The Life and Spiritual Path of Gessen Born in Nagoya, Japan, Gessen was a painter and a monk. He was born into a family involved in sake brewing and eventually became a priest of the Jōdo-shū sect of Buddhism. His spiritual journey led him to Edo, where he served as a priest at the Zōjō-ji temple. During his time in Edo, he studied the painting style of the monk-painter Sesshū under the teacher Sakurai Sekkan. Later, Gessen moved to Ky…