- Omori Sogen
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Ōmori Sōgen Rōshi 
Religion Rinzai Personal Born 1904
JapanDied 1994 Senior posting Based in Tenryū-ji Title Rōshi Predecessor Seki Bokuo In this Japanese name, the family name is "Ōmori".Ōmori Sōgen (大森 曹玄, 1904—1994) was a Japanese Rinzai Rōshi, a successor in the Tenryū-ji line of Rinzai Zen, a teacher of Kashima Shinden Jikishinkage-ryū swordsmanship[1], and a calligrapher in the Taishi school of Yamaoka Tesshū. He became well known for his unique approach to Zen practice integrating insights from his martial and fine arts training with traditional Zen methods; this approach has been described as a unity of Zen, Ken ("sword", referring to martial arts or physical culture), and Sho ("brush", referring to calligraphy or fine arts).
The author of more than 20 books in the Japanese language, Ōmori founded Seitaiji monastery in Japan and Daihonzan Chozen-ji in Honolulu, Hawaii, the first Rinzai headquarters temple established outside of Japan according to Rinzai canon law. He also served as president of Hanazono University, the Rinzai university in Kyoto, Japan. Ōmori was well known for his political activism and influence in government circles prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. He became a priest in 1945.
Dharma successors and descendents of Omori Roshi are active in both Japan and the West. In the United States, along with Chozen-ji, Daiyuzenji has been established in Chicago, and Korinji is being constructed near Madison, Wisconsin. In Germany and Austria, there are active groups connected to Sasaki Gensō Rōshi and Hozumi Genshō Rōshi.
Contents
Notable students
- Hosokawa Dōgen Rōshi
- Hozumi Genshō Rōshi
- Tanouye Tenshin Rōshi
- Sasaki Gensō Rōshi
- Terayama Katsujō
Bibliography
- Sogen, Omori; Trevor Leggett; Dōgen Hosokawa; Roy Kenichi Yoshimoto (2002). An Introduction to Zen Training: A Translation of Sanzen Nyumon. Tuttle Publishing. ISBN 0804832471. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/47745820&referer=one_hit.
- Terayama, Katsujō; John Stevens; Omori Sogen (1983). Zen and the Art of Calligraphy: The Essence of Sho. Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN 0710092849. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/8670132&referer=brief_results.
Notes
- ^ (Japanese) Jiki Shinkage-ryū Kenjutsu with Ōmori Sōgen. Japan, Nihon Kobudo series, filmed during the 1970's by the Japanese Ministry of Education in a series on many of the traditional koryū. DVD, 2005.
References
- Morisawa, Jackson S. (1988). The Secret of the Target. Routledge. ISBN 0415001943. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/16582229&referer=one_hit.
Further reading
- Hosokawa, Dōgen (1997). Omori Sogen: The Art of a Zen Master. Kegan Paul International : Distributed by Columbia University Press. ISBN 0710305885. http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/37322207&referer=one_hit.
External links
Buddhism Categories:- Japanese calligraphers
- Rinzai Buddhists
- Zen Buddhist monks and priests
- Japanese Zen Buddhists
- Japanese religious leaders
- Japanese artists
- 1994 deaths
- 1904 births
- Zen stubs
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