Do people in Japan know who Ikkyu-san is?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sure everyone\u2014from elementary school-aged children to adults\u2014has heard this at least once.<\/p>\n
\"Ikkyu-san,\" famous for his quick wit, is a character from a story set long ago, but he\u2019s well-known because he\u2019s appeared in a wide range of media, including picture books and anime.<\/p>\n
This \"Ikkyu-san\" was broadcast as a television series in 1975.<\/p>\n
So, what is the true identity of \u201cIkkyu-san\u201d\u2014who is said to have actually existed\u2014and what is his history? And where is the temple where he spent his childhood?<\/p>\n
In this article, I\u2019d like to summarize a pilgrimage to the sacred sites of Kyoto, a place closely associated with Ikkyu-san.<\/p>\n
Ikkyu, a famous protagonist from anime and picture books.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s easy to assume he\u2019s a fictional character, but he was actually a real person named Ikky\u016b S\u014djun of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism, who survived the turbulent Muromachi period.<\/p>\n
Ikky\u016b S\u014djun was born in Kyoto on January 1, 1394.<\/p>\n
He is said to have been the son of Emperor Go-Komatsu, who held a high rank, and lived a full life until the age of 88 without strictly adhering to monastic rules.<\/p>\n
Because he left behind numerous stories during his lifetime, a collection of stories titled *Ikky\u016b Monogatari* was compiled in the Edo period.<\/p>\n
And his quick wit became famous through picture books, kamishibai, and TV shows.<\/p>\n
In particular, the story of the tiger hunt depicted on the folding screen is quite famous.<\/p>\n
A total of 296 episodes of *Ikkyu-san* were broadcast from October 1975 to June 1982.<\/p>\n
This work is based on the many parables told by the Japanese Zen monk Ikky\u016b S\u014djun when he was a child.<\/p>\n
Here, let\u2019s start by looking at the plot summary of *Ikkyu-san*.<\/p>\n
Once upon a time, there was a monk named Ikkyu, known for his quick wit, who lived at a temple on the outskirts of Kyoto.<\/p>\n
Chikikumaru, the son of Emperor Komatsu, parted ways with his mother and entered the path of spiritual training as Ikky\u016b, a novice monk at Ankokuji Temple.<\/p>\n
Every morning, he was roused before sunrise; he wept through his grueling training, and even though he longed for his mother, all he could do was call out \u201cMother\u201d to the sunset sky. One day, at the foot of the bridge leading into town, Ikky\u016b came across a young beggar boy who was desperately pleading to go see his mother in Kyoto.<\/p>\n
A sign on the bridge read, \u201cDo not cross this bridge.\u201d It was a sign prohibiting those whose homes had been burned down during the war and who had become beggars from entering the city of Kyoto. So, while the official looked away, Ikkyu-san boldly crossed the bridge with the boy.<\/p>\n
\"Since they said I shouldn't cross the bridge, I crossed right down the middle instead of the edge,\" he retorted! I wonder what clever trick Ikkyu will use to solve this problem this time...?<\/p>\n
The temple priest loves sweets.<\/p>\n
I would always sneak a piece of candy and lie to the children, telling them that candy was poison.<\/p>\n
However, as soon as the priest leaves, everyone ends up sucking on candy.<\/p>\n
After returning home, the monk realized there were no candies and scolded him.<\/p>\n
Ikkyu says, \u201cI broke my precious inkstone, so I decided to die and took some poison.\u201d<\/p>\n
His quick wit soon became known to the shogun, and he was summoned to the castle.<\/p>\n
Then the shogun tells me that at night, the tiger on the folding screen jumps out and causes trouble, so he wants me to tie it up.<\/p>\n
So Ikkyu says, \u201cPlease chase the tiger out of the folding screen so I can tie it up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then the shogun asked, \u201cDo you think we can bring out the tiger in the painting?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ikkyu replied, \u201cCan you tie up a tiger in a painting?\u201d\u2014a remark that left the shogun speechless.<\/p>\n
Zen Master Ikky\u016b S\u014djun (Ikky\u016b-san), renowned for his wit, was born in 1394 during the Muromachi period.<\/p>\n
He was born on New Year's Day, and his mother's name was reportedly Iyo no Tsubone.<\/p>\n
This was a period when the imperial court was divided between the Southern and Northern Courts, and it was the time when Hosokawa Yoriyuki\u2014the founder of Jiz\u014d-in\u2014unified the country under the Northern Court.<\/p>\n
Iyo no Tsubone had won the favor of Emperor Go-Komatsu, the last emperor of the Northern Court, but because she came from a family of the Southern Court, she was banished from the court and ended up raising Ikkyu quietly in this area.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, because the Ashikaga shogunate held influence in the region, Ikky\u016b\u2014who had ties to the Southern Court\u2014was sent to Ankokuji Temple to distance himself from those in power.<\/p>\n
Since I entered Ankokuji Temple around the age of six, the only time I spent with my mother was at Jiz\u014d-in.<\/p>\n
Ikkyu spent his childhood in this area.<\/p>\n
Jiz\u014d-in is a temple also known as the \u201cBamboo Temple\u201d; it is a truly beautiful Rinzai Zen temple surrounded by bamboo groves.<\/p>\n
In addition to the bamboo, the green maple leaves and moss also take on beautiful colors.<\/p>\n
Within the grounds of Jiz\u014d-in Temple, stone statues have been erected in memory of Ikky\u016b and his mother, Iyo-no-tsubone.<\/p>\n
The official name of Jiz\u014d-in is \u201cKinugasa-yama Jiz\u014d-in,\u201d and it is a Rinzai Zen temple built in the first year of the \u014can era (1368).<\/p>\n
It was founded 650 years ago as the Jiz\u014d-in temple of Lord Hosokawa Yoriyuki, the Kanrei of the Muromachi shogunate.<\/p>\n
The H\u014dj\u014d building was rebuilt in the third year of the J\u014dky\u014d era and has been designated as a Kyoto City Registered Cultural Property.<\/p>\n
The main hall houses the principal image of Jiz\u014d Bosatsu, as well as statues of National Teacher Mus\u014d, Lord Hosokawa Yoriyuki, and Zen Master S\u014dky\u014d; Lord Hosokawa Yoriyuki\u2019s grave is also located on the south side.<\/p>\n
Another unique feature of Jiz\u014d-in is that it holds \u201cmusic dedications.\u201d<\/p>\n
We offer a \"Temple Piano\" program here, where you can play and dedicate your performance to Bishamonten, who is enshrined in the abbot\u2019s Buddhist altar room.<\/p>\n
Of course, it seems that anyone\u2014whether professional or amateur\u2014who is serious about playing can participate.<\/p>\n
When you play the piano, the sounds of insects, bamboo, and birdsong blend together, bringing you a sense of peace.<\/p>\n
23 Yamada-Kitano-cho, Nishikyo Ward, Kyoto City<\/p>\n
075-381-3417<\/p>\n
About a 12-minute walk from Kamikatsura Station on the Hankyu Arashiyama Line<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.takenotera-jizoin.jp\/<\/a><\/p>\n As a boy, Ikkyu is passing through the mountain gate of Shok\u014d-in.<\/p>\n It is said that around the age of 12, in the second year of the \u014cei era, when he began to display his talent for poetry and prose, he was listening to a Buddhist sutra called the *Vimalakirti Sutra* in this area.<\/p>\n Shak\u014d-in was a sub-temple of H\u014dt\u014d-ji, a temple founded by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, and it is said that he attended lectures there.<\/p>\n However, H\u014dt\u014d-ji Temple was eventually abandoned as a result of the \u014cnin War.<\/p>\n Since then, Shok\u014d-in has remained and continues to be passed down to the present day.<\/p>\n Furthermore, the mountain gate of Shika\u014d-in remains as it was during the Muromachi period and dates back to the time when Ikky\u016b S\u014djun used to visit the temple.<\/p>\n Located about a 10-minute walk from the Arashiyama tourist area is \"Roku\u014d-in\" in Saga-Kitahori-ch\u014d, Uky\u014d Ward.<\/p>\n This is a sub-temple of H\u014dt\u014d-ji, which was founded by Ashikaga Yoshimitsu in the first year of the K\u014dryaku era (1379).<\/p>\n It is said that Shok\u014d-in was the only temple to survive the \u014cnin War.<\/p>\n It is renowned as an independent temple of the Rinzai school, and its karesansui garden\u2014Japan\u2019s first flat-style garden\u2014is designated as a Place of Scenic Beauty in Kyoto City.<\/p>\n There are also Important Cultural Properties, such as a colored portrait of National Master Mus\u014d on silk.<\/p>\n If you visit Shok\u014d-in Temple, you\u2019ll find the green moss in Arashiyama is beautiful, and you can enjoy the flowers depending on the season.<\/p>\n As you pass through the temple gate, a cobblestone path stretches out before you; the contrast with the autumn foliage is a popular sight.<\/p>\n 24 Saga Kitahori-cho, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture<\/p>\n 075-861-1645<\/p>\n About a 5-minute walk from JR \"Saga-Arashiyama\" Station<\/p>\n It is said that this is the temple where Ikkyu, in his youth, trained and studied Chinese poetry while he was a novice monk named Shuken.<\/p>\n The story takes place about 600 years ago, when Ikkyu, who had studied poetry and literature, would later come into his own.<\/p>\n Kennin-ji is a historic Zen temple in Kyoto, located in Gion.<\/p>\n This temple, known for its \u201cscholarly traditions,\u201d has produced many Zen monks with a talent for poetry and prose; it is said that Ikky\u016b also studied poetry here when he was 13 years old.<\/p>\n He also composed Chinese poetry and prose, including *The Collection of Self-Admonitions*, *The Collection of Wild Clouds*, and *The Skeleton of Ikky\u016b*.<\/p>\n \"Kennin-ji,\" founded in the second year of the Kennin era.<\/p>\n Located in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, this is the head temple of the Kennin-ji branch of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism; its founding abbot was Zen Master Eisai.<\/p>\n This place is home to many National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties, including the \u201cFolding Screens Depicting the Wind and Thunder Gods,\u201d a masterpiece of Japanese art, and is therefore sometimes referred to as \u201cthe scholarly side of Kennin-ji.\u201d<\/p>\n It houses many National Treasures and Important Cultural Properties, such as the \u201cPainting of the Wind and Thunder Gods\u201d and the \u201cSixteen Arhats\u201d on silk.<\/p>\n At Kennin-ji Temple, you can try your hand at activities such as zazen and copying sutras, so be sure to pay a visit.<\/p>\n 584 Komatsu-cho, Yamato-oji-dori, south of Shijo, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture<\/p>\n 075-561-0190<\/p>\n About a 7-minute walk from Keihan Railway's \"Gion-Shijo Station\"<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.kenninji.jp\/<\/a><\/p>\n Daitoku-ji Shinjuan is located in Murasaki-no, Kita Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture.<\/p>\n This place is said to be a temple associated with Ikkyu.<\/p>\n As a sub-temple of Daitoku-ji, the head temple of the Rinzai school, it has a deep connection to this place because Ikkyu was a Rinzai monk.<\/p>\n At that time, as the Gozan sect (Kennin-ji, T\u014dfuku-ji, Manju-ji, Sh\u014dkoku-ji, and Tenry\u016b-ji) was gaining influence alongside the shogunate, Daitoku-ji focused on zazen practice and distanced itself from political power.<\/p>\n And so, having attained enlightenment, Ikky\u016b left the renowned monk Kas\u014d S\u014ddon and began traveling from place to place.<\/p>\n Shinju-an is a sub-temple of Daitoku-ji, the head temple of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism.<\/p>\n It is said to have been built around 1429, and the temple is closed to the public except during special open house events.<\/p>\n In 2018, the sliding door paintings in the abbot\u2019s quarters were replaced for the first time in 400 years and opened to the public, making the temple even more famous than before.<\/p>\n Be sure to stop by and pay your respects during the special open house.<\/p>\n 52 Murasakino Daitokuji-cho, Kita Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture<\/p>\n 075-492-4991<\/p>\n About a 10-minute walk from the \u201cDaitokuji-mae\u201d city bus stop<\/p>\n Of all the temples associated with Ikkyu, the most famous is \u201cShuon-an Ikkyu-ji.\u201d<\/p>\n This is the temple where Ikkyu spent his final days.<\/p>\n It was originally a temple called My\u014dsh\u014d-ji, and it is said to have been built when a Rinzai monk named Minamiura Sh\u014dmei returned from China.<\/p>\n Although it was later devastated by war, Ikky\u016b rebuilt it when he was 81 years old, and under the name Sh\u016bon-an, he lived there from the age of 60 until 1481, when he was 88\u2014the final years of his life.<\/p>\n It is said that Ikkyu, having escaped the turmoil of the Onin War, found peace in the tranquil scenery of the firewood area.<\/p>\n It is said that once he reached his 70s, he began living at this temple with his mistress, Shinnyo, by his side.<\/p>\n The temple was named Sh\u016bon-an to express gratitude for the master\u2019s kindness.<\/p>\n Since Ikkyu\u2019s death, the temple has also become famous under the name Ikkyu-ji.<\/p>\n Since the Mausoleum of Prince S\u014djun is located to the right of the South Garden of the H\u014dj\u014d Garden, you can also see Ikky\u016b\u2019s grave here.<\/p>\n \"Shuon-an,\" a temple of the Rinzai School's Daitoku-ji branch, located in Kyotanabe City, Kyoto Prefecture.<\/p>\n This temple was founded sometime after 1288 and is the final resting place of Ikky\u016b S\u014djun.<\/p>\n This place is famous not only as the temple where Ikkyu lies buried, but also as a popular spot for viewing green autumn leaves and fall foliage.<\/p>\n That is why many visitors come here when autumn arrives.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll be captivated by the beautiful surroundings\u2014from the moss in summer to the vibrant autumn foliage, not to mention the fresh mountain air and the chirping of birds.<\/p>\n 102 Takisato-no-uchi, Kyotanabe City, Kyoto Prefecture<\/p>\n 0774-62-0193<\/p>\n About a 25-minute walk from Kintetsu \u201cShin-Tanabe Station\u201d<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.ikkyuji.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n Ashikaga Yoshimitsu is the famous figure who built the Golden Pavilion.<\/p>\n He was a great man who unified the Northern and Southern Dynasties and was even called the \"King of Japan\" by China.<\/p>\n There was a scene where Ikkyu tried to set fire to the Golden Pavilion right in front of that person.<\/p>\n You can see that scene in Episode 102 of the anime \"Ikkyu-san.\"<\/p>\n It was really striking to see Ikkyu-san happily trying to set the fire, even as the Shogun was doing his best to stop him, wasn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n Watching the anime might give you a glimpse into another side of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu.<\/p>\n Although this temple is commonly known as \u201cKinkaku-ji,\u201d its official name is Rokuon-ji.<\/p>\n Rokuon-ji is a temple of the Rinzai School\u2019s Sh\u014dkoku-ji branch located in Kinkaku-ji-ch\u014d, Kita Ward, Kyoto City, and is one of the sub-temples of Sh\u014dkoku-ji.<\/p>\n Because the reliquary hall, the \u201cGolden Pavilion,\u201d is particularly famous, the temple has come to be affectionately known as \u201cKinkaku-ji.\u201d<\/p>\n It was founded in 1397 and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.<\/p>\n There are many cultural treasures here, including a wooden standing statue of Fud\u014d My\u014d\u014d, the wall paintings in the Great Study Hall, and a colored portrait of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu on silk, so please be sure to take a look.<\/p>\n 1 Kinkakuji-cho, Kita-ku, Kyoto-shi, Kyoto<\/p>\n 075-461-0013<\/p>\n Get off at the \"Kinkakuji-michi\" bus stop; it's about a 2-minute walk from there.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.shokoku-ji.jp\/kinkakuji\/<\/a><\/p>\n\u25a0Ikkyu\u2019s Pilgrimage to Kyoto\u2019s Sacred Sites, Part 2: \u201cRoku\u014d-in\u201d<\/h2>\n
Outline<\/h3>\n
\u25cb A Detailed Explanation of \u201cShak\u014d-in\u201d<\/h3>\n
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Phone number<\/h3>\n
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\u25a0Ikkyu-san\u2019s Pilgrimage to Kyoto\u2019s Sacred Sites, Part 3: \u201cKennin-ji Temple\u201d<\/h2>\n
Outline<\/h3>\n
\u25cb A Detailed Explanation of \u201cKennin-ji\u201d<\/h3>\n
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Phone number<\/h3>\n
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\u25cbOfficial homepage<\/h3>\n
\u25a0Ikkyu-san\u2019s Pilgrimage to Kyoto\u2019s Sacred Sites, Part 4: \u201cDaitoku-ji Temple, Shinjuan\u201d<\/h2>\n
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\u25cb A Detailed Explanation of \u201cDaitoku-ji Shinju-an\u201d<\/h3>\n
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\u25a0Ikkyu\u2019s Pilgrimage to Kyoto\u2019s Sacred Sites, Part 5: \u201cShuon-an Ikkyu-ji\u201d<\/h2>\n
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\u25cb A Detailed Explanation of \u201cShuon-an Ikkyu-ji\u201d<\/h3>\n
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\u25a0Ikkyu-san\u2019s Pilgrimage to Kyoto\u2019s Sacred Sites, Part 6: \u201cKinkaku-ji\u201d<\/h2>\n
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\u25cbDetailed explanation of the \"Golden Pavilion\".<\/h3>\n
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