Takuan Soho

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Takuan Soho

Takuan Soho (?? ??, 1573–1645) was a major figure in the Rinzai school

Rinzai school

The Rinzai school is one of the three Japanese :Category:Zen sects. Rinzai is the Japanese line of the China Linji school, which was founded during the Tang Dynasty by Linji ....
of Zen Buddhism.

Takuan Soho was born into a family of farmers in the town of Izushi, located in what was at that time called Tajima province

Tajima Province

was an old provinces of Japan of Japan in the area that is today northern Hyogo Prefecture. Tajima bordered on Harima Province, Inaba Province, Tamba Province, and Tango Province provinces....
(present-day Hyogo Prefecture

Hyogo Prefecture

is a Prefectures of Japan of Japan located in the Kinki region on Honshu island. The capital is Kobe.The prefecture's name was previously alternately spelled as Hiogo....
). At the age of 8 in 1581 young Takuan began his religious studies and 2 years later he would lead a life at a Buddhist monastery. By the age of 14 in 1587, Takuan started studying the Rinzai school

Rinzai school

Sensei

is a Japanese language Japanese titles used to refer to or address teachers, professors, professionals such as lawyers and Physicians, politicians, clergyman, and other figures of authority....
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 the Daitoku-ji

Daitoku-ji

is a Buddhist temple, one of fourteen autonomous branches of the Rinzai school of Japan Zen, founded in 1315 or 1319 by Shuho Myocho and located in Kita-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan....
Temple in Kyoto

Kyoto

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, Japan.

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Takuan Soho (?? ??, 1573–1645) was a major figure in the Rinzai school

Rinzai school

Tajima Province

Hyogo Prefecture

Rinzai school

Sensei

Daitoku-ji

is a Buddhist temple, one of fourteen autonomous branches of the Rinzai school of Japan Zen, founded in 1315 or 1319 by Shuho Myocho and located in Kita-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan....
Temple in Kyoto

Kyoto

Sorry, no overview for this topic
, 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

Daitoku-ji

is a Buddhist temple, one of fourteen autonomous branches of the Rinzai school of Japan Zen, founded in 1315 or 1319 by Shuho Myocho and located in Kita-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan....
Temple and other Zen temples.

In 1629, Takuan was banished

Banished

Banished may refer to:* Exile* Banished , a 2007 documentary...
to northern Japan by the Shogunate of Hidetada Tokugawa due to his protest of political interference in Buddhist temple matters pertaining to ecclesiastical appointments. By 1632, there was a general amnesty

Amnesty

Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent persons....
after the death of Hidetada Tokugawa and Takuan’s period of banishment came at an end. Later, Takuan was invited by Tokugawa Iemitsu

Tokugawa Iemitsu

Tokugawa Iemitsu , sometimes Romanisation Iyemitsu, was the third shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate who reigned from 1623 to 1651. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu....
(1604–51) to become the first abbot of Tokai-ji Temple in Edo

Edo

, literally: Headlands and bays-door, "estuary", ), also Romanization of Japanese as Yedo or Yeddo, is the Geographical renaming of the Capital of Japan Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868....
, which was constructed especially for the Tokugawa family.

Takuan Soho died in Edo

Edo

Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
) in December of 1645. At the moment before his death, Takuan painted the Chinese character

Chinese character

A Chinese character, also known as a Han character , is a logogram used in writing Chinese language ,'' Japanese language ,'' less frequently Korean language ,'' and formerly Vietnamese language .''...
? ("dream

Dream

Dreams are sequence s, sounds and feelings experienced while sleeping, strongly associated with rapid eye movement sleep. The contents and biological purposes of dreams are not fully understood, though they have been a topic of speculation and interest throughout recorded history....
"), laid down his brush and died. His tomb is located in the Shinagawa area of Tokyo

Tokyo

, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the Tokyo City in the eastern part of the prefecture, and total over 8 million people....
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
Miyamoto Musashi

, also known as Shinmen Takezo, Miyamoto Bennosuke, or by his Buddhist name Niten Doraku, was a Japanese people swordsman famed for his duels and distinctive style....
(kenjutsu
Kenjutsu

, meaning "the art of the sword", is a term for classical Japanese sword arts , in particular those which predate the Meiji Restoration. It is sometimes used more generally to describe any martial art which makes use of the Japanese sword....
master)
Matsudaira Dewa no Kami (Daimyo
Daimyo

The were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. The term derives from a shortening of the title , which literally means "great named land" and originally simply referred to the owner of a large estate....
)
Ishida Mitsunari
Ishida Mitsunari

Ishida Mitsunari was a samurai who led the Western army in the Battle of Sekigahara following the Azuchi-Momoyama period of the 17th century....
(Daimyo
Daimyo

The were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. The term derives from a shortening of the title , which literally means "great named land" and originally simply referred to the owner of a large estate....
)
Kuroda Nagamasa
Kuroda Nagamasa

was a daimyo of Japan. He was the son of Kuroda Kanbei.When Nagamasa was merely a small child, his father was convicted as a spy by Oda Nobunaga, so his son Nagamasa was taken away and was nearly killed as a hostage....
(Christian
Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism#Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus and interpreted by Christians to have been prophesied in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament....
Daimyo
Daimyo

The were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. The term derives from a shortening of the title , which literally means "great named land" and originally simply referred to the owner of a large estate....
)
Yagyu Munenori
Yagyu Munenori

was a Japanese swordsman, founder of the Edo branch of Yagyu Shinkage-ryu, which he learned from his father Yagyu Muneyoshi. This was one of two official sword styles patronized by the Tokugawa Shogunate ....
(Daimyo
Daimyo

The were powerful territorial lords who ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. The term derives from a shortening of the title , which literally means "great named land" and originally simply referred to the owner of a large estate....
and kenjutsu
Kenjutsu

, meaning "the art of the sword", is a term for classical Japanese sword arts , in particular those which predate the Meiji Restoration. It is sometimes used more generally to describe any martial art which makes use of the Japanese sword....
master, head of Yagyu Shinkage-ryu
Yagyu Shinkage-ryu

is one of the oldest Japanese schools of swordsmanship . Its primary founder was Kamiizumi Nobutsuna, who called the school Shinkage-ryu. In 1565, Nobutsuna bequeathed the school to his greatest student, Yagyu Muneyoshi, who added his own name to the school....
style of swordsmanship) - Takuan's writings to kenjutsu
Kenjutsu

, meaning "the art of the sword", is a term for classical Japanese sword arts , in particular those which predate the Meiji Restoration. It is sometimes used more generally to describe any martial art which makes use of the Japanese sword....
master, Lord Yagyu Munenori, are commonly studied by contemporary martial artists.
Go-Mizunoo (abdicated Japanese Emperor)
Tokugawa Iemitsu
Tokugawa Iemitsu

Tokugawa Iemitsu , sometimes Romanisation Iyemitsu, was the third shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate who reigned from 1623 to 1651. He was the eldest son of Tokugawa Hidetada, and the grandson of Tokugawa Ieyasu....
(Shogun
Shogun

is a military rank and historical title for Hereditary Commanders in Chief of the Armed Forces of Japan. The Japanese word for "general", it is made up of two kanji characters: sho, meaning "commander", "general", or "admiral", and gun meaning military troops or warriors....
)
Ito Ittosai (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 of Japanese culture, such as Japanese swordsmanship, gardening

Japanese rock garden

A , sometimes called a Zen garden, is an enclosed shallow sandpit containing sand, gravel, Rock s, and occasionally Lawn and/or other natural elements....
, Sumi-e, Shodo

Shodo

"Shodo" is the fortieth single by B'z, released on January 25, 2006. This song is one of B'z many number-one singles in Oricon charts. This song was the opening theme of Case Closed....
, and Sado

Japanese tea ceremony

What is commonly known in English as the Japanese tea ceremony is called chanoyu or also chado or sado in Japanese....
. His collected writings total 6 volumes and over 100 published poems, including his best known treatise, The Unfettered Mind
The Unfettered Mind

is a three-part treatise on Buddhist philosophy and martial arts written by Takuan Soho, a Japanese monk of the Rinzai sect. The title translates roughly to "The Mysterious Records of Immovable Wisdom"....
. His influence still permeates the work of many present-day exponents of Zen Buddhism and martial arts

Martial arts

Martial arts are systems of codified practices and traditions of training for combat. While they may be studied for various reasons, martial arts share a single objective: to physically defeat other persons and to defend oneself or others from physical threat....
. He has also been credited with the invention of the yellow pickled Daikon

Daikon

is the Japanese name for a mild-flavored, very large, white, East Asian radish. Despite being known most commonly by its Japanese name, it did not originate in Japan, but rather in continental Asia....
radish that carries the same name, "Takuan

Takuan

, also known as Takuwan, is a popular traditional Japanese people pickle. It is made from daikon radish. In addition to being served alongside other types of tsukemono in traditional Japanese cuisine, takuan is also enjoyed at the end of meals as it is thought to aid digestion....
."

He is featured as a character in Vagabond
Vagabond (manga)

is an ongoing manga by Takehiko Inoue, portraying a fictionalized account of Miyamoto Musashi life, on a loose adaptation of Eiji Yoshikawa novel Musashi ....
, a manga

Manga

, , are comics and print cartoons , in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 20th century. In their modern form, manga date from shortly after World War II, but they have a long, complex pre-history in earlier Japanese art....
series, which is largely based on Eiji Yoshikawa

Eiji Yoshikawa

was a List of Japanese authors historical novelist, probably one of the best and most famous authors in the genre. Among his most well-known novels, most are revisions of past works....
's equally successful book, Miyamoto Musashi
Miyamoto Musashi

, also known as Shinmen Takezo, Miyamoto Bennosuke, or by his Buddhist name Niten Doraku, was a Japanese people swordsman famed for his duels and distinctive style....
.

Takuan Soho

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