Two well-preserved large woodblocks carved to print a Edo-period narrative of Ikkyu Sojun (1394-1481), the rebellious and itinerant Buddhist monk of the Muromachi period. His father Gokomatsu was the hundredth Emperor of Japan, and because Ikkyu was a distant heir to the throne, his mother, a consort, entrusted him to a Zen monastery at five years old. He became an influential teacher despite his controversial views on sexuality and critiques of Zen Buddhism’s administration. Ikkyu is a popular folk hero to this day.

Ikkyu shokoku monogatari describes Ikkyu’s many travels around Japan after the death of his mentor, Kaso... More