Kaimon Zenkaku

Place: Nagato

Born: 1743

Death: 1822

Biography:

Zuikō Chingyū was a Zen monk of the Sōtō sect of Zen in the late Edo period. He was born in Nagato, Japan in 1743 and died in 1822. He lived at various temples throughout Japan, including Myōonji Temple in Nagato, Kannon’in Temple and Tōkōji Temple in Higo, Zenkyūin Temple in Shinano, Ryūtaiji Temple in Mino, Hokkeji Temple in Settsu, and Manshōji Temple in Nagoya. He was known for his calligraphy and painting, with delicate and soft brush strokes. He made illustrations for Dōgen’s biographies, such as ‘Teiho Kenzeikizue’ and ‘Eihei Dōgen Zenji Gyōjōzue’, and contributed to the popularization of Dōgen’s pictorial biographies. He is also known for his collaboration with Kaimon Zenkaku, a Rinzai Zen priest, on an ink drawing of Bodhidharma.