Ikkyū
Japanese Buddhist monk
- Lived
- 1394–1481
- Country
- Ashikaga shogunate
Updated September 2026
About Ikkyū
Ikkyū was a Japanese Zen Buddhist monk and poet who had a great impact on the infusion of Japanese art and literature with Zen attitudes and ideals. He is perhaps best known for his radical approach to Zen, which included breaking Buddhist monastic precepts and his stance against celibacy.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.