Tettsū Gikai
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| Title | Zen Master |
| Personal | |
| Born | 18 February 1219 |
| Died | 18 October 1309 |
| School | Sōtō |
| Senior posting | |
| Teacher | Koun Ejō Dōgen Nōnin |
| Predecessor | Koun Ejō |
| Successor | Keizan Jōkin |
Students | |
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| Part of a series on |
| Zen Buddhism |
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Tettsū Gikai (徹通義介) received dharma transmission from Koun Ejō and is considered his spiritual successor by the Sōtō school of Zen. However, this was not clear at the time; many monks supported his rivals, Jakuen, Gien and Giin, and the sandai sōron was not resolved during his lifetime.
He was controversial with the other monks because he introduced innovative practices aimed at making Sōtō more popular with the Japanese laity, which some claimed Dōgen would have frowned upon. However, he also had many followers, and eventually his innovations became the standard form of Sōtō Zen. His disciple Keizan expanded on his plans for Sōtō and became the second most famous figure in the school's history.
References
- William M. Bodiford. Sōtō Zen in Medieval Japan. University of Hawai'i Press, 1993.
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