist monastery. By the age of 14 in 1587, Takuan started studying the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism under the tutelage of his sensei Shun-oku Soen.
By age 36 in 1608, Takuan was made abbot of the Daitoku-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan. Unfortunately, Takuan's appointment was shortened as he left for a prolonged period of traveling. Throughout his journeys, Takuan raised and collected funds for the renovation of Daitoku-ji Temple and other Zen temples.
In 1629, Takuan was banished to northern Japan by the Shogunate of Tokugawa Hidetada due to his protest of political interference in Buddhist temple matters pertaining to ecclesiastical appointments. By 1632, there was a general amnesty after the death of Tokugawa Hidetada and Takuan’s period of banishment came to an end. Later, Takuan was invited by Tokugawa Iemitsu (1604–51) to become the first abbot of Tokai-ji Temple in Edo, which was constructed especially for the Tokugawa family.
Takuan Sōhō died in Edo (present-day Tokyo) in December of 1645. At the moment before his death, Takuan painted the Chinese character 夢 ("dream"), laid down his brush and died. His tomb is located in the Shinagawa area of Tokyo at Oyama Cemetery of Tokaiji Temple.
Takuan advised and befriended many people, from all social strata. Some of these include:
- Miyamoto Musashi (kenjutsu master)
- Matsudaira Dewa no Kami (Daimyo)
- Ishida Mitsunari (Daimyo)
- Kuroda Nagamasa (Christian Daimyo)
- Yagyū Munenori (Daimyo and kenjutsu master, head of Yagyū Shinkage-ryū style of swordsmanship) - Takuan's writings to kenjutsu master, Lord Yagyū Munenori, are commonly studied by contemporary martial artists.
- Go-Mizunoo (abdicated Japanese Emperor)
- Tokugawa Iemitsu (Shogun)
- Itō Ittōsai (swordsman)
With regards to his character, Takuan remained largely unaffected by his popularity and famed reputation. Known for his acerbic wit and integrity of character, Takuan exerted himself to bring the spirit of Zen Buddhism to many and diverse aspects of Japanese culture, such as Japanese swordsmanship, gardening, Sumi-e, Shodo, and Sado. His collected writings total 6 volumes and over 100 published poems, including his best known treatise, The Unfettered Mind. His influence still permeates the work of many present-day exponents of Zen Buddhism and martial arts. He has also been credited with the invention of the yellow pickled Daikon radish that carries the same name, "Takuan."
Fictional appearances [edit]
He is featured as a character in Vagabond, a manga series, which is largely based on Eiji Yoshikawa's equally successful book, Musashi.
Director/writer Yoshiaki Kawajiri in his enormously popular animated film Ninja Scroll, created one of main characters Dakuan as a homage to Takuan Soho.
External links [edit]
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