Taiyuan Chongfu - Taiyuan Chongfu

A Rinzai sect monk in the Warring States period. His pen name was Sessai. He was born in Suruga Province (Shizuoka Prefecture). His father was from the Ihara clan and his mother was from the Okitsu clan, both of whom were senior vassals of the Imagawa clan. At the age of 10, he entered Zentoku-ji Temple in Fuji County (Fuji City), but soon after, he shaved his head under Joan Ryusou (1470-1536) at Kennin-ji Temple in Kyoto, and took the name Kyuei Shogiku. He was then asked by Imagawa Ujichika to return to Japan as an aide to Hogikumaru (later known as Yoshimoto), and together they became disciples of Shunkinkei at Zentoku-ji Temple, and then trained under Daikyu Sokyu (1468-1549) at Kennin-ji Temple in Kyoto and Myoshin-ji Temple, but returned to Japan just before the death of Hogikumaru's older brother, Imagawa Ujiteru (1513-1536) in 1536 (Tenbun 5). After Ujiteru's death, he played an active role in many areas, including the Imagawa's invasion of Mikawa and the Triple Alliance between Suruga, Koshu and Sagami. In addition to his political career, he contributed to the expansion of the Myoshinji school of Rinzai Buddhism in the Tokai region, including becoming the 35th abbot of Myoshinji, but he passed away on October 10, leap year 1 of the Koji era. His posthumous name was Hoju Gokoku Zen Master.

[Toshiaki Ohkubo September 19, 2017]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

戦国期の臨済(りんざい)宗の僧。号は雪斎(せっさい)。駿河(するが)国（静岡県）に生まれる。父は庵原(いはら)氏、母は興津(おきつ)氏で、ともに今川氏の重臣である。10歳で富士郡（富士市）の善得(ぜんとく)寺に入山したが、すぐに京都建仁寺(けんにんじ)の常庵龍崇(じょうあんりゅうすう)（1470―1536）のもとで剃髪(ていはつ)し、九英承菊(きゅうえいしょうぎく)と名のる。その後、今川氏親(いまがわうじちか)に請われ、方菊丸(ほうぎくまる)（後の義元(よしもと)）の補佐役として帰国、ともに善得寺の舜琴渓(しゅんきんけい)門下へ、さらに京都建仁寺、妙心寺大休宗休（1468―1549）のもとで修行に励んだが、1536年（天文5）方菊丸の兄今川氏輝(うじてる)（1513―1536）の死の直前に帰国した。そして氏輝死後の異母兄恵探(えたん)（1517―1536）との家督争い、すなわち花倉(はなくら)の乱に勝利し家督を継承した義元のブレーンとして、今川氏の三河侵攻や駿甲相三国同盟など多方面にわたって活躍した。また政治的側面だけでなく、妙心寺35世になるなど、東海地方における臨済宗妙心寺派の拡大に貢献したが、弘治(こうじ)元年閏(うるう)10月10日に没した。諡号(しごう)は宝珠護国禅師。

［大久保俊昭　2017年9月19日］

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