After he first received religious precepts as a priest and learnt Tendai doctrine at Mt. Shosha, he studied the same at Sennyu-ji Temple, too and went to Hakata to visit the Sung dynasty in China in 1257, but he met Goku Kyonen and was inspired by him, and he converted to the Rinzai Sect.
初め書写山で出家受戒して天台教学を学び、泉涌寺でも学び、中国の宋(王朝)へ渡ろうと1257年（正嘉元年）博多へ下ったが、悟空敬念にあい心服して臨済宗に改宗した。