Kosho Uchiyama

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kosho Uchiyama Roshi (1912-1998) was a Soto Zen priest who served as head abbot of Antai-ji temple, a Soto Zen monastery established in 1923 by Oka Sotan. He was born in Tokyo, Japan.

In 1937, before his ordination as a monk, Uchiyama receieved a Master's degree in Western philosophy at the renowned Waseda University and later taught at the Miyazaki Theological School in the Miyazaki prefecture of Japan. In 1941 he was ordained as a Zen Buddhist priest under the tutelage of Sawaki Kodo-roshi. Due to World War II Antai-ji was empty until 1949, when Kosho Uchiyama and Kodo Sawaki moved back in and returned it to a place of Zen practice. Sawaki travelled extensively throughout Japan teaching others the way of zazen.

In 1962, due to old age and poor knees, Kodo Sawaki settled down back at Antai-ji until 1965, the year of his death. While Uchiyama had bore the role of custodian for many years at Antai-ji, now he officially took over as head abbot of the temple, and membership at the temple grew due to his many publications in Japanese. Sawaki and Uchiyama were important figures in Zen development in Japan in the 20th century as they transformed it from a mostly intellectual process back to its zazen roots. In 1975 Uchiyama retired from Antai-ji and lived a secluded life with his wife at Noke-in temple just outside of Kyoto.

Uchiyama has had many books in the Japanese language published in Japan, four of which have been translated into English: Opening the hand of thought (formerly: Approach to Zen), Refining Your Life, The Wholehearted Way and The Zen Teaching of 'Homeless Kodo'.