Who was this person?
An early Heian monk who founded the Shingon school. He travelled to Tang China with an embassy to study esoteric Buddhism, then founded Kongōbu-ji on Mount Kōya and was entrusted with Tō-ji in Kyoto. One of the "Three Brushes" of calligraphy, he also opened the Shugei Shuchiin school for ordinary people.
| Name | Kūkai (空海) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 774 – 835 |
| Period | Heian period |
| Birthplace | Sanuki Province (now Kagawa), traditionally near Zentsū-ji |
| Also known as | Kōbō Daishi, Henjō Kongō |
| Main achievements |
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Born to the Saeki, a powerful family of Tado district in Sanuki (Zentsūji, Kagawa). His childhood name was Mao.
Around this time he went to the capital and studied Chinese classics and Confucianism under his uncle Ato no Ōtari, a scholar.
At 17 he entered the capital's academy to study for an official career, but unsatisfied with learning for advancement, he soon left.
Around this time a monk taught him a practice to strengthen memory, and he trained at Mount Tairyū in Awa and Cape Muroto in Tosa. He wrote that in a cave at Muroto the morning star flew into his mouth.
He wrote the Sangō Shiiki, comparing Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism through fictional characters, declaring his resolve to follow the Buddha's path.
He sailed with the embassy as a student meant to stay twenty years. A storm drove the ship south and landing was refused, until a superb petition written by Kūkai won permission, it is said. At year's end he reached Chang'an.
At Qinglong Temple in Chang'an he met Huiguo, the leading master of esoteric Buddhism, who rejoiced, "I have been waiting for you," and within months transmitted everything, naming him Henjō Kongō. Huiguo died at year's end, and Kūkai wrote his memorial inscription for all the disciples.
Cutting his planned twenty years to two, he returned with many scriptures and ritual implements. Having broken the plan, he waited at Dazaifu for permission to enter the capital.
Finally entering the capital, he based himself at Takaosan-ji in Kyoto. He grew close to Emperor Saga and was famed for calligraphy, later counted among the "Three Brushes" with Saga and Tachibana no Hayanari.
Seeking a place for practice, he received Mount Kōya in Kii (Wakayama) from Emperor Saga and founded a Shingon training center on the mountain.
When Mannō Pond in his home province burst its banks, he was called to lead the repairs and is said to have finished them in just a few months.
Emperor Saga entrusted him with Tō-ji in Kyoto, which became the center of Shingon in the capital.
He opened the Shugei Shuchi-in, a school open to all regardless of status, at a time when only aristocrats' children could study.
He died on Mount Kōya at 61. His disciples believed he remains in eternal meditation at the Okunoin. Later honored as Kōbō Daishi, he is still beloved, as in the Shikoku pilgrimage.
A. An early Heian monk who founded the Shingon school. He travelled to Tang China with an embassy to study esoteric Buddhism, then founded Kongōbu-ji on Mount Kōya and was entrusted with Tō-ji in Kyoto. One of the "Three Brushes" of calligraphy, he also opened the Shugei Shuchiin school for ordinary people.
A. Period: Heian period. Born in 774, died in 835.
A. Kūkai was born in Sanuki Province (now Kagawa), traditionally near Zentsū-ji.
A. In 921, after his death, Emperor Daigo granted him the posthumous title Kōbō Daishi. The name also appears in the proverb "even Kōbō makes slips of the brush".
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
Follow this life (autoplay)Sakanoue no TamuramaroSaichōSugawara no MichizaneSei ShōnagonFujiwara no MichinagaMurasaki ShikibuFujiwara no YorimichiTaira no Kiyomori
People of the Heian period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.