Ryōkan: Zen Monk-Poet of Japan

Ryokan (1758-1831), a Buddhist monk in the Zen sect, was a major figure in Tokugawa poetry. Though a Zen master, he never headed a temple but chose to live alone in simple huts and to support himself by begging. His poems are mainly a record of his daily activities—of chores, lonely snowbound winters, begging expeditions to town, meetings with friends, romps with the village children. At the same time they show us how rich a spiritual and intellectual life a man could enjoy in the midst of poverty.

• Author
• Ryōkan, Burton Watson

• Format
• paperback

• Pages
• 126

• Publisher
• Columbia University Press

• Language
• english

• ISBN
• 9780231044158

• Genres
• poetry, japan, zen

• Release date
• 1992