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Created page with "*''Japanese'': 芥隠 ''(Kaiin)'' Kaiin was a Zen monk from Kyoto's Nanzen-ji who played a prominent role in the expansion of Buddhism in the [[Ryukyu K..."
*''Japanese'': 芥隠 ''(Kaiin)''

Kaiin was a [[Zen]] monk from [[Kyoto|Kyoto's]] [[Nanzen-ji]] who played a prominent role in the expansion of [[Buddhism]] in the [[Ryukyu Kingdom|Ryûkyû Kingdom]].

Kaiin was a high-ranking monk at Nanzen-ji, one of Kyoto's ''Gozan'' (Five Mountains) head Zen temples, when he was invited to Ryûkyû by King [[Sho Taikyu|Shô Taikyû]] in [[1456]]. He also had experience practicing or studying at temples in [[Satsuma province]],<ref>Yokoyama Manabu 横山学, ''Ryûkyû koku shisetsu torai no kenkyû'' 琉球国使節渡来の研究, Tokyo: Yoshikawa kôbunkan (1987), 54.</ref> granting him some familiarity with Satsuma culture, if not Ryukyuan culture outright.

While in Ryûkyû, Kaiin founded a number of temples, including [[Kogen-ji|Kôgen-ji]]<!--廣厳-->, [[Fumon-ji]]<!--普門-->, [[Manju-ji (Okinawa)|Manju-ji]]<!--万寿-->, and [[Tenryu-ji (Okinawa)|Tenryû-ji]]<!--天龍--><ref>Kerr, George. ''Okinawa: The History of an Island People''. (revised edition). Tokyo: Tuttle Publishing, 2000. p99.</ref><ref>Shinzato, Keiji, et al. ''Okinawa-ken no rekishi'' ("History of Okinawa Prefecture"). Tokyo: Yamakawa Publishing, 1996. p53.</ref>, and oversaw the casting of a number of [[temple bells]], including the so-called [[Bridge of Nations Bell]].<ref>"Shō Taikyū." ''Okinawa rekishi jinmei jiten'' (沖縄歴史人名事典, "Encyclopedia of People of Okinawan History"). Naha: Okinawa Bunka-sha, 1996. p42.</ref> He was ultimately named ''kokushi'' (royal tutor / national [Buddhist] master), a very prestigious title, but was nevertheless unsuccessful in convincing Shô Taikyû to make Buddhism the state religion.<ref>Yokoyama, 38, 54.</ref>

Decades later, after the founding of Ryûkyû's [[Engaku-ji (Okinawa)|Engaku-ji]] in [[1492]], Kaiin served as its first abbot.

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==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Religious Figures]]
[[Category:Muromachi Period]]
[[Category:Ryukyu]]
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