Sakugen Shuryo

• Ceyan Shuliang was a Japanese envoy to the Ming Dynasty during the Muromachi period and a Zen monk of the Rinzai sect. Born in Tamba with the common surname Inoue. At the age of 9, he became a monk at Saga Tenryuji Temple, where he studied under Zhou An, the spiritual master, and inherited his teachings. His dharma name is Zhou Liang, his courtesy name is Ceyan and his nickname is Qianzhai. After reading Chinese poems and essays for a long time, the names of the poems gradually became apparent. In 1539(the eighth year of the Tianwen reign of Japan and the eighteenth year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty), he was appointed deputy envoy to the Ming Dynasty. In 1547, he was appointed as the envoy to the Ming Dynasty. He entered the Ming Dynasty twice, received great courtesy and made extensive contacts with literati. In his later years, he was favored by Oda Nobunaga. Ce Yan was a great master of Wushan literature in the late period. He is the author of poetry collections such as “Qianzhai Poems”, among which “Ceyan Monk’s First Ferry Collection” and “Zaidu Collection” provide important historical materials on Sino-Japanese exchanges in the Ming Dynasty.