also known as was a Japanese Buddhist monk of the early Muromachi period of Japanese history, noted as the blind itinerant lute player (biwa hà Âshi) who gave the epic Heike Monogatari its present form.
Little is known about his early life, but Kakuichi may have originally been a monk of Enkyà Â-ji near Himeji in Harima Province and may have been a nephew of Ashikaga Takauji. After losing his sight in his 30s, he is said to have come to Kyoto and joined the Tà Âdà Âza, a biwa hà Âshi guild, performing versions of the Heike Monogatari as entertainment for members of the aristocracy. Kakuichi was a student of Jà Âichi (Ã¥ÂÂä¸Â), the most famous Heike reciter in Kyoto, but soon surpassed his master and 1363 had the attained the highest rank (æ¤Âæ ¡, Kengyà Â) within the guild. On his death, he was posthumous awarded the rank of Grand Master (ç·Âæ¤Âæ ¡, Sà Âkengyà Â).
Kakuichi's version of the Heike Monogatari, known as the Kakuichi-bon, was developed over several decades beginning in the 1330s or 1340s, and was written down only a few months before his death as he recited it to his pupil Teiichi. The Tà Âdà Âza split over whether or not to accept Kakuichi's new version, with the Yasaka-ryu rejecting it, and the Ichikata-ryu accepting it. The Yasaka-ryu declined after the Onin War, leaving the tradition in the hands of the Ichikata-ryu. The Kakuichi-bon is currently the most popular version, and is the version used for most scholarly studies.