- Takuan Sōhō
Infobox Buddhist biography
name = Takuan Sōhō
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birth_date =1573
birth_place =Izushi ,Tajima province ,Japan
death_date =1645
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school =Rinzai
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title =Roshi
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website =Takuan Sōhō (沢庵 宗彭,
1573 –1645 ) was a major figure in theRinzai school ofZen Buddhism .Takuan Sōhō was born into a family of farmers in the town of
Izushi , located in what was at that time calledTajima province (present-dayHyōgo Prefecture ). At the age of 8 in1581 young Takuan began his religious studies and 2 years later he would lead a life at a Buddhist monastery. By the age of 14 in1587 , Takuan started studying theRinzai school ofZen Buddhism under the tutelage of hissensei Shun-oku Soen.By the impressive age of 36 in
1608 , Takuan's mastery of Zen granted him the privilege of being made abbot of theDaitoku-ji Temple inKyoto , 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 ofDaitoku-ji Temple and other Zen temples.In
1629 , Takuan wasbanished to northern Japan by theShogunate ofHidetada Tokugawa due to his protest of political interference in Buddhist temple matters pertaining toecclesiastical appointments. By1632 , there was a generalamnesty after the death of Hidetada Tokugawa and Takuan’s period of banishment came at an end. Later, Takuan was invited byTokugawa Iemitsu (1604–51) to become the first abbot of Tokai-ji Temple inEdo , which was constructed especially for theTokugawa family .Takuan Sōhō died in
Edo (present-dayTokyo ) in December of1645 . At the moment before his death, Takuan painted theChinese character 夢 ("dream "), laid down his brush and died. His tomb is located in theShinagawa area ofTokyo at Oyama Cemetery of Tokaiji Temple.It is stated that Takuan advised and befriended many persons, from all social strata of life. Some of those include:
*
Miyamoto Musashi (kenjutsu master)
* Matsudaira Dewa no Kami (Daimyo )
*Ishida Mitsunari (Daimyo )
*Kuroda Nagamasa (Christian Daimyo )
*Yagyū Munenori (Daimyo andkenjutsu master, head ofYagyū Shinkage-ryū style of swordsmanship) - Takuan's writings tokenjutsu master, Lord Yagyū Munenori, are commonly studied by contemporary martial artists.
* Go-Mizunoo (abdicatedJapanese 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 ascerbic wit and integrity of character, Takuan exerted himself to bring the spirit of Zen Buddhism to many and diverse aspects ofJapanese culture , such asJapanese 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 andmartial arts . He has also been credited with the invention of the yellow pickledDaikon radish that carries the same name, "Takuan ."He is featured as a character in "Vagabond", a
manga series, which is largely based onEiji Yoshikawa 's equally successful book, "Miyamoto Musashi ".External links
* [http://www.zenstoriesofthesamurai.com/Characters/TakuanSoho.htm "Takuan Soho."]
* [http://www.gaia.com/quotes/Takuan_Soho Quotes from Takuan Soho]
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