Nakagawa Soen

Nakagawa Soen (1907–1984) was one of the most important Rinzai masters of the twentieth century and a major catalyst for the transmission of Zen to America. Born in Iwanuma, Miyagi Prefecture, he was drawn to both poetry and Zen from an early age. He studied haiku under the renowned poet Iida Dakotsu before entering Zuigan-ji monastery and eventually becoming the dharma heir of Yamamoto Gempō at Ryūtaku-ji. He succeeded Gempō as abbot of Ryūtaku-ji in 1958, and the temple became known under his leadership for the intensity of its sesshin and the eccentricity of its abbot.

Soen was a man of paradoxes — a rigorous Rinzai traditionalist who conducted tea ceremonies using Nescafé, a deeply disciplined master who could erupt into apparently spontaneous acts of wild creativity during his teaching. He incorporated elements of music, theater, and even absurdist humor into his dharma presentations, yet his sesshin were grueling and his koan interviews exacting. He made numerous trips to the United States, forging deep connections with American practitioners and maintaining a long friendship and correspondence with Nyogen Senzaki, whom he regarded as a kindred spirit.

Soen's influence on American Zen was both direct and indirect. He was a mentor to Eido Shimano, who went on to establish the Zen Studies Society in New York, and he inspired many American practitioners who encountered him during his visits. His poetic sensibility — he once conducted an entire ceremony for the ants in the zendo — expressed a vision of Zen as fully alive in every moment and every creature. In his later years, he withdrew increasingly into solitude, and his final years were marked by periods of deep seclusion. He died at Ryūtaku-ji in 1984, leaving behind a legacy that continues to shape the character of Zen in America.