Musō Soseki

Musō Soseki, 1275 - 1351, Japanese Zen master, calligraphist, poem writer, and garden designer.

Template:Japanese name Musō Soseki (夢窓疎石) (1275 - October 20, 1351) was a Rinzai Zen Buddhist monk. His mother was the daughter of Hōjō Masamura. Originally from Ise Province, now part of modern-day Mie Prefecture, he entered a mountain temple in 1283. There, he studied the Shingon and Tendai sects of Buddhism. In 1292 he took his vows at Tōdaiji and went on to study Zen Buddhism.

Calligraphy by Musō Soseki.

In 1325, Emperor Go-Daigo requested that he come to the Southern Court and become head priest of Nanzenji. The following year, after establishing a temple in the Ise province, he went to Kamakura and stayed at a temple there. He acquired creeds from both Hōjō Takatoki and Hōjō Sadaaki.

With the fall of the Kamakura bakufu, he returned to the Southern Court and Nanzenji. He later enjoyed the support of the Ashikaga shogunate.

References

• Schirokauer, Conrad (2005). A Brief History of Japanese Civilization. Wadsworth Publishing. ISBN 978-0534643065. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)