Answers to Questions from Rinsoin
Emails with Shungo Suzuki, son of Hoitsu, abbot of Shunryu's temple in Yaizu, Japan. These questions arose after going through Crooked Cucumber for a Japanese translation to be published by Samgha. Shungo will be the next abbot of Rinsoin and has great responsibility there now. - dc
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DC Summary of info from these questions and answers.
Gyokujun So-on's birthday is unknown. He was an orphan adopted by Sogaku so that's understandable. I gather he died at 57 in 1934 so have called his birth year c.1877.
Shunryu's little sister Aiko Uchiyama's husband's first name?
Lay name - Tatsuzo （達三）. Dharma name - Tassan（達三）.Same kanji.
Shunryu has just one gishin, temple godfather, Genichi Amano (I'd interpreted info from him wrong). Shunryu had just one Shinsanshiki, Mt. Seat Ceremony installing him as abbot, at Rinso-in. He didn’t have shinsanshiki at Zounin. A jushoku, cheif priest of a temple, doesn't have to have a shinsanshiki which is usually held with a kessei ango, practice period, and hossenshiki, head monk dharma combat ceremony. So the ceremonies must take several days.
The ceremony where he takes the gishin to be his temple father is different.
Shunryu became jushoku of Zounin on January 22, 1929, but he never had shinsanshiki there.
He became jushoku of Rinsoin and had shinsanshiki with kessei ango and shuso hossenshiki on April 23, 1936. (practice period and head monk dharma combat ceremony)
He had kesseiango with shuso hossenshiki again on summer 1958.
He had kesseiango with shuso hossenshiki again on winter 1963.
First shuso is Shinnan Ota 太田伸男.His dharma name is Daiho Shinnan大法伸男.He is an abbot of Ioh-ji医王寺 placed in Shimada city now.
Second shuso is Zenei Kinami木南全英. His dharma name is unknown. He was an abbot of Teizen-in貞善院 placed in Yaizu city.
Last shuso is Etsuyu Sugiyama杉山悦雄. His dharma name is Shinkan Etsuyu真鑑悦雄. He is the son of Kando Sugiyama杉山鑑道. Kando Sugiyama was abbot of Zuio-ji瑞応寺 in Yaizu city then. Etsuyu Sugiyam is an abbot of Zoshu-in蔵珠院 placed in Yaizu city now. Kando Sugiyama杉山鑑道 came from Kasuisai 可睡斎 when he finished practice as a monk there. Chie’s father, Benyu was tenzo at Kasuisai then. Kando was asked to support Chie at Zuio-ji near the Rinsoin by Benyu when Chie came to Rinsoin to marry.
Etsuyu Sugiyama’s hossennshiki is held with inauguration ceremony of renewal of roof at Rinso-in, a year before Shunryu went to America.
Shunryu was kenmu-jushoku (concurrent jushoku) of Zounin from May 27, 1936 until the next jushoku, Kendo Okamoto, was installed. Don't have that date.So-on became jushoku of Zounin on April 29, 1912.
He had shinsanshiki with kessei ango and shuso hossenshiki on summer 1917.
He became jushoku of Rinsoin on June 11, 1918.
He was kenmu-jushoku (concurrent jushoku) of Zounin from December 5, 1919－January 22, 1929. [DC - what about between June 11, 1918 and Dec.5, 1919?]
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Actual emails with Q and A, somewhat edited, below
Shunryu is not known to have ordained anyone in Japan as a monk or priest. No known toduko shukke.
Yes, Hoitsu’s shinsanshiki was Oct.23rd,1966.
Shoko Okamoto’s shinsanshiki at Zounin was April 14th 1974. Shunryu gave him transmission but by then the temple had passed on to Kendo Okamoto. Shoko needed transmission from Shunryu to inherit his father's temple.
Shoko’s widow's name is Noriko (紀子)
Don't know who was the abbot, jushoku, of Dogen's original temple near Kyoto in Uji in the early 1960s. Shunryu wanted Grahame Petchey to meet him and maybe study with him.
The early morning procedure at Eiheiji as described in Crooked Cucumber is correct. Monks do the robe chant and don the okesan after morning zazen.
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1 - When was Gyokujun So-on born? What was his birthday?
[Shunryu's master]
We don’t know. We checked it but we couldn’t find out.
2 -What was Aiko Uchiyama's husband's first name?
[Shunryu's little sister]
Lay name - Tatsuzo （達三）. Dharma name - Tassan（達三）.Same kanji.
3 - According to my notes on Shunryu Suzuki, he had two godfathers, gishin, at Rinsoin and two ceremonies . Crooked Cucumber only used Genichi Amano's name to keep it simple. Who was the first gishin and what are the dates of the ceremony for him and Amano and why the change? [I got this impression from going over Shunryu's CV and notes and was relieved with the answer as it kept things simple. There are so many ceremonies I guess I got mixed up on one].
Shunryu has just one gishin(Genichi Amano). Shunryu had just one Shinsanshiki at Rinso-in. He didn’t have Shinsanshiki at Zounin.
4 - Is the ceremony with the new gishin different from shinsanshiki?
The ceremonies are different.
5 - Did Shunryu do a tokudo shukke ceremony for anyone other than Hoitsu and Claude Dalenberg in Japan? If so, who? [monk's ordination]
Hoitsu thinks there was nobody in Japan.
6 - According to Crooked Cucumber, Hoitsu's shinsanshiki was October 23, 1966. What date was Shoko Okamoto's shinsanshiki at Zounin?
Yes, Hoitsu’s shinsanshiki was Oct.23rd,1966.
Shoko’s shinsanshiki at Zounin was April 14th 1974. [So Shunryu gave him transmission but didn't pass on the temple. Then whose temple was it? (from future email - Kendo Okamoto, Shoko's father.) So Shunryu had passed it on to Kendo in some way.]
7 - What is Shoko Okamoto's widow's name?
Shoko’s wife name is Noriko (紀子).
8 - Who was the abbot, jushoku, of Dogen's original temple near Kyoto in Uji in the early 1960s. Shunryu wanted Grahame Petchey to meet him and maybe study with him.
We don’t know.
9 - According to Crooked Cucumber (chapter 3 - 1924-1930), "The president of Komazawa, Nukariya Kaiten, had just published a book on Buddhism for laypeople which created some controversy because of its simple explanation of Soto Zen and its popular appeal." --- What was the name of that book?
We don’t know.
10 - In Crooked Cucumber (chapter 4 - 1930-32), the following is a description of the early morning schedule at Eiheiji. Is it accurate?
Morning began with zazen. The outer okesa robe was not worn but was kept in its case on the tatami. Zazen ended with Takkesa Ge with the kesa placed on the head for this chant.
Does “case” mean (okesa-bukuro)?,(Okesa bag)? [I answered yes.]
Answered in next email. Yes, accurate.
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Dear Shungo Sama.
Excellent. Thank you so much.
Shunryu never had shinsanshiki at zounin? But according to my notes, he said he was installed as abbot of Zounin by Gokujun So-on on January 22, 1929. Moved in there with family on April 1, 1932 after leaving Sojiji. He had some responsibility for it through the years. Kendo Okamoto became the jushoku at some point but it seemed Shunryu still had some responsibility. My understanding is that Shunryu gave transmission to Shoko so that Shoko could inherit the temple because Kendo didn't get transmission from So-on. Maybe my facts are wrong. For the American Crooked Cucumber those details didn't matter so much but I think for a Japanese translation it would be good to get the basic facts straight on what Shunryu's history with Zounin was.
Yes case means kesa-bukuro. The question is, did they not wear the okesa until after morning zazen at Eiheiji like at Tassajara?
Thank you again very much - and thanks for communicating so well in English.
David
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Dear David,
“Shunryu never had shinsanshiki at zounin?”
-------Hoitsu said maybe yes. We are examining and asking about it. Wait about a week.
In Japan someone sometimes become jushoku at the temple without shinsanshiki. It is just register for Shumucho without ceremony.
The other case is just kessei ango (with shuso hossenn).
“he was installed as abbot of Zounin by Gokujun So-on on January 22, 1929.”------Yes.
“Moved in there with family on April 1, 1932 after leaving Sojiji”.-------“family” are his parents and sister, are not they? So it maybe yes.
“He had some responsibility for it through the years. Kendo Okamoto became the jushoku at some point but it seemed Shunryu still had some responsibility. My understanding is that Shunryu gave transmission to Shoko so that Shoko could inherit the temple because Kendo didn't get transmission from So-on”.--------Yes.
“did they not wear the okesa until after morning zazen at Eiheiji like at Tassajara?”-----Yes. They did not wear it until after morning zazen at Eiheiji
In Japan the priest has usually held shinsanshiki after a few years when he became jushoku.
And it has been usually held with hossenshiki taken by shuso during a kessei ango.
The priest should have a kessei ango as jushoku a temple with shuso.
The priest has just one kessei ango as the jushoku in the life.
It is proper to have shinsanshiki, but it is voluntarily as jushoku at the temple. So some jushoku sometimes don’t hold shinsanshiki at the temple. They just register for Shumucho without ceremony. Because shinsanshiki has been usually held with kessei ango (as jushoku, not as monk) it is just once in his life. But jushoku of big temple(monastery, for example Rinsoin, Eiheiji,) may have kesseiango many times. “Kessei” 結制means “assemble people” and “make practice system”.
Shunryu became jushoku of Zounin on January 22, 1929, but he never had shinsanshiki there.
He became jushoku of Rinsoin and had shinsanshiki with kessei ango (with shuso hossenshiki) on April 23, 1936.
He had kesseiango with shuso hossenshiki again on summer 1958.
He had kesseiango with shuso hossenshiki again on winter 1963.
He was kenmu-jushoku (concurrent jushoku) of Zounin from May 27, 1936 until installed next jushoku. [Kendo Okamoto]
So-on became jushoku of Zounin on April 29, 1912.
He had shinsanshiki with kessei ango (with shuso hossenshiki) on summer 1917.
He became jushoku of Rinsoin on June 11, 1918.
He was kenmu-jushoku (concurrent jushoku) of Zounin during December 5, 1919－January 22, 1929.
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Who followed Shunryu as jushoku of Zounin and what date?
Kendo Okamoto岡本憲道 (one point jushoku cause of other lineage) (Shoko Okamoto’s father). We don’t know the date.
Who were the three shuso with hossenshiki under Shunryu?----
First shuso is Shinnan Ota 太田伸男.His dharma name is Daiho Shinnan大法伸男.He is an abbot of Ioh-ji医王寺 placed in Shimada city now.
Second shuso is Zenei Kinami木南全英. His dharma name is unknown. He was an abbot of Teizen-in貞善院 placed in Yaizu city.
Last shuso is Etsuyu Sugiyama杉山悦雄. His dharma name is Shinkan Etsuyu真鑑悦雄. He is the son of Kando Sugiyama杉山鑑道. Kando Sugiyama was abbot of Zuio-ji瑞応寺 in Yaizu city then. Etsuyu Sugiyam is an abbot of Zoshu-in蔵珠院 placed in Yaizu city now. Kando Sugiyama杉山鑑道 came from Kasuisai 可睡斎 when he finished practice as a monk there. Chie’s father, Benyu was tenzo at Kasuisai then. Kando was asked to support Chie at Zuio-ji near the Rinsoin by Benyu when Chie came to Rinsoin to marry.
Etsuyu Sugiyama’s hossennshiki is held with inauguration ceremony of renewal of roof at Rinso-in. [That's just a year before Shunryu went to America.]