For Daimyo Smugglers; It All Started with Silver (6)

     Anshin (?-?) belonged to Hanchu Sect of Chan Buddhism, or Genju Sect of Zen Buddhism in Japanese.  The founder of the sect was Zhongfeng Mingben (1263-1323), who lived at the beginning of Yuan Dynasty, China.  Several Japanese monks studied and trained under him, and formed Genju Sect back in Japan.  The sect formed a part of Rinka Zen, and were supported by merchants and peasants as well as the lower layers of samurais.  Those people preferred pragmatic benefits to pedantic understanding.  And Genju Sect provided them.

     Koshin Sektei (1481-1564) was a bigger-name Genju-Sect priest.  He was the 12th-generation major pupil of Zhongfeng, and was also the ambassador, or senior envoy, of the mission to Ming in 1539.

     Koshin and Anshin both worked for Shofuku-ji Temple in Hakata at least for a certain period.  Shofuku-ji Temple was founded by Eisai (1141-1215) in 1195, and practically is the oldest Zen temple in Japan.  Genju-an Temple was first built at Maidashi near Hakata in 1336, and was moved into Shofuku-ji’s property in 1646 by Oga Sohaku (1610-1647).  He worked for the Macau branch of his father’s transnational trading for 8 years.  Back in Hakata, he became a businessperson with powerful connections with the Kuroda Clan, who was ruling Chikuzen Province.