The Brush of Enlightenment Sokuhi Nyoitsu, also known by his Chinese name Jifei Ruyi, was far more than a mere painter; he was a profound figure of the seventeenth century, a Buddhist monk of the Ōb) sect whose life and spirit were inextricably linked to the flow of ink and the discipline of Zen. Born in Fuzhou, Fujian, in Southeast China, he emerged from a declining Confucian scholar gentry family of the Chen clan. His early path was shaped by spiritual devotion, having been ordained at the age of seventeen by Feiyin Tongrong. This foundation of monastic rigor would later define his approac…