Yishan Yining

• Yishan Yining was a monk of the Yuan dynasty who was sent to Japan in the third year of the Dade reign of Emperor Chengzong, becoming a master of the Rinzai school in Japan. After his death, the Japanese court posthumously honored him with the title "National Master Yishan, Master of Wondrous Compassion and Extensive Salvation." Currently, his calligraphy has been found in 14 prefectures across Japan, reflecting the significant influence he had there.

• relevant artists

  • Qingzhuo Zhengcheng

    Qingzhuo Zhengcheng was born in Fuzhou in the Yuan Dynasty. He left home at the age of 15. At the age of 52, he went to Japan and became the founder of the Japanese Rinzai sect Daikan school.

  • Mingji Chujun

  • Lanxi Daolong

    Lanxi Daolong (蘭溪道隆) was a Chinese monk during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279). He later traveled to Japan, where he played a pivotal role in the propagation of Zen Buddhism. Daolong is credited with founding the Daijo-ha (大覚派), a school of Zen Buddhism in Japan. His teachings contributed to the development of Zen, particularly in how it was practiced and interpreted in Japan, influencing the Japanese Zen tradition significantly.

  • Zongfeng Miaochao

  • Ikkyu Sojun

    Yixiu Zongchun (1394-1481), born in January of 1394, a prominent Japanese monk of the Linzai Zen Buddhism sect in the Muromachi perio, also was a poet, calligrapher, and painter.