Ikkyū

Ikkyū Sōjun
TitleZen master
Personal life
BornFebruary 1, 1394
DiedDecember 12, 1481(aged 87)
Other namesShūken
Religious life
ReligionBuddhism
SchoolRinzai
Senior posting
PredecessorKaso

Ikkyū (一休宗純, Ikkyū Sōjun; February 1, 1394 – December 12, 1481) was an eccentric, iconoclastic Japanese Zen Buddhist monk and poet. He had a great impact on the infusion of Japanese art and literature with Zen attitudes and ideals. He is perhaps best known for his radical approach to Zen, which included breaking Buddhist monastic precepts and his stance against celibacy.