# Tenkai

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Japanese Buddhist monk (1536–1643)

Not to be confused with [Tenkai-ji](/source/Tenkai-ji), [Tenkai (aka Astral Voyage)](/source/Tenkai_(aka_Astral_Voyage)), [Tenkai (album)](/source/Tenkai_(album)), [Tenkai Knights](/source/Tenkai_Knights), [Tenkai Tsunami](/source/Tenkai_Tsunami), or [Tenkai palm](/source/Tenkai_palm).

Portrait painting of Tenkai by Kimura Ryotaku (Rinnoji temple)

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**Tenkai** ([Japanese](/source/Japanese_language): 天海; 1536–13 November 1643) was an influential Japanese [Tendai](/source/Tendai) Buddhist monk of the [Azuchi-Momoyama](/source/Azuchi-Momoyama_period) and early [Edo](/source/Edo_period) periods. He achieved the rank of *Daisōjō*, the highest rank of the Tendai priesthood and was an influential advisor to various [Shoguns](/source/Shogun), including [Tokugawa Ieyasu](/source/Tokugawa_Ieyasu). He also oversaw the project to carve and print the Kan'ei-ji Edition (also known as Tenkai Edition) of the [Chinese Buddhist Canon](/source/Chinese_Buddhist_canon), which was completed in 1648.

His [Buddhist name](/source/Buddhist_name) was first **Zuifū** (随風), which he changed to Tenkai in 1590. Also known as **Nankōbō Tenkai** (南光坊 天海), he died on 13 November 1643, and was granted the [posthumous title](/source/Posthumous_title) of **Jigen Daishi** (慈眼大師) in 1648.

## Life

Though believed to have been born in Aizu, much of Tenkai's early life is unclear. He became a monk at [Ryūkō-ji](/source/Ry%C5%ABk%C5%8D-ji_(Fujisawa)) Temple, adopting the name *Zuihū*. At age 14, he studied Tendai Buddhism under Kōshun (皇舜) at Konokawa-dera in Utsunomiya, Shimotsuke Province. He then pursued further studies at [Enryaku-ji](/source/Enryaku-ji) on Mount Hiei in Ōmi Province, Onjō-ji, and Kōfuku-ji in Yamato Province.

In 1571, when [Oda Nobunaga](/source/Oda_Nobunaga) attacked and burned Mount Hiei, Tenkai took refuge in Kai Province at the invitation of Takeda Shingen. Later, he moved to Inari-dō Hall in Kurokawa Castle (Wakamatsu Castle) under Ashina Morikatsu's invitation. Afterward, he resided at Chōraku-ji Temple in Kōzuke Province before moving to the North Hall of Muryōju-ji Temple (now Kita-in in Kawagoe, Saitama) in 1588, where he adopted the name *Tenkai*.

Tenkai's activities become more prominent after arriving at the North Hall of Muryōju-ji. At this time, he also served as abbot of Edosaki Fudō-in. According to records from Sensō-ji Temple, Tenkai was present in [Tokugawa Ieyasu](/source/Tokugawa_Ieyasu)'s camp during the Siege of the [Hōjō clan](/source/H%C5%8Dj%C5%8D_clan), indicating he had originally come to the Kantō region on Ieyasu's behalf.

In 1599, Tenkai succeeded Gōkai as the abbot of the North Hall. He later acted as Ieyasu's advisor in negotiations with the Imperial Court and was appointed Tendai Overseer in 1607, residing at Nankōbō and working on the restoration of Enryaku-ji. In 1609, he was appointed Deputy Prelate.[1]

In 1612, Tenkai began rebuilding the North Hall and renamed it [Kita-in](/source/Kita-in), establishing it as the main temple of the Kantō Tendai branch.[2] In 1613, Ieyasu appointed him Abbot of Nikkō-zan, where he restored the main temple, Kōmyō-in. He was also heavily involved in the *Hōkō-ji Bell Incident*, which contributed to the outbreak of the Siege of Osaka.

In 1616, when Ieyasu was on his deathbed, he entrusted Tenkai with instructions regarding his posthumous title and funeral. After Ieyasu's death, Tenkai advocated for Ieyasu to be enshrined as *[Gongen](/source/Gongen)* in the Sannō Ichijitsu Shintō tradition, countering the proposal by Ishin Sūden and Honda Masazumi, who suggested the title *Myōjin*. Tenkai argued that *Myōjin* was inauspicious due to the fall of the Toyotomi clan following Toyotomi Hideyoshi's enshrinement as *Toyokuni Daimyōjin*. Ultimately, Ieyasu was enshrined as *Tōshō Daigongen*, and his remains were moved from Kunōzan to Nikkō.

Tenkai continued to serve as a consultant to the next two [Tokugawa shōguns](/source/Tokugawa_shogunate). In 1624, retired shōgun [Tokugawa Hidetada](/source/Tokugawa_Hidetada) and ruling shōgun [Tokugawa Iemitsu](/source/Tokugawa_Iemitsu) asked him to establish [Kan'ei-ji](/source/Kan'ei-ji), a Buddhist temple to the northeast of [Edo Castle](/source/Edo_Castle) in [Ueno](/source/Ueno%2C_Tokyo).[3]

Tenkai worked to print and publish the entire Buddhist Canon in Japan. With shogunate support, the *Kan'ei-ji Edition* (Tenkai Edition) of the *Tripiṭaka* was completed in 1648. This printing project is considered one of the most significant achievements in Japanese printing history. Over 260,000 wooden movable type blocks from the Tenkai Edition still survive today.[4]

Tenkai died in 1643 at the age of 108 (by traditional count). Five years later, the Imperial Court granted him the posthumous title *Jigan Daishi*.

## In popular media

- Tenkai appears as the main villain in the [first *Sakura Wars* game](/source/Sakura_Wars_(1996_video_game)).

- Tenkai appears as the video game *[Ryū ga Gotoku Kenzan!](/source/Ry%C5%AB_ga_Gotoku_Kenzan!)*. He is the overarching secondary antagonist and final boss.

- In the game *[Sengoku Basara 3](/source/Sengoku_Basara_3)* and the anime [Sengoku Basara: The Last Party](/source/Sengoku_Basara%3A_The_Last_Party) the character Tenkai is portrayed as a cryptic monk who speaks in riddles and wields twin scythes. As with the rumor above, Tenkai is actually a re-skinned model of Akechi Mitsuhide, from the game and anime's predecessor. As of the *UTAGE* upgrade of the third game, the series established both Tenkai and Mitsuhide as a same person.

- In the *[Onimusha series](/source/Onimusha)*, [Samanosuke Akechi](/source/Akechi_Hidemitsu) took on the identity of Tenkai in *[Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams](/source/Onimusha%3A_Dawn_of_Dreams)*.

- In the video game *[Shin Megami Tensei IV](/source/Shin_Megami_Tensei_IV)* Tenkai appears as a National Defense Divinity once the party reaches a later portion of Tokyo.

- In the anime and light novels *[Mirage of Blaze](/source/Mirage_of_Blaze),* Tenkai's name has been mentioned in a crucial part of the story arc, being that an old incantation of his that he had invoked centuries ago would be the key for Lord Kagetora Uesugi and his team to stop their enemies in controlling the Feudal Underworld and the living world.

- He appears in the mobile game [Fate/Grand Order](/source/Fate%2FGrand_Order) as an antagonist of the event GUDAGUDA Imperial Capital Grail. He is truly [Akechi Mitsuhide](/source/Akechi_Mitsuhide) and he quickly reveals his identity.

- Tenkai appears in the games *[Nioh](/source/Nioh)* and *[Nioh 2](/source/Nioh_2)*, as both a Buddhist monk and a powerful [onmyōji](/source/Onmy%C5%8Dji) that helps the protagonists of both games. As with most works of fiction involving Tenkai, his real identity is that of [Akechi Mitsuhide](/source/Akechi_Mitsuhide). In the games, his betrayal of [Oda Nobunaga](/source/Oda_Nobunaga) was a result of being manipulated by the sequel's antagonist Kashin Koji, becoming the monk "Tenkai" to repent for his crimes.

## Gallery

		- Rule of Shimotsukie written by Tenkai

		- Tenkai established Kan'ei-ji in 1624

		- Tenkai's grave

		- Jigendo in Sakamoto, Otsu

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-tsuji_1-0)** [辻達也](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E8%BE%BB%E9%81%94%E4%B9%9F&action=edit&redlink=1)『日本の歴史 江戸開府』[中公文庫](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E4%B8%AD%E5%85%AC%E6%96%87%E5%BA%AB&action=edit&redlink=1)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["【戦国こぼれ話】現在は学者受難の時代？戦国時代は重要だった知識人たち！(渡邊大門)"](https://news.yahoo.co.jp/expert/articles/fb0524b5d11aec66c8e1de540563e66c37da487b). Yahoo!ニュース. 5 October 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-PHP_3-0)** 宮元健次 (28 March 2013). ["江戸を大都市にした天海は、何を仕掛けたのか"](https://web.archive.org/web/20190816165337/https://shuchi.php.co.jp/article/1389). PHPビジネスオンライン衆知. Archived from [the original](http://shuchi.php.co.jp/article/1389) on 16 August 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-TNM2011_4-0)** ["東叡山寛永寺"](https://www.tnm.jp/common/fckeditor/editor/filemanager/connectors/php/transfer.php?file=/exhibition/201110/uid000067_32303131313031326B616E65696A692E706466). [東京国立博物館](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E6%9D%B1%E4%BA%AC%E5%9B%BD%E7%AB%8B%E5%8D%9A%E7%89%A9%E9%A4%A8&action=edit&redlink=1). Retrieved 28 October 2019.

## External sites

- [KITAIN site](https://kitain.net/history/person/#tenkai) (in English)

- [Kaneiji Temple](http://kaneiji.jp/)(Japanese)

- [Kaneiji Temple](http://kaneiji.jp/pdf/english.pdf)(English)

- [Tokyo government](https://web.archive.org/web/20070519072528/http://www2.edu.ipa.go.jp/gz/t-ksk1/t-cab1/t-cbj1/IPA-kkd600.htm) (IPA, an agency of the Government of Japan) (in Japanese)

- [Nikko Sightseeing association official website](https://web.archive.org/web/20061211005821/http://www.nikko-jp.org/perfect/nature/tenkai.html) (in Japanese)

Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF GND FAST WorldCat National United States Japan Other IdRef SNAC Yale LUX

v t e Prominent people of the Sengoku and Azuchi–Momoyama periods Emperor Go-Kashiwabara Go-Nara Ōgimachi Go-Yōzei Three major daimyō Oda Nobunaga Toyotomi Hideyoshi Tokugawa Ieyasu Shōgun Ashikaga Yoshiharu Ashikaga Yoshiteru Ashikaga Yoshihide Ashikaga Yoshiaki Tokugawa Hidetada Other daimyō Amago Tsunehisa Amago Haruhisa Asakura Yoshikage Ashina Moriuji Akechi Mitsuhide Azai Nagamasa Chōsokabe Motochika Date Terumune Date Masamune Hatakeyama Yoshitaka Honda Tadakatsu Hōjō Sōun Hōjō Ujimasa Hōjō Ujiyasu Ii Naomasa Imagawa Yoshimoto Imagawa Ujizane Isshiki Yoshimichi Itō Yoshisuke Kitabatake Tomonori Kuroda Nagamasa Matsunaga Hisahide Miyoshi Nagayoshi Mogami Yoshiaki Mōri Motonari Ōuchi Yoshitaka Ōuchi Yoshinaga Ōtomo Sōrin Rokkaku Yoshikata Ryūzōji Takanobu Saitō Dōsan Saitō Yoshitatsu Sakai Tadatsugu Sakakibara Yasumasa Satomi Yoshitaka Sanada Yukitaka Sanada Masayuki Sanada Nobuyuki Satake Yoshishige Sagara Yoshihi Shimazu Yoshihisa Shimazu Yoshihiro Tachibana Dōsetsu Takeda Nobutora Takeda Shingen Tōdō Takatora Uesugi Kagekatsu Uesugi Kenshin Uesugi Norimasa Ukita Naoie Uragami Munekage Yamana Toyokuni Yamana Suketoyo Swordsmen Marume Nagayoshi Hikita Bungorō Kamiizumi Nobutsuna Miyamoto Musashi Mizuno Katsushige Sasaki Kojirō Tadashima Akiyama Tsukahara Bokuden Tsutsumi Hōzan Yagyū Munenori Yagyū Munetoshi Shinmen Munisai Itō Ittōsai Advisers and strategists Kobayakawa Takakage Kuroda Yoshitaka Naoe Kanetsugu Takenaka Shigeharu Usami Sadamitsu Yamamoto Kansuke Ninja, rogues and mercenaries Mochizuki Chiyome Fūma Kotarō Hatsume no Tsubone Hattori Hanzō Ishikawa Goemon Katō Danzō Kirigakure Shikaemon Kōzuki Sasuke Nakamura Chōbei Ohama Kagetaka Sugitani Zenjūbō Saika Magoichi Suzuki Sadayu Suzuki Shigehide Suzuki Shigetomo Suzuki Magoroku Igasaki Dōshun Umemura Sawano Monks and other religious figures Ankokuji Ekei Hongan-ji Kennyo Hon'inbō Sansa Ishin Sūden Jion Koji Kashin Nankōbō Tenkai Rennyo Sessai Chōrō Shimozuma Chūkō Shimotsuma Rairen Shimozuma Rairyū Takuan Sōhō Female castellans Ashikaga Ujihime Chacha Miyohime Munakata Saikaku Ii Naotora Nene Onamihime Otazu no Kata Otsuya no Kata Seishin-ni Tachibana Ginchiyo Female warriors Akai Teruko Fujishiro Gozen Ichikawa no Tsubone Ikeda Sen Kaihime Kamehime Katakura Kita Katō Tsune Komatsuhime Kushihashi Teru Maeda Matsu Myōki Myōrin Numata Jakō Ōhōri Tsuruhime Okaji no Kata Okyō no Kata Omasa Oni Gozen Shigashi Shirai no Tsubone Ueno Tsuruhime Yuki no Kata Other women Lady Acha Akohime Asahihime Lady Chaa Chikurin-in Gōhime Lady Goryū Dota Gozen Gotokuhime Tsumaki Hiroko Lady Hayakawa Hosokawa Gracia Irohahime Izumo no Okuni Jukei-ni Shimazu Kameju Lady Kasuga Keigin-ni Kitsuno Konoe Sakiko Kōzōsu Kyōgoku Maria Kyōgoku Tatsuko Kyōun'in Matsuhime Megohime Lady Myōkyū Naitō Julia Lady Nata Nōhime Odai no Kata Oeyo Oichi Oinu Ohatsu Lady Ōkurakyo Ōmandokoro Ono Otsū Rikei Lady Saigō Lady Sanjō Seien-in Seikōin Senhime Sentōin Tobai-in Toyotomi Sadako Tomo Lady Toida Tokuhime Tōshōin Lady Tsukiyama Yamauchi Chiyo Yoshihime Yoshihiro Kikuhime Foreign people in Japan Alessandro Valignano Francis Xavier Gaspar Coelho Jacob Quaeckernaeck Jan Joosten van Lodensteijn Julia Ota Luís Fróis Soga Seikan Wakita Naokata Wang Zhi William Adams Yasuke See also List of samurai from the Sengoku period

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tenkai](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenkai) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenkai?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.