Portrait of Shingan Dōkū

Shingan Dōkū (1374-1449) was a Sōtō Zen monk of the Muromachi period. He succeeded to the Dharma transmission of Jochū Tengin, and his successors included the Zen monk Sensō Esai. Shingan succeeded to Tōjuin Temple in Ōmi Province, which had been founded by his Zen master Jochū. Initially, Shingan studied Esoteric Buddhism and resided across the valley from Tōjuin Temple. However, upon hearing of Jochū’s renown, he visited Tōjuin Temple and became deeply impressed by his teachings, ultimately became his disciple. Later, he laid the foundation for the Shingan sect, which is said to have 400 temples.

This document is a portrait of Shingan Dōkū, the second-generation head of Tōjuin Temple. A Zen priest’s portrait is known as a ‘chinzō.’ The first chinzō of Shingan was painted in Kyōtoku 2 (1453), four years after his passing. A copy was made, with an inscription by Esai, the third-generation head of Tōjuin Temple. Unfortunately, this chinzō was destroyed by fire in a war. Subsequently, Taiying Shixing, the eighth-generation head of Tōjuin Temple, created the present chinzō. The upper part of the chinzō contains a copy of Sensō Esai’s inscription by Taiying Shixing along with a detailed account of the process involved in recreating the chinzō.