WEBt. e. Myōan Eisai/Yōsai (明菴栄西, 27 May 1141 – 1 August 1215) was a Japanese Buddhist priest, credited with founding the Rinzai school, the Japanese line of the Linji school of Zen Buddhism. [1] In 1191, he introduced this Zen approach to Japan, following his trip to China from 1187 to 1191, during which he was initiated into the ...