The Unfettered Mind: Writings from a Zen Master to a Master Swordsman

108 Pages·1990·17.009 MB·English

by  Takuan Sōhō (Trans. W. S. Wilson)

The
Writings of the Zen Master
to the Sword Master
Unfettered
Mind
Takuan Soho
trans, by William Scott Wilson
Ji-#--i
.,*'^
g
*>
iK
K

TheAUTHOR:TakuanSoho(1573-1645) wasaprelateoftheRin-
zai Sect of Zen, vM\ rcfnembered for his strength of character
andacerbicwit;an^bcwasalsogardener, poet, teamaster, pro-
lificauthoranda"pivotalfigureinZenpaintingandcalligraphy.
Hisreligioustrainingbeganattheageoften. HeenteredtheRin-
zai sect at the age of fourteen and was appointed abbot of the
Daitokuji, amajorZentempleinKyoto, attheageofthirty-five.
Afteradisagreement onecclesiastical appointmentswith these-
condTokugawa shogun, he wasbanished in 1629 to a far nor-
thern province. Coming under ageneral amnesty on the death
oftheshogun,hereturnedtosocietythreeyearslatertobe,among
other things, a confidant of the third Tokugawa shogun.
TheTRANSLATOR: William Scott Wilson took his B.A. at Dart-
mouth College, graduated as a Japanese specialist from the
Monterey Institute ofForeign Studies, andreceivedhisM.A. in
JapaneseliteraturefromtheUniversityofWashington. Hebecame
acquainted with Japan at first-hand in 1966 on a coastal
— —
expedition bykayak fromthewesternJapaneseportofSasebo
toTokyo. Helaterlivedin thepotter'svillageof Bizen, studied
as a special student at Aichi Prefectural University, and was a
counselorat theJapaneseConsulate-General inSeattle. Henow
lives in his native Florida.
Among his highly regarded translations of original works of
literatureareHpigakure: TheBookoftheSamuraiandTheRoots
of Wisdom: Saikontan.
-%
The
Unfettered
Mind
Writings of the Zen Master
to the Sword Master
Takuan Soho
trans, by William Scott Wilson
KODANSHA INTERNATIONAL
Tokyo and New York
Distributedin theUnitedStatesbyKodanshaInternational/USA
Ltd., 114FifthAvenue, NewYork, NewYork10011. Pubhshedby
KodanshaInternationalLtd., 17-14, Otowa1-chome, Bunkyo-ku,
Tokyo 112 and Kodansha International/USA Ltd.
Copyright © 1986 by Kodansha International Ltd. All rights
reserved. Printed in Japan.
LC 86-45072
ISBN 0-87011-851-X
ISBN 4-7700-1351-5 (in Japan)
First edition, 1986
First paperback edition, 1987
Third printing, 1990
Dedicated to
Gary Miller Haskins

CONTENTS
Foreword 9
Introduction 12
The Mysterious Record of
Immovable Wisdom 17
The Clear Sound of Jewels 45
n
Annals of the Sword Taia
Notes 93
Bibliography 103