Gyōson
Japanese monk and poet (c. 1056 – 1135)
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Gyōson (行尊; 1055/1057—21 March 1135), also known as the Abbot of Byōdō-in (平等院大僧正, Byōdō-in Dai Sōjō), was a Japanese Tendai monk and waka poet of the late-Heian period. He became chief prelate of the Enryaku-ji temple in Kyoto, and one of his poems was included in the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu. Almost fifty of his poems were included in imperial anthologies, and he produced a private collection of poetry.
Biography
Gyōson was born in 1055[1][2][3] or 1057,[4][5] the son of Minamoto no Motohira (源基平).[1][2][3][4][5]
At age twelve,[2][3] he entered Mii-dera, eventually becoming its Abbot (園城寺長吏, Onjō-ji Chōri),[3][5] and practiced the Shugendō austerities of the yamabushi for many years[1] and made pilgrimages to various provinces.[4] At age 25, he received the abhisheka (阿闍梨灌頂, ajari-kanjō) from Raigō (頼豪).[3]
Later, in 1123, he rose to become Superior General of Enryaku-ji — the highest prelate of Tendai Buddhism.[1][4] He also served as Grand Almoner to emperors Shirakawa and Toba.[1][3]
Poetry
Forty-eight[1] of his poems were included in imperial anthologies from the Kin'yō Wakashū on.[5]
The following poem by him was included as No. 66 in Fujiwara no Teika's Ogura Hyakunin Isshu:
| Japanese text[2] | Romanized Japanese[6] | English translation[7] |
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His poetry records his experiences on pilgrimage, and was in later ages celebrated as a spiritual precursor to the works of Saigyō.[3]
He also left a private collection, the Gyōson Daisōjō-shū (行尊大僧正集).[1][5]
Other arts
In addition to his poetry, he was also known as a skilled biwa performer and calligrapher.[3]
In later literature
As a high-ranking monk of noble birth, he appeared in many later setsuwa tales of the reigen-dan (霊験譚) genre.[3]