Gessen Zenne

Gessen Zenne (1702–1781) was a Rinzai master who taught at Tōki-an, a small temple near Yokohama. Before the young Gasan Jitō encountered Hakuin Ekaku, he first trained under Gessen and received dharma transmission from him — a fact that underscores Gessen's standing as a respected teacher in the pre-Hakuin Rinzai world.

Gessen also served as the primary teacher of Sengai Gibon, the great painter-monk, who studied under him for thirteen years until Gessen's death in 1781. Through these two students alone — Gasan and Sengai — Gessen's influence rippled through the subsequent history of Japanese Rinzai Zen, even though his own name is less widely known than those of his illustrious disciples.