brought forth the so-called Speculative philosophy.[FN#13] And in
the Ming dynasty (1368-1659) the principal doctrines of Zen were
adopted by a celebrated Confucian scholar, Wang Yang Ming,[FN#14] who
thereby founded a school, through which Zen exercised profound
influence on Chinese and Japanese men of letters, statesmen, and
soldiers.

As regards Japan, it was first introduced into the island as the
faith first for the Samurai or the military class, and moulded the
characters of many distinguished soldiers whose lives adorn the pages
of her history. Afterwards it gradually found its way to palaces as
well as to cottages through literature and art, and at last permeated
through every fibre of the national life. It is Zen that modern
Japan, especially after the Russo-Japanese War, has acknowledged as
an ideal doctrine for her rising generation.


[FN#13] See 'A History of Chinese Philosophy,' by Ryukichi Endo, and
A History of Chinese Philosophy,' by Giichi Nakauchi.

[FN#14] For the life of this distinguished scholar and soldier
(1472-1529), see 'A Detailed Life of O Yo Mei’ by Takejiro Takase, and
also 'O-yo-mei-shutsu-shin-sei-ran-roku.'





CHAPTER I