|
Takuan Soho (沢庵 宗彭
1573 -
1645) is a major figure in the
Rinzai variety of
Zen Buddhism.
In
1608 he was made abbot of the
Daitokuji temple in
Kyoto, Japan. According to legend, he was the teacher of the most
famous of all the Japanese
swordsmen,
Miyamoto Musashi. According to history, he communicated with such
major figures as the powerful general,
Ishida Mitsunari, the Christian daimyo named
Kuroda Nagamasa,
Yagyuu Munenori, the head of the
Yagyuu Shinkage school of swordsmanship, the abdicated emperor called
Go-Mizunoo, and the
shogun,
Tokugawa Iemitsu. He exerted himself to bring the spirit of Zen
Buddhism to many and diverse aspects of
Japanese culture, such as swordsmanship and calligraphy. His collected
writings total six volumes, and his influence still permeates the work of
many present-day exponents of Zen Buddhism and martial arts.
He is featured in
Vagabond, a Japanese comic book.
|
