Born in 1275 in Ise Province, Musō took Buddhist vows as a child and initially studied Tendai and Shingon before turning to Zen. He wandered widely in training, founding many Zen temples in Kai, Kamakura, and Kyoto. Deeply revered by Emperor Go-Daigo and Ashikaga Takauji alike, he received three National Teacher titles in his lifetime and four more posthumously, earning the epithet "National Teacher of Seven Reigns." His garden designs at Tenryūji and Saihōji (the Moss Temple) are masterworks that express Zen spirit through landscape, leaving a lasting mark on Japanese cultural history.

A flexible master who engaged with power without losing Zen's essence, combining political acumen with an artistic sensibility that sublimated natural beauty into Zen realization. Uniquely revered by both sides in the Northern and Southern Courts conflict.

The gardens of Tenryūji and Saihōji are UNESCO World Heritage Sites, internationally acclaimed as foundations of Japanese garden aesthetics. He also contributed to Five Mountains literature and laid the groundwork for Muromachi culture.