Extensive life stories – Kakuzan (1252-1305)

Kamakura period (1185-1333)

Kakuzan was born in Kamakura (Japan), a city located about 30 mi south of modern-day Tokyo. By 1250, Kamakura had approximately 200,000 inhabitants, making it the largest city in Japan and one of the largest cities in the world at that time. It was also the seat of power during this period, not held by the emperor, but by the shogun, a military commander. The term shogun means ‘commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force against the barbarians,’ referring to the Mongol invasions that took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, when the Mongols established the largest contiguous land empire in history.

During the Kamakura period, power in Japan rested in the hands of military leaders. There were specialized combat troops, the so-called samurai, who formed an aristocratic warrior class. Samurai were trained not only in martial arts like archery and sword fighting but also in literature and culture. 

In 1180, a samurai family, the Hojo clan, joined forces with the ruling shogun. The Hojo clan rose to great power within the shogunate, and the head of the Hojo family became the regent of the shogun (shikken). Over time, the regent became the de facto ruler of Japan.

womens’s position

The Kamakura period, lasting about two centuries, offered women somewhat greater freedom compared to the periods before and after. Women could participate more in social life, and in certain cases, manage land and financial assets. The rise of Buddhism imposed fewer restrictions on women, although this freedom was still relative. One Buddhist text from this time speaks of liberation for “both non-human beings and women,” suggesting a shared position between these two groups.

Women in samurai clans were, like men, trained in martial arts. Although it was rare, some women also fought in battles. Their primary role was to defend the household, as their husbands were often away fighting for the shogun. Women were armed with a dagger (a short stabbing weapon) or a katana (a long sword, 4 to 8 feet long). Women were also often in charge of administration and maintained communication with vassals.
Valued qualities for women in the samurai class included modesty, obedience, self-control, strength, and loyalty.

Shonan kattoroku

Zen Buddhism, which had come from China to Japan, often used Chinese stories and koans, which were unfamiliar and difficult for Japanese practitioners to relate to. It was similar to the situation in the West today, where Zen has come from Japan with all its Japanese customs and stories. Just as there is sometimes a need for more familiar and relatable stories in the West, Japan during the Kamakura period saw the development of new koans, incorporating the samurai ethos. In 1544, the monk Muin Hojo compiled the collection Shonan Kattoroku (Eng: The Word Weeds in Southern Sagami Province), a collection of koans and commentaries from the Kamakura period.
A part of what we know about Kakuzan comes from the Shonan Kattoroku, where two koans about her are described: case 30 and case 87.

Kakuzan’s early life

She is born into a powerful samurai clan, the Adachi family, and is named Horiuchi. She is the youngest of eleven children. Her father passes away when she is one year old, and she is raised by her eldest brother, who became the head of the clan. She is the aunt of the 30-year-older Mugai Nyodai (1223-1298), Japan’s first female Zen master.

Tomoe Gozen, female military commander, 12th century (Library of Congress, Washington DC)

Horiuchi is raised with examples of strong, powerful women from the samurai tradition. She always carries a samurai dagger, even when she later became a nun and eventually a Zen master. At the age of 9, Horiuchi marries her 10-year-old cousin Tokimune, who belonged to another powerful samurai family, the Hojo clan. Eight years later, he becomes the regent of the shogun, making him the most powerful man in the country. In 1271, when Horiuchi is 19, they have a son, Sadatoki. 

Zen practice and use of it

The common people mostly practiced Pure Land Buddhism. But both Horiuchi and Tokimune are serious practitioners of Zen, and the daily situation, marked by the Mongol invasions, influences their practice. In 1274, a Mongol invasion of Japan is repelled by Tokimune. However, he knew that further invasions were likely, so he seeks a way to better control his fear of death and to face battle without fear. His father had been a devoted Zen Buddhist and a disciple of a Chinese Zen master in Japan. Tokimune follows his father’s example and invites Wuxue Zuyuan (Japanese: Mugaku Sogen or Bukkō Kokushi, 1226–1286) to come to Japan, and both Horiuchi and he become students of this Chinese Zen master.

In choosing this Zen master, it is possible that Tokimune had heard the story of Wuxue, who, as an abbot, calmly and steadfastly faced the hostile troops when they came to kill all the monks in his temple. He asks the soldiers for permission to write a poem before they kill him. When he calmly picks up his brush to calligraph the verses on the spot, the warriors are so impressed by his reaction that they leave without killing anyone.

The teachings of Wuxue and the practice of Zen help Tokimune in his life as a military leader, and Zen Buddhism becomes widespread among the samurai. It would not only provide them with a way to deal with life and death but the Buddhist idea of reincarnation deters them from committing unnecessary violence or torture. It is said, that some samurai even abandon violence entirely and become monks.

After the victory over the Mongols in 1281, Tokimune builts the Engaku-ji to honor the fallen soldiers on both sides. He makes Wuxue the abbot of this Rinzai temple. In 1284, both Horiuchi and Tokimune are ordained, and Horiuchi takes the Buddhist name Kakuzan Shido.

Death and murder

By the time Tokimune is ordained, he is already ill. A few months later, he passes away, and Kakuzan, at age 32, is widowed. Their son, Sadatoki, assumes control. Fearing political intrigues, Sadatoki orders the mass execution of many members of the Adachi family, his mother’s clan. Kakuzan then withdraws from public life and establishes the convent Tokei-ji, next to the monastery Engaku-ji. She turns Tokei-ji into a place where also women, who have fallen victim to and suffered from the political conflict, can find refuge.

Tokei-ji (Photo: Toshihiro Gamo)

In the year following Tokimune’s death, Kakuzan takes on the monumental task of copying the entire Avatamsaka Sutra in his memory. It is a huge undertaking that she completed within a year. Unfortunately the sutra was probably lost in a great fire in 1384. In a text from her Zen teacher Wuxue, Kakuzan is described as a unique individual known for her discipline, strength, and perseverance.

the ‘divorce temple’

Thanks to Kakuzan, a unique provision is made within the walls of Tokei-ji. She sees the abuse and dire situations that some married women endure and, through her son, petitiones the emperor to pass a “divorce law.” In this law she states: “Some women are treated unfairly, and as a result, commit suicide or take extreme measures. I request that this humble temple code determines that if such women stay in the convent for three years, their marriage will be annulled.” The petition is approved, and women suffering from domestic violence can find refuge within the walls of Tokei-ji. The convent becomes a safe place, as it was forbidden for men to enter. Later, the required stay for divorce is shortened to two years. This arrangement remained in place for six centuries. A later document reveals that, between 1603 and 1868, more than 2,000 women found refuge at the monastery due to marital problems. In 1873, the temple law was abolished, and shortly thereafter, the monastery was taken over by monks.

the mirror legend

Tokei-ji had a unique feature in its meditation room: a very large mirror. The legend of this mirror began with the nun shogun Hojo Masako, the wife of the first shogun, who had significant power. She dreamed that a large mirror was floating in the waves off the coast, and heard: “I am the voice of the great shrine, and what is to happen in the world is seen in me. There is a war imminent, and the army must be mobilized. If Yasutoki (the ruling regent) polishes me, he will victorious and bring about a great peace.” After the warning, an envoy was sent to the great shrine to pray for the country’s peace, and the army was mobilized. The clan that had been warned won the war.

After the victory, the regent commisions a 6-foot mirror, following the description given by the nun shogun in her vision, and places it in the shrine. Over time, due to power shifts and conflicts, the mirror changes location, and eventually ends up at Tokei-ji where it becomes part of the temple. A special “mirror hall” is built.

no veil

Kakuzan uses the mirror for zazen practice. Sitting before the mirror, she meditates on the question: “Where is any emotion, any thought, in the reflection I see?” She gains profound insight, and writes the poem:

“If the mind does not rest on anything, there is no clouding,
And talk of polishing is but a fancy.”

The “Tokei-ji Mirror Meditation” becomes a widely practiced form of zazen within the convent, leading to an extensive koan tradition with accompanying questions and commentaries. Many generations of abbesses following Kakuzan use the mirror in their practice and compose a poem about their awakening. The Shonan Kattaroku mentions eight poems from successive abbesses, each with associated commentaries. 

inka and a dagger

In 1304, during the Rohatsu training (a celebration of Buddha’s awakening, traditionally celebrated on December 8th), Kakuzan receives inka from her teacher, Tokei, the fourth abbot of Engaku-ji. This final formal approval of her Zen mastery does not come without challenge. The head monk questions whether, as a female teacher, she is capable of wielding the teacher’s staff, and delivering a discourse on the Rinzairoku, a classic work from the 12th century. Kakuzan draws her dagger, akin to those carried by women of the samurai class, and declares: ‘Certainly a Zen teacher of the line of the patriarch should go up on the high seat and speak on the book. But I am a woman of the warrior line and I should declare our teaching when really face to face with a drawn sword. What book should I need?’

Two years after receiving inka, Kakuzan passes away. She is buried in the family grave of the Hōjō clan alongside her husband, Tokimune. Kakuzan lived to the age of 53.

Statue of Kakuzan Shido (Photo: Tokei-ji Temple)
Bronnen