Jakushitsu Genkō
Japanese monk and poet

Jakushitsu Genkō (寂室 元光; June 23, 1290 – September 25, 1367) was a Japanese Rinzai master, poet, flute player, and first abbot of Eigen-ji (constructed solely for him to teach Zen). His poetry is considered to be among the finest of Zen poetry. He traveled to China and studied Ch'an with masters of the Linji school from 1320 to 1326, then returned to Japan and lived for many years as a hermit. It was only toward the end of his life that he decided to teach Zen to others.
See also
Buddhism in Japan
List of Rinzai Buddhists
Notes
References
Keown, Damien (2003). A Dictionary of Buddhism. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-860560-9.
Ury, Marian (1992). Poems of the Five Mountains: An Introduction to the Literature of the Zen Monasteries.
“Jakushitsu Genkō” enters the record as japanese monk and poet. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Jakushitsu, Genkō and Japanese can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Jakushitsu Genkō” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Jakushitsu, Genkō and Japanese provides the most credible route into that argument.
Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 22, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q3075674. VIAF identifies the subject as 8599634. The Library of Congress control number is n80051639. 2 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1290, 1367, 1320 and 1326.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Jakushitsu Genkō”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Jakushitsu Genkō primary sources, Jakushitsu Genkō archive and Jakushitsu research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Jakushitsu Genkō”?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
- Which claims depend on a single source or contested interpretation?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Jakushitsu Genkō” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.