Book Overview: The Warrior Koans

The Warrior Koans: Early Zen in Japan presents a compelling collection of 100 koans, meticulously translated and organized by Trevor Leggett. These koans are drawn from the Shonan Kattoroku, a compilation assembled in 1545 from records preserved in the Kamakura temples, with origins tracing back to the establishment of Kenchoji in 1253. This temple marked the arrival of pure Zen in Japan, and the koans reflect the rigorous mental discipline and insight essential to both Zen practice and the warrior’s path.

The book also features two significant writings by Imai Fukuzan: Extracts from Introduction to Warrior Zen and Introduction to Shonankattoroku. These texts provide essential context for understanding the mindset required of warriors who integrated Zen principles into their daily lives. Through these koans and accompanying essays, readers are invited to engage with the paradoxes and challenges designed to cultivate clarity, self-discipline, and spontaneous action—hallmarks of both Zen practice and the way of the warrior.

Overview

The collection of 100 koans presented in Trevor Leggett's book, in English translation, was originally compiled in 1545 under the name Shonan Kattoroku. This compilation was drawn from records in the Kamakura temples, dating back to the establishment of Kenchoji in 1253, when pure Zen first took root in Japan.

How Zen Buddhism Came to Japan

Zen Buddhism arrived in Japan from China during the late 12th and early 13th centuries, mainly through the efforts of Japanese monks who traveled abroad. It originated from the Chan tradition of Chinese Buddhism, which emphasized meditation (zazen), simplicity, and direct, experiential understanding of enlightenment over reliance on scripture or ritual. As China’s Song dynasty flourished, the Chan tradition became influential, and Japanese monks visiting China were inspired by its teachings and practices.

Two key figures in bringing Zen to Japan were Eisai (1141–1215) and Dōgen (1200–1253). Eisai first introduced Rinzai Zen after his travels to China and emphasized disciplined meditation and koan practice—riddles or paradoxes intended to provoke insight. Later, Dōgen established the Soto Zen school, which focused more on shikantaza or "just sitting" meditation, encouraging practitioners to sit quietly without specific goals. These schools gradually gained followers, with Zen appealing to samurai warriors for its focus on discipline and mental clarity.

Koans in the Book

The set of koans in the book represents Kamakura Zen, a distinct form of Zen practice that, with the decline of the samurai era, has largely faded from use today.

For over a century, the teachers at Kamakura were primarily Chinese masters, arriving in waves. This led to a unique dynamic, as instruction often took place between masters and students who were not fluent in each other’s language. In many cases, the teachings of Chinese Zen masters were first transcribed in Chinese characters and then translated into Japanese by scholars. Early on, some students conducted their Zen interviews through written communication, using brushes to exchange messages. Although educated Japanese could read and write Chinese characters, they pronounced them differently from native Chinese speakers, and understanding spoken Chinese was rare. These linguistic challenges meant that Zen instruction relied on brevity, with minimal words exchanged between master and pupil.

Contribution of Imai Fukuzan

The text in its present form was reconstructed by Imai Fukuzan, a prominent Zen scholar of the early 20th century. He pieced together the content from fragmentary records found in Kenchoji and other Kamakura temples. Imai Fukuzan was also co-author, along with Nakagawa Shuan, of Zengo-jii, a standard reference book of Zen phrases. A dedicated Zen practitioner himself, as was his father, Imai personally knew many prominent figures of Zen from the late 19th to early 20th centuries. His 1925 publication of the Shonan Kattoroku collection, limited to only 500 copies, included several of his own notes, many of which are translated alongside the koans in this edition.

Imai was one of the last scholars to examine the Kenchoji records in detail before they were almost entirely destroyed in the 1924 earthquake. His work holds particular importance for understanding Zen history, as it preserves teachings and insights that would otherwise have been lost.

Many samurai recorded in these interviews had taken Buddhist vows and shaved their heads—known as nyudo (entering the Way)—though they did not leave their families as ordained priests were required to do.

The book also includes interviews with women, most of whom were from the warrior class. Samurai women were renowned for their moral rigor and strength of character. The women teachers developed a number of koans of their own.

The early Zen teachers of Kamakura faced a challenge: the warrior students lacked the inclination for scholarship and could not be trained using classical koans from Chinese Zen texts. Instead, teachers devised koans spontaneously, adapting them to immediate situations, a method known as shikin Zen or "on-the-instant Zen."

From Imai Fukuzan's Introduction to Shonan Kattoroku

The 100 koans in this collection were tailored to the varying temperaments and abilities of students. These koans often included passages from sutras or sayings of Zen patriarchs, selected to match the depth of the student's comprehension, whether they were monks or lay practitioners. At Kamakura, adapting Zen to each pupil meant creating koans based on familiar events or circumstances, and testing students through satsumon (challenge questions) to wrestle with the meaning. Only after students had made some progress were they introduced to the classical koans.

Kamakura Zen was not for the faint-hearted; it was designed for those who might face death at any moment. Both teachers and students had to cultivate immense spirit and resolve. In some cases, a student could spend ten years struggling to pass a single koan.

From Extracts from Imai Fukuzan's Introduction to Warrior Zen

Until the end of the Muromachi period (1573), the training of early warrior disciples often involved setting incidents from their own experiences as koans for beginners. Only after mastering these initial challenges would students move on to the classical koans concerning Buddhas and patriarchs. However, after the Muromachi period, it became standard for teachers to introduce students directly to classical koans from the outset. As a result, the 300 or so warrior Zen koans that had once existed in Kamakura Zen gradually fell out of use. On rare occasions, these warrior koans were still presented to students, often to assist those struggling with the classical koans.

Teachers in the lineage of Kogetsu (who died in 1751, founder of Fukujuji Temple in Kurume, Kyushu) continued to engage with samurai pupils, preserving the warrior Zen tradition. They made extensive use of over a hundred warrior koans in their teachings.

By the late 16th century, Kamakura Zen was in decline. With the onset of the Tokugawa era and a prolonged period of peace, warriors no longer faced life-and-death situations on the battlefield. As a result, the spirit of the old warrior practitioners began to fade, and fewer people—whether priests or lay followers—entered the Zen tradition with the same heroic resolve.

Examples of koans from the book

In the book, koans are presented as follows: first, the koan itself, followed by test questions posed to Zen practitioners during their examinations, and brief comments where necessary. However, the answers to these test questions are not provided, as it was traditionally the teacher’s role to assess whether the student had attained a clear understanding during the interview. Today, this structure offers readers a unique opportunity to reflect independently and search for answers within the depths of their own hearts.

About the Author: Trevor Leggett

Trevor Leggett was a prominent British judo teacher, author, and translator whose contributions to martial arts and Eastern philosophy left a lasting legacy. His career was marked by a deep dedication to judo and an equally profound interest in Eastern thought.

Leggett's journey in judo began when he joined The martial arts club Budokwai in London in 1932. At the Budokwai, Leggett was promoted through the ranks to 1st dan, 2nd dan, and 3rd dan. He went to Japan in1938, and continued his studies in judo. There he trained intensively and earned his 4th, 5th, and 6th dan rankings from the Kodokan. Before World War II, he had already established himself as a significant figure in the judo community. After the war, Leggett returned to London, where he continued to spread his knowledge as a judo instructor at the Budokwai, one of the UK's most prestigious judo clubs.

In addition to his judo expertise, Leggett was profoundly influenced by Eastern philosophy. His meeting with Hari Prasad Shastri, a teacher of Adhyatma Yoga, in 1936 was a pivotal moment in his life. Shastri's teachings on yoga and its philosophy became a significant part of Leggett’s intellectual and spiritual pursuits.

Leggett’s impact on British judo was substantial. He began teaching at the Budokwai in 1945 and was promoted to senior instructor in 1954. During the1950s, he played a crucial role in bridging the gap between British and Japanese judo practitioners, facilitating training exchanges that enriched both communities. His Sunday afternoon classes were renowned for their exclusivity, limited to brown belt holders and above, and were known to have shaped many of the key figures in British judo.

In 1959, Leggett founded the Renshuden dojo, dedicated to competitive judo training. However, by 1964, he decided to step away from teaching judo to focus on writing. He authored several influential books on judo, budo, Eastern philosophy, and Zen Buddhism. Leggett’s passion for learning extended beyond judo; he was also a 5th dan in shogi (Japanese chess) and wrote extensively on this subject as well.