Prayer Beads in Japanese Sōtō Zen

This chapter illuminates some of the functions and interpretations of the rosary in Japanese Sōtō Zen. It analyzes how its uses and meanings changed throughout history and were adapted to fit the agenda of the Sōtō school at certain times. Before examining rosaries in Zen Buddhism, it provides a general overview of Buddhist prayer beads in India, China, and Japan. It also examines Chinese Chan monastic codes before turning to Japanese Sōtō Zen and analyzing the history of the rosary starting with Dōgen (1200–1253) and extending to kirigami (esoteric transmission documents) from the early Tokugawa period (1603–1868). A final section on the functions of prayer beads since the Meiji era (1868–1912) concludes the study.