Calligraphy of the Character “Ju (Longevity)”

Yinyuan Longqi (1592-1673) was the founder of the Obaku sect of Zen Buddhism. He studied under Miyun Yuanwu, Feiyin Tongrong, and others at Manpukuji Temple on Mt. Obaku in Fuqing (Fujian province), China. Later, he inherited the Dharma of Feiyin and served as the abbot of Manpuku-ji Temple, where he gained fame in the world of Chinese Zen Buddhism. In Jouō 3 (1654), he came to Japan at the invitation of Yiran Xingrong. Itsukun received him as the resident priest of Sōfukuji Temple in Nagasaki, and in Meireki 1 (1655), he took up residence at Fumonji Temple in Settsu. In Manji 1 (1658) he traveled to Edo to seek an audience with Shogun Tokugawa Ietsuna. In Kanbun 1 (1661) he was granted land in Uji, where he founded Obakuzan Manpukuji Temple (New Obaku). He established a new Zen sect in Japan. In Kanbun 4 (1664), he relinquished his post to Muan Xingtao and retired to Shōindō on Mt. Obaku. The Manpukuji Temple in China is called Ko(earlier)-Obaku, whereas the Manpukuji Temple in Japan is called Shin (later)-Obaku.

The Obaku sect of Zen, brought by Yinyuan, greatly stimulated and influenced the Japanese Zen world through the practice of Zen rituals and the architectural culture of the Ming dynasty. Several Zen monks of the Soto sect, including Gesshū, Sōko, Tokuō Ryōkō, and Dokuan Genkō, also studied under Yinyuan. He was a master of poetry and chants, leaving behind many excellent calligraphic works in the Tang style. Yinyuan is renowned as one of the ‘Three Brushes of Obaku,’ along with his disciples Muan, Xingtao, and Jifei Ruyi.

The “Calligraphy of the Character ‘Ju’ (Longevity)” was written by Yinyuan in Kanbun 11 (1671) to celebrate his 80th birthday. It features the character ‘寿 (Ju)’ inscribed in large letters and includes a seven-word couplet. ‘松堂 (Shōdō)’ refers to the Shōindō, where Yinyuan retreated.