Ch: Ayuwangshan. Mt. Asoka. A mountain near Hangzhou (Jp: Kōshū 杭州) in Zhejiang (Jp: Sekkō 浙江) Province associated with a temple complex of Chan (Jp: Zen 禅) Buddhism. According to legend, in 221 a pagoda was built on the mountain to enshrine the relics of the Indian emperor Asoka (Ch: Ayuwang, 272-232 BC), the third Mauryan ruler and the first royal patron of Buddhism. In the early 6th century, Wudi (Jp: Butei 武帝, 502-550) of the Liang dynasty built a major temple on the mountain. In the Song dynasty, a Linji (Jp: Rinzai 臨済) Zen seminary flourished there, and the mountain became a pilgrimage center for Zen priests, including priests from Japan. Paintings of Aikuōzan feature a cluster of temple buildings at the base of the cliff and a distinctive pagoda on top. The site was depicted by Japanese painter-priests, such as Sesshū Tōyō 雪舟等楊 (1420-1506) and Shūgetsu 秋月 (ca. 1440-1529), who visited the spot, and later, in more idealized versions, by the *Kano-ha 狩野派 and *Unkoku-ha 雲谷派 artists. In the later paintings, Aikuōzan is often paired with *Kinzanji 金山寺 (Ch: Jinshansi).