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A new wave of Chinese influence came to Japanese Zen Buddhism in the mid-17c when many Oubaku sect monks, at the fall of the Ming 明 dynasty in China, emigrated to Japan and in 1665 constructed the chief Oubaku sect temple Mampukuji 万福寺, near Kyoto. Immigrant Chinese monks, as abbots at Mampukuji, led Oubaku Zen for the next 100 years while Japanese monks played an important role in spreading the doctrine. The Oubaku sect's syncretic teachings, combining elements of Pure Land Buddhism and the esoteric sects with Zen practice did not profoundly affect Japanese religion. Rather, it was the late Ming culture, customs and art which came with Chinese monks that were of greatest interest to the Japanese.
Oubakuga produced by both Chinese and Japanese monk artists are mainly ink-paintings in the literati style *bunjinga 文人画, which include bamboo, orchid, peony, narcissus and lotus subjects and are often accompanied by poems. The brushwork is directly associated with the broad, fluent and supple calligraphy for which Oubaku monks are also distinguished. Major figures include the patriarch Ingen 隠元 (Ch: Yin-yuian, 1592-1673), who together with his followers Mokuan 木庵 (Ch: Muan, 1611-84) and Sokuhi 即非 (Ch: Chifei, 1616-71), were known as the "Three Brushes of Oubaku," a reference to their skill at calligraphy. The first monk who actually emigrated to Japan, Itsunen 逸然 (Ch: Yiran, 1601-68), is known for his painting of Buddhist figures. Itsunen had a number of pupils in Nagasaki and his art influenced both the *Kanouha 狩野派 and *Nagasakiha 長崎派 painters of the day. Also active in the 17c was the monk Dokuryuu 獨立 (1596-1672), a poet and calligrapher, and the Soutou 曹洞 Zen monk Shin'etsu 心越 (1639-96). These two monk-painters are considered the originators of literati seal-carving in Japan, and Dokuryuu's calligraphy was very influential. Other monk-painters include Tetsugyuu 鉄牛 (1628-1700), Taihou 大鵬 (1691-1774), and the nun Ryounen 了然 (1646-1711).
Oubakuga affected a number of literati painters in Japan. Gion Nankai 祇園南海 (1677-1751), considered to be the pioneer of bunjinga, was influenced by oubakuga pictorial style, and by Oubaku calligraphy.
Several literati masters were influenced by Taihou's bamboo painting. It is recorded that Ike no Taiga 池大雅 (1723-76) visited Mampukuji when Taihou was the abbot. Kuwayama Gyokushuu 桑山玉洲 (1746-99) also attempted on occasion to emulate Taihou's style.
Also considered part of oubakuga are the portrait paintings of Oubaku monks, which were painted by professional artists. Having received personal instruction from the Chinese Oubaku monks, the nagasakiha artists Kita Genki 喜多元規 (act. 1664-98) and Kita Souun 喜多宗雲 (fl. 17c) brushed many extant Oubaku portraits. These artists followed the Chinese portraiture style at that time, which in turn is thought to have been influenced by Western techniques.
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