was a Japanese monk of the Rinzai school (one of three main schools of Zen Buddhism in Japan, the others being the Sōtō school and the much smaller Ōbaku school). He was known for his controversial teachings and writings, as well as for his lighthearted sumi-e paintings. After spending half of his life in Nagata near Yokohama, he secluded himself in Shōfuku-ji in Fukuoka, the first Zen temple in Japan, where he spent the rest of his life. Though the Rinzai sect is particularly known for its hard-to-understand teachings, Sengai tried to make them accessible to the public. Works One of his most notable paintings depicts a circle, a square and a triangle. Sengai left the painting without a title or inscription, save for his signature. The painting is often called "Maru-Sankaku-Shikaku", written as "〇△□", or "The Universe" when referred to in English. See also Buddhism in Japan List of Rinzai Buddhists External links Idemitsu Museum Sengai Collection (Japanese) Kyushu University collection of images (Japanese) Review of the exhibition at the Idemitsu Museum 1750 births 1837 deaths Japanese painters Rinzai Buddhists Buddhist artists Japanese Zen Buddhists Edo period Buddhist clergy Zenga