Zenshuji Soto Zen Mission

Zenshuji Soto Mission (Japanese: 曹洞宗北米両大本山別院禅宗寺 (Sōtōshū Hokubei Ryōdaihonzan betsuin Zenshūji^?)), established in 1922 in the Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles, California, was the first Soto Zen Buddhist temple in North America. Today, it is the North American headquarters for Soto Zen, under the guidance of Sotoshu Shumucho (the headquarters of Soto Zen in Japan), and is a direct branch of Eiheiji and Sojiji (the two head temples in Japan).

Zenshuji follows the 2,500-year-old teachings of Gautama Buddha as passed down by Koso Dogen Zenji (1200-1253) and Taiso Keizan Zenji (1268-1325) who are recognized as the founding patriarchs of Soto Zen. The essence of Soto Zen was transmitted during the Kamakura Period in Japan approximately eight hundred years ago by Dogen Zenji.

Keizan Zenji further enhanced the School and significantly increased its accessibility and popularity with lay people. In 1244, Dogen Zenji established Eiheiji Temple in present-day Fukui Prefecture. Later, in 1321, Keizan Zenji established Sojiji Temple in present-day Kanagawa Prefecture. Today, Eiheiji and Sojiji still serve as the head temples / monasteries for the Soto Zen school of Buddhism.

In 1922, a few years after attending the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, Rev. Hosen Isobe established the Zenshuji Soto Mission in a Los Angeles apartment. Anti-immigration laws at that time made it extremely difficult for people of Japanese descent to purchase land in the United States. Nonetheless, in 1923, land was purchased and construction of a temple was eventually completed in 1926. In 1927, Zenshuji was recognized as a non-profit organization by the United States. In 1937, Zenshuji formally became the North America Headquarters for Soto Zen and a direct branch of Eiheiji and Sojiji.

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