rode swiftly as a sweeping wind into Shin-gen’s head-quarters, down came a blow of the heavy sword aimed at Shin-gen’s forehead, with a question expressed in the technical terms of Zen:  “What shalt thou do in such a state at such a moment?” Having no time to draw his sword, Shin-gen parried it with his war-fan, answering simultaneously in Zen words:  “A flake of snow on the red-hot furnace!” Had not his attendants come to the rescue Shin-gen’s life might have gone as ’a flake of snow on the red-hot furnace.’  Afterwards the horseman was known to have been Ken-shin himself.  This tradition shows us how Zen was practically lived by the Samurais of the Dark Age.

[FN#95] Shin-gen practised Zen under the instruction of Kwai-sen, who was burned to death by Nobu-naga (O-da) in 1582.  See Hon-cho-ko-so-den.

[FN#96] Ken-shin learned Zen under Shu-ken, a So Ta master.  See To-jo-ren-to-roku.

Although the priests of other Buddhist sects had their share in these bloody affairs, as was natural at such a time, yet Zen monks stood aloof and simply cultivated their literature.  Consequently, when all the people grew entirely ignorant at the end of the Dark Age, the Zen monks were the only men of letters.  None can deny this merit of their having preserved learning and prepared for its revival in the following period.[FN#97]

[FN#97] After the introduction of Zen into Japan many important books were written, and the following are chief doctrinal works:  Ko-zen-go-koku-ron, by Ei-sai; Sho bo-gen-zo; Gaku-do-yo-zin-shu; Fu-kwan-za-zen-gi; Ei-hei-ko-roku, by Do-gen; Za-zen-yo-zin-ki; and Den-ko-roku, by Kei-zan.

12.  Zen under the Toku-gana Shogunate.

Peace was at last restored by Iye-yasu, the founder of the Toku-gana Shogunate (1603-1867).  During this period the Shogunate gave countenance to Buddhism on one hand, acknowledging it as the state religion, bestowing rich property to large monasteries, making priests take rank over common people, ordering every householder to build a Buddhist altar in his house; while, on the other hand, it did everything to extirpate Christianity, introduced in the previous period (1544).  All this paralyzed the missionary spirit of the Buddhists, and put all the sects in dormant state.  As for Zen[FN#98] it was still favoured by feudal lords and their vassals, and almost all provincial lords embraced the faith.

[FN#98] The So To Sect was not wanting in competent teachers, for it might take pride in its Ten-kei (1648-1699), whose religious insight was unsurpassed by any other master of the age; in its Shi getsu, who was a commentator of various Zen books, and died 1764; in its Men-zan (1683-1769), whose indefatigable works on the exposition of So To Zen are invaluable indeed; and its Getsu-shu (1618-1696) and Man-zan (1635-1714), to whose labours the reformation of the faith is ascribed.  Similarly, the Rin Zai Sect, in its Gu-do (1579-1661); in its