author
Ekai Kawaguchi
1866–1945
Drawn by doubts about the accuracy of Buddhist scriptures in Japan, this adventurous monk crossed the Himalayas in search of original teachings. His journeys into Nepal and Tibet made him one of the earliest Japanese travelers to describe those worlds for modern readers.
1 Audiobook
Three Years in Tibet
by Ekai Kawaguchi
About the author
Born in Sakai, Japan, in 1866, Ekai Kawaguchi became a Buddhist monk after an early spiritual awakening. He grew dissatisfied with the state of Buddhist learning available to him and set himself the difficult task of studying Tibetan language and sources more deeply.
That search led him on remarkable journeys to Nepal and Tibet around the turn of the twentieth century. He is widely remembered as the first recorded Japanese citizen to travel in those regions, and his travels required unusual persistence, secrecy, and endurance.
Kawaguchi later shared what he had seen and learned through lectures and writing, including the travel account Three Years in Tibet. He died in 1945, leaving behind a legacy that blends religious devotion, scholarship, and exploration.