ABSTRACT
The collection of 100 odd ko¯ans here presented in translation was put together in 1545, under the name Sho¯nan-katto¯-roku, from records in the Kamakura temples dating back to the foundation of Kencho¯ji in 1253 when pure Zen first came to Japan. For a long time the teachers at Kamakura were mainly Chinese masters, who came in a stream for over a century. As a result, this Zen was conducted between masters and pupils not fluent in each other’s language.
