Obaku sect

It is one of the three sects of Japanese Zen Buddhism, along with the Rinzai and Soto sects. It was founded by the Chinese Ming dynasty monk Ingen Ryuki (1592-1673), and its head temple is Obakusan Manpukuji in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture. During the Genna and Kan'ei periods (1615-1644), many Chinese people fled the turmoil at the end of the Ming dynasty and lived in Nagasaki. In particular, people from Fuzhou (Fujian Province) built Kofukuji, Fukusaiji, and Sofukuji (the so-called Nagasaki Sanpukuji), and Ming monks were invited to live there. Ingen, a member of the Yangqi school of the Rinzai sect and a disciple of Feiyin Tongrong, lived at Manpuku-ji Temple on Mount Obaku in Fuzhou. However, upon invitation from Itsunen Shoyu of Kofuku-ji Temple, he arrived in Nagasaki in 1654 (Shoo 3) with an entourage of 30 people, including Daibi Shozen, Dokutan Shokei, Dokugen Shomon, and Nangen Shoha, and served as the chief priest of Kofuku-ji Temple, Sōfuku-ji Temple, and Settsu Fumon-ji Temple. In 58 AD (Manji 1), he stayed at Rinshoin in Yushima, Edo, where he met the fourth shogun, Tokugawa Ietsuna, and gained his trust. In 61 AD (Kanbun 1), he finally received permission from the shogunate to build the Great Zen Garden in Uji, Yamashiro Province, and named it Obaku-san Manpuku-ji after the place where he had originally lived.

Ingen built a Ming-style temple here, performed Ming-style religious services, and promoted a unique Nembutsu Zen sect that was later called the Obaku sect. Many Japanese monks joined this new Zen sect, and it had a major impact on the Japanese Zen world, especially in terms of its ceremonies. In addition, Ingen's disciples Mokuan Shōtō (1611-84) and Sokuhinyoichi (1616-71) also came to Japan and helped Ingen to teach his teachings. Other disciples in this lineage included Kōsen Shōton (1613-95), Tetsugen Dokō (1630-82), and Ryūkei Shōsen (1602-70), who played major roles in the development of the Obaku sect and led it to flourish.

In particular, Mokuan Seikō became the second head priest of the Obaku sect, and later founded Zuisho-ji Temple in Edo, laying the foundations of the Obaku sect in the Kanto region. The fifth head priest, Gaoquan Seikō, is said to have been the chief priest. Manpuku-ji Temple was then passed down to Chinese monks until the 13th head priest, Jikuan, but Japanese monks also took over as head priests from the 14th head priest, Ryutō. After the 21st head priest, Taisei, the sect gradually declined, and the 33rd head priest, Ryochū, attempted to renovate and revive the sect, but in 1874 (Meiji 7), it was merged into the Rinzai sect. However, it became independent again in 1876, and was certified under the Religious Corporations Act in 1952 (Showa 27). Today, the sect's lineage has changed to that of Hakuin Ekaku of the Rinzai sect, but the Chinese-style religious services are still passed down to the present day. As of 2000, there are 463 temples and 350,000 believers.

In addition, the literati and artisans who arrived in Japan with Ingen introduced lifestyle elements such as fucha cuisine (vegetarian cuisine) and sencha tea, as well as Ming-style architecture, paintings, sculptures, poetry, and calligraphy, all of which were known as Obaku-style culture, and these elements developed in a unique way in Japan.

[Rikiyama Ishikawa]

"Yamamoto Etsushin, 'Obaku's Eastern Journey's Biography (1926, Aichi Obakudo)" ▽ "Nishimura Sada, 'Obaku Images' (1934, Osaka Ikenaga Art Institute)" ▽ "Takahashi Yoshikazu, 'Obakusan Manpuku-ji Temple' (1976, Tankyusha)" ▽ "Takenuki Gensho, author and editor, 'Compilation of Registers of Early Modern Obaku Sect Subdivision Temples' (1990, Yuzankaku Publishing)" ▽ "Abe Rie, 'Zen Temples - The Fifteen Head Temples of the Rinzai and Obaku Sects and Their Founding Priests' (1996, Zen Culture Research Institute)" ▽ "Rinzai Association, editor, 'Showa and Heisei Zen Monks' Biography: Rinzai and Obaku Edition' (2000, Shunjusha)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

臨済(りんざい)宗、曹洞(そうとう)宗と並ぶ日本禅宗三派の一つ。中国明(みん)代の僧隠元隆琦(いんげんりゅうき)（1592―1673）を開祖とし、京都府宇治市にある黄檗山万福寺(まんぷくじ)を本山とする。元和(げんな)・寛永(かんえい)（1615～44）のころ、長崎には明末の動乱を逃れて渡来した多くの中国人、華僑(かきょう)が在住していたが、とくに福州（福建省）出身者たちによって興福寺(こうふくじ)、福済寺(ふくさいじ)、崇福寺(そうふくじ)（いわゆる長崎三福寺）が建てられ、明(みん)僧が招かれて住していた。臨済宗楊岐派(ようぎは)に属し、費隠通容(ひいんつうよう)の弟子であった隠元は、福州の黄檗山万福寺に住していたが、興福寺逸然性融(いつねんしょうゆう)の招聘(しょうへい)を受け、大眉性善(だいびしょうぜん)、独湛性瑩(どくたんしょうけい)、独言性聞(どくげんしょうもん)、南源性派(なんげんしょうは)ら随行30名を連れて1654年（承応3）に長崎に来航し、興福寺、崇福寺、摂津普門寺の住職を務めた。ついで58年（万治1）江戸湯島麟祥院(りんしょういん)に寄寓(きぐう)し、4代将軍徳川家綱に謁して信頼を得、61年（寛文1）についに幕府の許可を得て山城(やましろ)国宇治に大禅苑(だいぜんえん)を建立、先住地の名をとって黄檗山万福寺と名づけた。

　隠元はここで明朝(みんちょう)風の伽藍(がらん)を構え、明朝風の法式勤行(ほうしきごんぎょう)を行い、特異な念仏禅を挙揚し、のちにその系統が黄檗宗とよばれた。この新来の禅に日本僧が相次いで参じたが、とくに儀礼の面で日本の禅界に多大の影響を与えた。さらに隠元の弟子木庵性瑫(もくあんしょうとう)（1611―84）や即非如一(そくひにょいち)（1616―71）も渡来して隠元の教化を助け、またこの系統に高泉性潡(こうせんしょうとん)（1613―95）、鉄眼道光(てつげんどうこう)（1630―82）、竜渓性潜(りゅうけいしょうせん)（1602―70）などがいて、その発展に大きな役割を果たし、黄檗宗は隆盛に赴いた。

　とくに木庵性瑫は黄檗宗第2世となり、のち江戸瑞聖寺(ずいしょうじ)を開山、関東に黄檗宗の基礎を据えた。また5世の高泉性潡は中興といわれる。その後万福寺は13世竺庵(じくあん)まで中国僧によって受け継がれたが、14世竜統(りゅうとう)以後は日本僧も住持するようになった。21世大成(たいせい)以後しだいに衰微し、33世良忠(りょうちゅう)が宗門を刷新し再興を図ったが、1874年（明治7）臨済宗に合併された。しかし、1876年にふたたび独立、1952年（昭和27）に宗教法人法による認証を受けた。今日、法系としては臨済宗の白隠慧鶴(はくいんえかく)の系統に変わったが、中国風の法式勤行(ごんぎょう)は現在も伝承されている。2000年（平成12）現在寺院463、信徒35万人を擁している。

　なお、隠元とともに渡来した文人工匠らによって、普茶(ふちゃ)料理（精進料理）や煎茶(せんちゃ)などの生活文化、また明朝風の建築様式、画像、彫像、詩文、書などの黄檗風といわれる文化が移入され、日本で独特の発達をみせた。

［石川力山］

『山本悦心著『黄檗東渡僧宝伝』（1926・愛知黄檗堂）』▽『西村貞著『黄檗画像志』（1934・大阪池永美術研究所）』▽『高橋良和著『黄檗山万福寺』（1976・探究社）』▽『竹貫元勝編・著『近世黄檗宗末寺帳集成』（1990・雄山閣出版）』▽『阿部理恵著『禅の寺――臨済宗・黄檗宗　十五本山と開山禅師』（1996・禅文化研究所）』▽『臨済会編『昭和・平成禅僧伝　臨済・黄檗篇』（2000・春秋社）』

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