Kōdō Sawaki

Kodo Sawaki's (1880-1965) parents died when he was quite young. Adopted by various relatives, he ran away at age 16 to become a monk and was ordained in 1899 by Koho Sawada. Drafted into the Japanese army during the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05), he ministered to the wounded. In 1906, he received dharma transmission from Zenko Sawada and studied for years with many eminent masters. In 1949, he took responsibility for Antai-ji, a zen temple in northern Kyoto. Because of his regular travels throughout Japan to teach zen, he came to be known as "Homeless Kodo." Sawaki died in 1965.