Ingen Ryūki

Ingen Ryūki (1592–1673), known in Chinese as Yinyuan Longqi, was a Chinese Linji Chan master who crossed to Japan in 1654 and founded the Ōbaku school, the third major school of Japanese Zen alongside Rinzai and Sōtō. Born in Fuqing, Fujian Province, he ordained at a young age and eventually became the abbot of Wanfu-si on Mount Huangbo (Ōbaku in Japanese), the very temple where Huangbo Xiyun had taught a thousand years earlier. When invited to Japan by Chinese emigrant communities in Nagasaki, he brought with him a form of late-Ming Chan that blended meditation with Pure Land nembutsu recitation, sutra chanting, and strict vinaya observance.

Ingen established Manpuku-ji in Uji, near Kyoto, in 1661, building it in the Ming Chinese architectural style that still distinguishes it from all other Japanese temples. The Ōbaku school he founded introduced Japanese Buddhists to a living Chinese Chan tradition at a time when Japanese Rinzai had become somewhat insular. Its influence went far beyond sectarian boundaries: Ōbaku monks brought Ming Chinese calligraphy, painting, printing technology, and the sencha style of tea preparation, all of which profoundly influenced Japanese culture. Ingen's arrival also catalyzed a revival within the existing Japanese Rinzai school, as masters like Hakuin were partly motivated by the challenge of showing that Japanese Zen was no less vital than the Chinese tradition Ingen represented.