Ikkyu Sojun

The Temple Master calls forth his disciple. A young Buddhist monk enters. He is dressed in ordinary rough robes, his hair unkempt, his breath smelling strongly of sake wine.

This monk is Ikkyu Sojun. An illigitimate son of the Emperor, he was exiled to a monstery, hoping that would keep him quiet. Out of the way.

It didn't.

But now, despite all of his life-long debauchery, all of the important noblemen, samurai, and monastery leaders he has famously maligned, mocked, and ridiculed mercilessly over the years, all of the wine he's drank, all the brothels he's visited, and all of the lovers he's taken, Ikkyu's mastery over the intricate and complex philisophies of Zen Buddhism are undeniable. As a thinker, a scholar, and a debater, he is second to none.

Ikkyo's master solemly draws a scroll from his robe. It is a Certificate of Enlightenment. An official document, bearing the seal of the Master of the Temple, confirming that Ikkyu Sojun has attained the rank of boddhisatva.

It's a solemn ceremony that Zen monastery initiates dream of when they join the temple… an honor so difficult to achieve that very few of them will ever attain it.

Zen Master Ikkyu Sojun nods, takes the scroll from his master, glances at it quickly… and proceeds to set it on fire.

In this episode, Ben and Pat are joined by special guest Daniele Bolelli (History on Fire, the Drunken Taoist) to discuss his favorite badass of all time -- Japanese Zen Buddhist monk Ikkyu Sojun, an extremely unlikely character more well-known for his wild parties and drunken carousing than his ability to slaughter his foes on the battlefield. Daniele discusses the strange, mystical, and genuinely-hilarious life of one of Japan's most eccentric weirdoes.

Badass of the Week is an iHeart radio podcast produced by High Five Content. Executive producers are Andrew Jacobs, Pat Larash, and Ben Thompson. Writing is by Pat and Ben. Story editing is by Ian Jacobs, Brandon Fibbs and Ali Lemer. Mixing and music and Sound Design is by Jude Brewer. Consulting by Michael May. Special thanks to Noel Brown at iHeart. Badass of the Week is based on the website BadassoftheWeek.com, where you can read all sorts of stories about other badasses. If you want to reach out with questions or ideas, you can email us at badasspodcast@badassoftheweek.com. If you like the podcast, subscribe, follow, listen and tell your friends and your enemies if you want, as we'll be back next week with another one. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.