Kaso Sodon

Kasō Sōdon (1352–1428) served as the twenty-second abbot of Daitokuji, though he is better remembered for his solitary life in a humble hermitage on the shores of Lake Biwa than for any institutional role. He avoided the increasingly politicized atmosphere of Kyoto's great monasteries and preferred a life of austere practice and direct, personal instruction.

Kasō is most famous as the teacher who confirmed the great enlightenment of Ikkyū Sōjun. According to tradition, the young Ikkyū was meditating in a small boat on Lake Biwa one night when the sudden cry of a crow shattered the darkness and triggered a profound awakening. When Ikkyū presented his experience to Kasō, the old master initially withheld approval, but ultimately confirmed it as genuine. This episode remains one of the most celebrated awakening stories in Japanese Zen.