author
Kaiten Nukariya
A Japanese Zen Buddhist scholar and teacher who helped introduce Zen thought to English-language readers in the early 20th century. Best known for The Religion of the Samurai, he wrote with the aim of explaining Zen philosophy and discipline in a clear, accessible way.
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About the author
Born in 1867 and dying in 1934, Kaiten Nukariya was a Japanese Buddhist priest of the Soto sect as well as a professor associated with Keio University and the Soto-shu Buddhist College. His work is closely tied to the early modern effort to present Zen Buddhism to readers outside Japan.
He is best known for The Religion of the Samurai: A Study of Zen Philosophy and Discipline in China and Japan, published in 1913. In that book, he set out to explain Zen's history, ideas, and practice for an English-speaking audience, connecting Buddhist thought with the moral and spiritual discipline often associated with the samurai.
Today, Nukariya is remembered as one of the early interpreters of Zen for the wider world. His writing reflects both scholarly interest and religious commitment, making his work an important window into how Zen was introduced to international readers in the early twentieth century.