Ikkyū (Japanese: あっかんべェ一休, Hepburn: Akkanbe Ikkyū, "Taunting Ikkyū") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hisashi Sakaguchi, based on the life of the 14th century Zen monk Ikkyū. Set during the tumultuous Muromachi period, the manga focuses on Ikkyū's spiritual struggles and transformation into an unorthodox, wandering monk. The story combines and truncates many of the facts and fictions of Ikkyū's life and draws influence from Noh theatre.[1]

Ikkyū
あっかんべェ一休
(Akkanbe Ikkyū)
GenreHistorical fiction
Manga
Written byHisashi Sakaguchi
Published byKodansha
MagazineMonthly Afternoon
DemographicSeinen
Original runDecember 19931995
Volumes4

It was serialized in the Monthly Afternoon magazine by Kodansha from 1993-1996, left unfinished when Sakaguchi died from acute heart failure at the age of 49.[2] The manga received the Japan Cartoonists Association Award posthumously.[3]

Plot

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Bastard son of Emperor Go-Komatsu, Ikkyū is given to the Ankokuji Temple in Kyoto for his own safety. Ardent in his studies of Zen, Ikkyu is a clever boy who becomes tired of the hypocrisy surrounding him at the Ankokuji. Wandering the cities and backcountry of Japan, Ikkyu develops a legendary reputation as both an ascetic and libertine monk.

References

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  1. ^ Tong, Ng Suat (April 16, 2012). "Old Wine in New Wineskins: Hisashi Sakaguchi's Ikkyu". hoodedutilitarian.com. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
  2. ^ Find the best manga in Japan! Separate volume Takarajima 316" Takarajimasha 1997 p231
  3. ^ "Japanese Cartoonists' Association Awards". www.hahnlibrary.net. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
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