Sūden was born in 1569, in
Kyoto, the second son of Isshiki Hidekatsu, a shogunate retainer of the
Ashikaga shogunate. Born to a prestigious family, he was promised a future as a close associate of the Ashikaga shoguns. However, after the shogunate was overthrown in 1573, he became a disciple of the 266th Genpō Reizō at
Nanzen-ji, the most prestigious of all government temples. He studied under Seishuku Tokurin at Takagamine Kinji-in and at
Sanbō-in of
Daigo-ji. In October 1593, at the age of 24, he became the
abbot of Fukugon-ji in
Settsu Province and in November of the same year, of Sagami Zenkō-ji in
Sagami Province. In 1605, at the age of 37, he became the abbot of
Kenchō-ji, the first of the five temples of
Kamakura. the highest position among the government temples, and received a purple robe from
Emperor Go-Yōzei.), both of which remain valuable primary sources on the nature of diplomacy of the time, and on specific events. == Selected works ==