num_pages: 126
description: 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.
language: English
title: Ryokan: Zen Monk - Poet of Japan
titlecomplete: Ryokan: Zen Monk - Poet of Japan
genres: Zen, Japan, Poetry, Japanese Literature
ratings_count: 51
awards: awardedAt: 252489600000
name: National Book Award Finalist
category: Translation
publisher: Columbia University Press