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Encyclopedia > Ryokan

This article is about the Zen monk. For the Japanese type of inn, see Ryokan inn. A ryokan (旅館) is a type of traditional Japanese inn dating from the Edo Era (1603-1868). ...

A Statue of Ryokan
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A Statue of Ryokan
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Ryokan's Grave
Ryokan's Hut
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Ryokan's Hut

Ryokan (良寛: Ryōkan) was a Zen Buddhist monk who lived in Niigata Japan 1758-1831. He soon left the monastery where practice was frequently quite lax, and lived as a hermit until he was very old and had to move into the house of one of his supporters. Download high resolution version (809x977, 354 KB)A Picture of a Statue of Ryokan from Niigata Japan I took this picture in 2003 of a statue of Ryokan in Niigata Japan. ... Download high resolution version (809x977, 354 KB)A Picture of a Statue of Ryokan from Niigata Japan I took this picture in 2003 of a statue of Ryokan in Niigata Japan. ... Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 470 KB)Picture of Ryokans Grave File links The following pages link to this file: Ryokan Categories: GFDL images ... Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 470 KB)Picture of Ryokans Grave File links The following pages link to this file: Ryokan Categories: GFDL images ... Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 370 KB)Ryokans Hut located at the present day Gogo-an temple in Niigate prefecture Japan. ... Download high resolution version (1200x1600, 370 KB)Ryokans Hut located at the present day Gogo-an temple in Niigate prefecture Japan. ... Bodhidharma, woodblock print by Yoshitoshi, 1887. ... 1758 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1831 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...


Ryokan was famous for his poetry and calligraphy. His poetry is often very simple and inspired by nature. He was a lover of children, and sometimes forgot to go on his alms round to get food because he was playing with the children of the nearby village. Ryokan refused to accept any position as a priest or even as a "poet". This shows his great humility. In the tradition of Zen his quotes and poems show he had a good sense of humour and didn't take himself too seriously. However his poetry also gives illumining insights into the practise of Zen. Bust of Homer, one of the earliest European poets, in the British Museum Poetry (ancient Greek: ποιεω (poieo) = I create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ... Calligraphy in a Latin Bible of AD 1407 on display in Malmesbury Abbey, Wiltshire, England. ... Bodhidharma, woodblock print by Yoshitoshi, 1887. ... Bodhidharma, woodblock print by Yoshitoshi, 1887. ...


Ryokan lived a very simple, pure life and stories about his kindness and generosity abound.


On his deathbed, Ryokan offered the following poem:


ura wo mise


omote wo mise


chiru momiji



showing their backs


then their fronts


the autumn leaves scatter in the wind


External links

Further Reading

  • One Robe, One Bowl; The Zen Poetry of Ryõkan (ISBN 0834801264), 1977, translated and introduced by John Stevens.
  • Three Zen Masters: Ikkyu, Hakuin, Ryokan (Kodansha Biographies) (ISBN 4770016514), 1993, by John Stevens.
  • The Zen Fool: Ryokan (ISBN 0804821283), 2000, by Misao Kodama and Hikosaku Yanagashima.
  • Great Fool: Zen Master Ryokan: Poems, Letters, and Other Writings (ISBN 082481777X), 1996, by Ryuichi Abe (with Peter Haskel).

  Results from FactBites:
 
Ryokan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (265 words)
Ryokan (良寛: Ryōkan) was a Zen Buddhist monk who lived in Niigata Japan 1758-1831.
He soon left the monastery where practice was frequently quite lax, and lived as a hermit until he was very old and had to move into the house of one of his supporters.
Ryokan was famous for his poetry and calligraphy.
Ryokan inn - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (371 words)
A prototypical ryokan might feature a relatively large entrance hall, with couches and chairs where guests can sit and talk; modernized ryokan would probably have a television in the hall as well.
A room in a ryokan is constructed using traditional Japanese materials; flooring is tatami, and doors are sliding rice-paper (washi) doors.
Even if a ryokan uses Western style doors for security, they usually open into a small entranceway where guests can take off their shoes before stepping onto the tatami floor, which would be separated by a sliding door.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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