Itsunen Shoyu

Itsunen Shoyu is famous as a monk and painter who helped to establish in Japan.

In 1642 he travelled to as a trader in Chinese medicine, and in 1644 entered Kōfuku-ji, becoming its 3rd abbot in 1645. In 1654 after multiple requests he succeeded in persuading Yinyuan Longqi , the 33rd abbot of Wanfu Temple to emigrate to Japan, where he founded , the third and final major Japanese Zen .

Itsunen was a talented late style painter of Buddhist figural subjects, and is known to have copied works by Chen Xian brought to Japan by Yinyuan Longqi.