Letter by Priest Gensei
- Person
-
作者元政（深草元政）
- Date
-
制作年 AD17
- Title
- ゲンセイヒツショジョウ
- Collections
- Century Akao Collection
- Depository
- Institute of Oriental Classics (Shido Bunko) Campus Mita
- Ref. number
- AW-CEN-001588-0000
- License
- CC BY Images license
- Creditline
-
慶應義塾（センチュリー赤尾コレクション）
- URL
- Classification
- Art
- AI Tagging
- Wood Handwriting Rectangle Font Writing
Gensei (1623-68), a priest belonging to the Nichiren Buddhist Sect, at one time was a samurai vassal of the governor of Hikone Province, Ii Naotake and was stationed in Edo as a closely serving retainer of his master. Later returning home due to an illness, he stopped to say prayers in front of a statue of the Reverend Nichiren and immediately vowed to follow the Buddhist discipline, but his wish was rejected. It wasn’t until 1649, when Gensei was 27, on a visit to Priest Nippo at Myokenji Temple in Kyoto that he could realize his strong wish. He then returned home and continued to reside with his parents in a house he had built in1655 in Fukakusa, Yamashiro Province (today’s Kyoto), and had named Chikuyo-An (lit. a hut of bamboo leaves). There he called himself “Gensei at Fukakusa” and lived an artistic and spiritual life, secluded from the maddening world, devoting himself to the study of the Lotus Sutra and trying his hand at waka and Chinese-style poetry writing. In this letter, Gensei writes that he sent Priest Seikai to Mitsuishi, in today’s Okayama Prefecture. The town was known for its production of quality agalmatolite, a soft stone with many uses. Being fire-resistant, this stone was used to make crucibles and stationary, and perhaps Seikai was sent to get hold of some. The addressee, Akashi Chuyemon, had sent Seikai a box of tangerines harvested in the Seson-In Temple compounds in the neighboring Ishiyama province, but since Seikai is away, Gensei writes that he and his family will eat the tangerines. From this, one can assume that Seikai was Mr. Akashi’s son, who was training under Gensei. Gensei also writes that he is going to return the borrowed onjaku (a portable body warmer made of heated rocks wrapped in cloth and carried in the folds of one’s kimono).
返々主膳も日々御うハさまてにて候以上十日三石まて清海をやり候間如此候如何無恙候哉承度候温石返呈候先日ミちすから寒気をふせきそのゝちもつねにあたゝかくはなしかたく候へとも返進候てよく御心得候て可被下候一昨日石山世尊院より使来候此状并柑子一籠来候へとも柑子ハ清海かちかくにならす候間こなたにて賞翫申候御報被成候ハゝ便に可遣候来春ハ早々まち入候天竺図ハこのころはや写候大かた出来候心緒期面展候も不罷一二候不悉朧十七日元政（花押）明忠右様几右
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