(b Osaka, 1718; d Kyoto, 1804). Japanese monk–scholar, calligrapher and painter. He is considered one of the most powerful calligraphers in the so-called Zenga tradition (see JAPAN, §VII, 2(iv)), excelling in Chinese, Japanese and Sanskrit scripts. He was born to a family of samurai–official status; his father was a noted scholar and his mother a calligrapher and devout Buddhist. Jiun initially received a Confucian education, but after his father’s death in 1730 he was sent to Horakuji in Settsu Province (now part of Hyogo Prefect.), a temple of the Shingon sect, where he studied Esoteric Buddhism (mikkyo) under Ninko Teiki (1671–1750). He also spent three years at the academy of the Confucian scholar Ito Togai (1670–1736), mastering original Confucian texts, before returning to Horakuji for the completion of his Buddhist studies. At the age of 21, Jiun officially became an abbot at Horakuji. He devoted the rest of his life to teaching, emphasizing the importance of Sanskrit studies because he believed that mastery of the original Buddhist texts was essential to full understanding of the religion. His greatest work of scholarship, the 1000-volume Bongaku shinryo (‘Examination and treatment of Sanskrit studies’; 1759–72), traces the history of Sanskrit studies in China and Japan and explains Sanskrit grammar.

• Jiun Sonja
  • Japan, §VII, 1(iii)(d): Calligraphy: Edo period