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Who was the funniest Zen monk?

The funniest Zen monk was Ikkyū Sōjun, according to Carl Olson's study of him as a clown figure in the Journal of Dharma (1999), because he used props and stunts, like a fake sword and a skull on a pole, to mock monks who wore the robes without the practice.

Updated · Based on Journal of Dharma (December 31, 1999)

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There is no formal ranking of funny Zen monks; the case for Ikkyū (1394–1481) rests on scholars and reference works. Religion scholar Carl Olson calls him a fifteenth-century Japanese clown figure, and the Encyclopedia of Buddhism says he was beloved for his outlandish jokes as much as for his meditation. Sengai, known for playful ink paintings, and Ryōkan, who called himself "Great Fool," are the usual runners-up. Ikkyū's humor came from props and stunts that made a point about fakery without a lecture.

The pick: Ikkyū Sōjun

Rinzai Zen monk and poet, 1394–1481

Called a clown figure by scholar Carl Olson in the Journal of Dharma, and beloved for his outlandish jokes according to the Encyclopedia of Buddhism.

Also in the running

  • Sengai Gibon (Rinzai Zen monk and painter, 1750–1837): Olson credits him with a keen sense of humor, and the City of Fukuoka describes his ink paintings and joke poems as light-hearted and popular with children.
  • Ryōkan Taigu (Sōtō Zen monk and poet, 1758–1831): University of Hawai'i Press notes he called himself "Great Fool" and was usually found playing with village children on his begging rounds.
  • Hakuin Ekaku (Rinzai Zen master and painter, 1686–1769): The New Orleans Museum of Art's exhibition of his work names humor among the qualities that define it, alongside power and depth.

What made them funny

In Zen, humor isn't decoration. Conrad Hyers, in his 1973 book Zen and the Comic Spirit, argued that it is of the essence in Zen, and Carl Olson builds on Hyers to read Ikkyū as a clown: the figure who lampoons people with religious and social status. Ikkyū called himself Crazy Cloud, drank, wandered, and aimed his jokes at monks who wore the robes without the practice. Many of the stories now told about him, including the children's cartoon version, come from collections of witty anecdotes that spread centuries after his death.

The later monks were gentler. Sengai drew people and animals that look like a child drew them, and wrote joke poems about his own life as a busy painter. Ryōkan took the name Great Fool, lived as a beggar in the countryside, and was known for forgetting his rounds because he was playing with children. What links all of them is a refusal to look important, which in their tradition was a teaching in itself.

Techniques to take into your videos and sets

  1. 1. Let the prop make the argument

    What they did

    According to Nippon.com's history, Ikkyū swaggered through the merchant town of Sakai carrying a long red sword. When asked, he said, "This is a wooden sword; it cannot cut," then compared it to the priests of his day: handsome fakes, useless when it counts.

    Why it works

    An object the audience can see does the arguing for you. The reveal (it's fake) lands as a surprise, and the comparison lands a beat later, so you get two laughs from one prop and never have to say the critical part out loud first.

    Example (original, written by Shutap)

    My running shoes live by the front door, laces tied, toes pointed out. They're for guests. They look exactly like someone who runs.

    Try it

    Hold up one object that looks like the real thing but isn't used for it, explain what it's for in one flat sentence, and let viewers make the comparison.

  2. 2. The wrong object at the happy occasion

    What they did

    Olson recounts that Ikkyū was criticized for parading through Kyoto with a human skull tied to a bamboo pole while wishing people a happy new year. The greeting was perfectly normal. The thing he was carrying was not.

    Why it works

    The joke is the gap between a cheerful ritual and a grim object, played completely straight. Because the words stay polite, the picture does all the work, and the audience gets the point about what the celebration ignores.

    Example (original, written by Shutap)

    I hosted brunch and set my Duolingo owl on a little stand between the mimosas, with a name card: 627-day streak, gone but not forgotten.

    Try it

    Pick a celebration in your life and bring one object that quietly contradicts it. Say the normal greeting. Don't explain the object.

  3. 3. Take the insult as your title

    What they did

    Ryōkan referred to himself as "Great Fool," and Ikkyū used Crazy Cloud as his own name in poem after poem. Both put the worst thing someone might call them on the label themselves.

    Why it works

    Naming yourself first takes the insult out of everyone else's hands, and a grand title for a small failing is funny on its own. It reads as confidence, which makes the audience want to be on your side.

    Example (original, written by Shutap)

    I added "Chief Reply-All Officer" to my email signature. Now when I reply-all to 140 people it just looks like I'm doing my job.

    Try it

    Take the thing people tease you about most, turn it into an official job title, and show one moment where the title makes it look intentional.

  4. 4. Call your home the wrong kind of room

    What they did

    Sengai was asked for paintings so often that he wrote a joke poem wondering if his small hut was just a toilet, since everyone who visited brought him more paper, as the City of Fukuoka translates it.

    Why it works

    Complaining about being in demand is risky, but renaming your space as something lowly turns the brag into a picture. The specific object people keep bringing is what makes it visual.

    Example (original, written by Shutap)

    Ever since I mentioned I own a label maker, my apartment is a post office. Three neighbors came by today. One brought 40 spice jars.

    Try it

    If people keep asking you for the same favor, name the business your home has accidentally become and list exactly what they carried in.

Before you quote them

Many famous Ikkyū stories, like the forbidden bridge and the tiger on the folding screen, belong to a genre of witty anecdotes that took shape in the Edo period, long after his death, and the children's cartoon version differs a lot from the historical monk. The well-known story of Ryōkan giving a thief his clothes and wishing he could have given him the moon may be an elaboration of one of his haiku. Zen is a living religious tradition: these monks used humor as part of their practice, so describe it with care if you use it in a video.

Questions people ask

Who was the funniest Zen monk?
Ikkyū Sōjun (1394–1481), according to Carl Olson's 1999 Journal of Dharma study, which reads him as a clown figure who lampooned people with religious and social status. His jokes were props and stunts aimed at monks who wore the robes without the practice.
Who else is considered a funny Zen monk?
Sengai Gibon (1750–1837), whose childlike ink paintings and joke poems the City of Fukuoka calls light-hearted, and Ryōkan Taigu (1758–1831), who called himself "Great Fool." The New Orleans Museum of Art's 2011 Hakuin exhibition also named humor as a mark of his work.
What was Ikkyū's wooden sword joke?
Nippon.com tells how Ikkyū walked through the merchant town of Sakai with a long red sword. When asked, he said it was wooden and could not cut, then compared it to the priests of his day: impressive to look at, useless when it counts.
Are the Ikkyū stories from the children's cartoon true?
Mostly not. Tales like the forbidden bridge and the tiger on the folding screen come from Edo-period collections of witty anecdotes written long after his death, and the cartoon that aired from 1975 to 1982 differs a lot from the historical monk.
Is humor actually part of Zen?
Conrad Hyers argued so in Zen and the Comic Spirit, reviewed by Kirkus in 1974, calling humor of the essence in Zen rather than decoration. Olson builds on Hyers, and the Encyclopedia of Buddhism describes Ikkyū as beloved for outlandish jokes as much as for meditation.

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Sources

SHUTAP. Say it funnier.

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