Gidō Shūshin (義堂 周信); 1325–1388), Japanese luminary of the Zen Rinzai sect, was a master of poetry and prose in Chinese (Literature of the Five Mountains).
Gidō's own diary (Kuge Nikkushū (空華日工集)) relates how as a child he discovered and treasured the Zen classic Rinzairoku in his father's library.
He was born in Tosa on the island of Shikoku and began formal study of Confucian and Buddhist literature.
Gidō's life was changed with a visit to the prominent Zen master Musō Soseki (1275–1351) in 1341.
After taking residence in the city of Kamakura, Gidō would become the personal advisor to the Ashikaga rulers there.
Likewise Gidō became an advocate of Sung period Chinese Neo-Confucian humanistic values, both political and literary.