Puhua, also known as P'u-k'o or Fuke, was a Chinese Chan (Zen) master, monk-priest, wanderer, and eccentric figure mentioned in the Record of Linji. While historically associated with China, his legacy is most notably tied to the development of Japanese Zen Buddhism.
Fuke served as the foundational legend for the komusō samurai-monks who appeared in Edo-period Japan. These monks utilized a self-named "Fuke Zen" to establish a constructed connection to Japanese Rinzai Zen Buddhism during the 17th or 18th century. The legend of Fuke was first published in 1795 in the Kyotaku Denki, which included a literary Chinese translation of what was claimed to be an original text from the mid-17th century.
In spiritual and mythological terms, Fuke is considered the traditional antecedent of the komusō order. While some accounts suggest the sect is a direct derivative of Rinzai teachings, others indicate that its ideological roots may stem from 13th-century figures such as the poet Ikkyū and the monk Shinchi Kakushin.