File:Eight_Patriarchs_of_the_Shingon_Sect_of_Buddhism_Kukai_Cropped.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Kūkai
Sign in to saveAlso known as Kukai, Kōbō Daishi, Kobo Daishi, Kuukai, Shi Konghai, Bianzhaojingang, Hongfa dashi, Konghai
, born posthumously called , was a Japanese Buddhist monk, calligrapher, and poet who founded the esoteric Shingon school of Buddhism. He travelled to China, where he studied Tangmi (Chinese Vajrayana Buddhism) under the monk Huiguo. Upon returning to Japan, he founded Shingon—the Japanese branch of Vajrayana Buddhism. With the blessing of several Emperors, Kūkai was able to preach Shingon teachings and found Shingon temples. Like other influential monks, Kūkai oversaw public works and constructions. Mount Kōya was chosen by him as a holy site, and he spent his later years there until his deat
Person · Open Library
- Born
- 774
- Died
- 834
- Works
- 24
Top works
- 弘法大師著作全集
- 弘法大師真蹟集成
- 三教指歸; 性靈集
- 實語教
- いろは歌
via Open Library + Wikidata
Listeners · Last.fm
- Listeners
- 1
- Total plays
- 20
<a href="https://www.last.fm/music/K%C5%ABkai">Read more on Last.fm</a>
via Last.fm · Kūkai
Recent publications · Crossref
2 total works indexed
via Crossref · CC0
Key facts
- Religious biography.alias
- <!--
- Religious biography.birthname
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- Religious biography.birth_date
- 27 July 774(15th day, 6th month, Hōki 5)
- Religious biography.birth_place
- Zentsūji, Sanuki Province, Japan
- Religious biography.death_date
- 22 April 835 (aged 60)(21st day, 3rd month, Jōwa 2)
- Religious biography.death_place
- Mount Kōya, Japan
- Religious biography.religion
- Buddhism
- Religious biography.school
- Vajrayana, Shingon
- Religious biography.teacher
- Huiguo
- Religious biography.name
- Kūkai
- Religious biography.native_name
- 空海
- Religious biography.native_name_lang
- ja
- Religious biography.image
- Eight Patriarchs of the Shingon Sect of Buddhism Kukai Cropped.jpg
- Religious biography.caption
- Painting of Kūkai from the Shingon Hassozō, a set of scrolls depicting the first eight patriarchs of the Shingon school. Japan, Kamakura period (13th–14th centuries).
- Religious biography.known_for
- Founder of Shingon Buddhism
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Kukai2.jpg
Show 10 more facts
- Commons category
- Kukai
- date of birth
- 0774-07-27
- date of death
- 0835-04-22
- birth name
- 佐伯眞魚
- name in native language
- 空海
- posthumous name
- 弘法大師
- art name
- 遍照金剛
- pseudonym
- お大師様
- name in kana
- くうかい
- Commons Creator page
- Kūkai
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~25 min read
Article
16 sectionsContents
- Biography
- Early years
- Travel and study in China
- Emerging from obscurity
- Mount Kōya
- Public works
- Tō-ji period
- Final years
- Kūkai devotion and mantra
- Stories and legends
- In popular culture
- Gallery
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
, born posthumously called , was a Japanese Buddhist monk, calligrapher, and poet who founded the esoteric Shingon school of Buddhism. He travelled to China, where he studied Tangmi (Chinese Vajrayana Buddhism) under the monk Huiguo. Upon returning to Japan, he founded Shingon—the Japanese branch of Vajrayana Buddhism. With the blessing of several Emperors, Kūkai was able to preach Shingon teachings and found Shingon temples. Like other influential monks, Kūkai oversaw public works and constructions. Mount Kōya was chosen by him as a holy site, and he spent his later years there until his death in 835 CE.
Because of his importance in Japanese Buddhism, Kūkai is associated with many stories and legends. One such legend attributes the invention of the kana syllabary to Kūkai, with which the Japanese language is written to this day (in combination with kanji), as well as the Iroha poem, which helped to standardise and popularise kana. thumb|Portrait of Amoghavajra, one of the five [[Portraits of Seven Shingon Patriarchs that Kūkai brought back commissioned by Huiguo, painted by Li Zhen (housed at Tō-ji), [NT]]] Shingon followers usually refer to Kūkai by the honorific title of , and the religious name of .