Showing posts with label the last monk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the last monk. Show all posts

Thursday 24 June 2021

the last monk

 
The komusō (虚無僧, komusō, hiragana: こむそう; also romanized komusou or komuso) were a group of Japanese mendicant monks  of the Fuke school of Zen Buddhism who flourished during the Edo period of 1600–1868. 

The order went underground following reforms introduced by the post-Edo government. The last adherent disappeared mysteriously in the 1950s, since when nothing has been heard of the order.
 
Komusō were characterized by a straw bascinet (a sedge or reed hood named a tengai) worn on the head, manifesting the absence of specific ego but also used for being able to travel incognito.
 
It was very rare to catch sight of a Komusō with his mask removed.