Shunoku Sōen

Associated tea masters: Shunoku Sōen (pronounced with a hard 'n': "Shun'oku") (春屋宗園) (1529 - 1611) was a Rinzai Zen monk of the Azuchi-Momoyama and early Edo periods and the 111th Head Priest of Daitoku-ji temple.

Takeno Jōō and Sen Rikyū trained in Zen at Nanshū-ji and the karesansui (dry landscape) garden on the temple grounds was designed by Furuta Oribe.

In 1580, Sōen founded Daitsū-an under the patronage of wealthy Sakai merchant and legendary tea master Tsuda Sōgyū.

[1] While at Sangen-in, Sōen founded Zuigaku-ji Temple in Omi Province, again sponsored by Mitsunari, and Yakusen-ji under the patronage of tea master and Sakai merchant Yamaoka Sōmu (?-1595).

[3] The tea masters that studied Zen under him are a veritable who's who of chanoyu: Sōen bestowed Buddhist training names to Furuta Oribe (Kinpo 金甫), Ueda Sōko (Chikuin 竹隠), Kobori Enshū (Daiyū 大有), Sen Dōan (Min'ō 眠翁), Sen Sōtan, (Genshuku 元叔) and Yabunouchi Jōchi (Kenchū 剣中).

One of his famous offerings is the "Jukoan Tea Ceremony," which emphasizes the Zen concept of "ichi-go ichi-e," meaning "one time, one meeting."