Tōyō Eichō 東陽英朝 (Shōchō 1 → 1428; Eishō 1 / 1504-08-15), Mid-Muromachi Japanese Rinzai-Zen master, one of the four principal dharma-heirs (the Shihatsu 四派 “Four Branches”) of 宗深 Sekkō Sōshin (1408–1486) and founder (派祖) of the Shōrin-ha 少林派 sub-lineage of Myōshin-ji 妙心寺. Style-name (字) Tōyō 東陽; dharma-name Eichō 英朝. Posthumous title Daidō Shingen Zenji 大道眞源禪師, conferred by Emperor Go-Kashiwabara 後柏原天皇 in 1505 or shortly after. Native of Mino 美濃 province.
Tonsured under Sekkō at Heibai-in 衡梅院; founder (開山) of Ryūkō-ji 龍興寺 at Mount Beizan 米山 in Mino, of the Tai’un-an 堆雲菴, and of Shōrin-ji 少林寺 at Mount Ryūkei-zan 龍慶山 (also in Mino) — the name-giver of his sub-line. Successively abbot of Daitoku-ji 大徳寺, Zuisen-ji 瑞泉寺 in Owari, Jōe-ji 定慧寺 at Mount Hōun-zan 法雲山, Daisen-ji 大仙寺 at Mount Rinko-zan 臨滹山, and Myōshin-ji 妙心寺. Author of the Shōrin Mukon-teki 少林無孔笛 (“Holeless Flute of Shaolin”) recorded sayings (the present text KR6t0277) — the Bodhidharma reference makes this one of the most resonant yulu-titles in Japanese Zen. The Shōrin-ha line is the present-day Mino sub-lineage of Myōshin-ji Rinzai, with Shōrin-ji as its head temple.