Mukan Fumon (無関普門)

Mukan Fumon (1212 – January 3, 1292) was a Buddhist priest of the Rinzai Sect in the mid-Kamakura Period. The real name of Mukan Fumon was 玄悟. His priest name was 普門房. His posthumous name was Daimyo Kokushi. Mukan Fumon was from Shinano Province.

At age 13, he entered the priesthood taking the tonsure at Shoen-ji Temple in Echigo Province. Mukan Fumon attended lectures in Shioda in Shinano Province and, several years later, returned to Shoen-ji Temple to work for his uncle Jakuen. At age 19, Mukan Fumon received Bosatsu-kai (Bodhisattva Precepts) from Eicho at Choraku-ji Temple in Kozuke Province. Afterwards, Mukan Fumon attended various lectures in the Kanto and Hokuetsu regions in addition to practicing Zen medications with Enni (Benen) at Tofuku-ji Temple in Kyoto. In 1251, Mukan Fumon visited the Sung (Dynasty) in China and traveled around to visit various temples of the Zen sect until returning to Japan in 1261. Afterwards in 1281, Mukan Fumon became the chief priest of Tofuku-ji Temple. In 1288, in recognition of his service for exorcising specters that haunted the detached palace of Emperor Kameyama, Mukan Fumon was made the first resident priest of Nanzen-ji Temple. Additionally, Tenju-an Temple, the subtemple of Nansen-ji Temple, was built as the pagoda (graveyard) of Mukan Fumon by Kokan Shiren.

[Original Japanese]