Musō Soseki also Shōkaku Kokushi, known as Musō Kokushi (kokushi), 1275-1351; famous Japanese Zen master of the Rinzai school, who made a major contribution to the spread of Zen in Japan. He became a monk at the age of eight and first devoted himself to study of the sūtras and the teachings of the mystical schools of Buddhism (Mikkyō). Then he underwent Zen training and eventually received the seal of confirmation (inka-shōmei) from Master Ken’ichi (also Bukkoku Kokushi, ?- 1314). During long and eventful years of wandering he lived in various monasteries and hermitages, where he dedicated him self to sitting in meditation. At last he was appointed abbot of Tenryū-ji, one of the monasteries of the Gosan of Kyōto. In this post he became one of the central figures in the Buddhist culture of the imperial city.
Musō Soseki was one of the leading authors of the Literature of the Five Mountains (Gosan-bungaku), which played a major role in the transplantation of Chinese science and art to Japan. His name is associated with the foundation of numerous monasteries, and he was the abbot of several influential Zen monasteries, among them, Nanzen-ji. At his instance Shōgun Ashikaga Takauji had “Zen monasteries for the gratification of the country” (Jap., ankoku-ji) built in sixty-six Japanese localities, from which Zen spread throughout the country. Among his principal works are the Muchū-mondō, in which the principles of Zen are presented in the form of questions and answers. He is also famous as a master of the Way of calligraphy (shōdō) and of the art of garden design. He received the title of Musō Kokushi from Emperor Go-Daigo, and posthumously the honorific title Musō Shōgaku Shinshū Kokushi from Emperor Kōmyō.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Eastern Philosophy and Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Zen. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
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