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Lot Essay
Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537–1598) had grand ambitions. Vain and ambitious—some say unhinged—the aging despot had unified Japan and now sought to build an empire. His plan was to conquer Ming China and install a Japanese emperor in Peking (now Beijing), which required moving his troops through the Korean Peninsula. When Korea refused passage, he built a castle in northern Kyushu as a staging ground and twice launched invasions—in 1592 and again in 1597. Outraged by the atrocities committed by Toyotomi's army, which advanced through indiscriminate massacres, Samyeong Daesa Yujeong, the monk calligrapher of this work, called for the mobilization of a monk-soldier force to end the slaughter. As commander of a 2,000-monk-soldier unit, he fought against the Japanese forces and played a crucial role in recapturing Pyongyang Castle.
Following Hideyoshi's death in 1598, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) seized power in Japan, and the Tsushima Domain led diplomatic efforts toward peace. In 1604, Yujeong was dispatched to Japan under the pretext of a Tanjakshi (Expedition to Hunt Down Pirates). By the end of the year, he arrived in Kyoto and awaited an audience with Ieyasu at Honpo-ji Temple. During this time, he exchanged poetry and writings with Zen monks from the Kyoto Gozan (Five Great Zen Temples), including Seisho Jotai (1548-1608) of Shokoku-ji Temple, who had served Hideyoshi and was involved in drafting diplomatic documents. At the time, the Joseon Dynasty was promoting anti-Buddhist and pro-Confucian policies, leading to a decline in the status of monks. In contrast, Buddhism remained highly influential in Japan, and Japanese monks were deeply impressed by Yujeong’s profound knowledge of both Buddhism and Confucianism, as well as his refined poetry and calligraphy.
In March of the following year, he met Tokugawa Ieyasu in Fushimi, Kyoto. The negotiations with Ieyasu were successful, and he returned to Korea with over 1,000 prisoners of war. This mission marked the restoration of diplomatic relations between Japan and Korea, leading to the dispatch of the Joseon Tongsinsa (Korean goodwill envoys) in 1607. This diplomatic exchange continued for over 200 years, laying the foundation for a prolonged period of stability between the two nations.
This calligraphy, dated and executed by Yujeong, praises Kocho (幸朝), the esteemed monk of Fukuju-in Temple at Atagosan (also known as Kankizan 歡喜山) in Kyoto, whom he may have encountered during his sojourn in the city. It reads:
歡喜山幸朝禪德，洛陽人也。生平氏之門，齠年謝世，登愛宕山，剃染受具，稟密教真源於廣澤之流，又參天具之門，得六太之凌夜。占一壑苦行，八年功行著聞，稱稟兼倉道人，于日本慶長元年(1596)，移錫於此山，得一秘境，創一精舍。安不動尊如來，號阿遮羅處，發大誓願，祈天下于太平日月，導群生同入大圓覺海，云朝師所謂高且廣矣。異草奇禽，山清水麗，師亦戒器霜嚴，所業玉立，可謂人天境會，物天人俱，天外難知，世所罕聞，不其多乎！四溟鐘峰松雲奉遊，因其以人長唱，聞而嘉之，書以為鑒。
松庵禪者決道之時。
萬曆乙巳(1605年）春暮踏青後後也。
Following Hideyoshi's death in 1598, Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616) seized power in Japan, and the Tsushima Domain led diplomatic efforts toward peace. In 1604, Yujeong was dispatched to Japan under the pretext of a Tanjakshi (Expedition to Hunt Down Pirates). By the end of the year, he arrived in Kyoto and awaited an audience with Ieyasu at Honpo-ji Temple. During this time, he exchanged poetry and writings with Zen monks from the Kyoto Gozan (Five Great Zen Temples), including Seisho Jotai (1548-1608) of Shokoku-ji Temple, who had served Hideyoshi and was involved in drafting diplomatic documents. At the time, the Joseon Dynasty was promoting anti-Buddhist and pro-Confucian policies, leading to a decline in the status of monks. In contrast, Buddhism remained highly influential in Japan, and Japanese monks were deeply impressed by Yujeong’s profound knowledge of both Buddhism and Confucianism, as well as his refined poetry and calligraphy.
In March of the following year, he met Tokugawa Ieyasu in Fushimi, Kyoto. The negotiations with Ieyasu were successful, and he returned to Korea with over 1,000 prisoners of war. This mission marked the restoration of diplomatic relations between Japan and Korea, leading to the dispatch of the Joseon Tongsinsa (Korean goodwill envoys) in 1607. This diplomatic exchange continued for over 200 years, laying the foundation for a prolonged period of stability between the two nations.
This calligraphy, dated and executed by Yujeong, praises Kocho (幸朝), the esteemed monk of Fukuju-in Temple at Atagosan (also known as Kankizan 歡喜山) in Kyoto, whom he may have encountered during his sojourn in the city. It reads:
歡喜山幸朝禪德，洛陽人也。生平氏之門，齠年謝世，登愛宕山，剃染受具，稟密教真源於廣澤之流，又參天具之門，得六太之凌夜。占一壑苦行，八年功行著聞，稱稟兼倉道人，于日本慶長元年(1596)，移錫於此山，得一秘境，創一精舍。安不動尊如來，號阿遮羅處，發大誓願，祈天下于太平日月，導群生同入大圓覺海，云朝師所謂高且廣矣。異草奇禽，山清水麗，師亦戒器霜嚴，所業玉立，可謂人天境會，物天人俱，天外難知，世所罕聞，不其多乎！四溟鐘峰松雲奉遊，因其以人長唱，聞而嘉之，書以為鑒。
松庵禪者決道之時。
萬曆乙巳(1605年）春暮踏青後後也。