Sawaki Nyoho-e Treasury

Accurately preserving, embodying and transmitting Kodo Sawaki’s teachings
about sewing, wearing and encountering Buddha’s robe

Many people in the West are unaware that Kodo Sawaki was one of the two key figures in the 20th century nyoho-e movement that taught and encouraged practitioners in Japan to sew robes by hand in specific ways. While a number of Western and North American practitioners have some experience of nyoho-e sewing, and some may be deeply involved in it within their temples or sanghas, few realize that the 20th century movement started in Japan itself and comes from within Sanshin’s own dharma family. Thus the modern nyoho-e movement is a significant element of Sanshin style, and we must accurately preserve, articulate and transmit that legacy.

We aspire to be responsible for collecting and offering the most complete and accurate set of resources possible related specifically to our dharma great-grandfather’s nyoho-e teachings and practices. Anyone of any lineage is welcome to use those resources for their own practice. Sanshin’s nyoho-e practice is not limited to those who have taken precepts, either as laity or as clergy. There is something of interest and meaning to all practitioners, whether or not they sew or wear robes themselves.

Frequently asked questions

What is nyoho-e?

The kanji for nyoho-e are 如法衣. 如 (nyo) is thusness or suchness. 法 (ho) is dharma. 衣 (e) is clothing, in this case particularly clothing worn in the temple. Thus nyoho-e are garments made according to the dharma of thusness. While 衣 includes work clothes (samu-e), nyoho-e typically refer to robes (okesa and rakusu). These are made by hand according to the guidelines set down in the Vinaya, the rules of discipline that form one of the three sections of the Buddhist canon.

Koun Franz elaborates: "Nyohō is being in accord with the Dharma. In traditional monastic terms, nyohō is discussed in terms of color, materials, and size as they relate to food (how it is prepared, how it is served, how it is received), clothing (robes), and shelter (the relational dimensions of the monastery itself). But the idea of nyohō extends into every aspect of our lives, and invites the larger question, 'What does it mean, in this moment, to express the Dharma?' What informs such a practice? And what are the ingredients of creating an atmosphere of practice for others?"

Where in the Vinaya are teachings about Buddha's robe?

The particular style of nyoho-e we sew at Sanshin is mainly based on two Vinayas: the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya and the Mulasrvastivada Vinaya. Content from the Dharmaguptaka Vinaya was translated into Chinese in the first century and described the color of monastic robes from five Indian Buddhist sects. It also prescribed the number of pieces to be sewn and the characteristics of the cloth. Jiun Onko, a Shingon Vinaya priest in Edo period (1603 - 1868 CE) Japan, rediscovered and revived nyho-e by extensively studying these two Vinayas as well as some classic texts containing commentaries on the kesa.

Why doesn't Sanshin make and wear the ornate embroidered brocade and gold robes that Buddhist clergy use in Japan?

The majority of Buddhist clergy in Japan wear commercially-made, ornate okesa which have been developed as ceremonial garments, while at Sanshin we make and wear okesa that follow the nyoho-e rules of tai (materials), shiki (color) and ryo (amount). Interestingly, shiki refers to rupa, or form, in addition to color. Under the rule of shiki, nyoho-e don't display any of the five primary colors (blue, yellow, red, white and black) because they create attachment and desire. Instead, we use modest, quiet colors that don't conjure up feelings of luxury or arouse greed or envy in others who encounter the robe. To do this, we use mixed or broken colors that are blends of two or more primary colors and are rather dull and nondescript. Usually those colors are blue toned (including blue-black and dark green), red toned (including reddish-black and greenish rust) or yellow toned. By not using all of our favorite bright colors and by minimizing the contrast between the pieces of our nyoho-e, we set the robe aside somewhat from everyday clothes as a field of practice, and its form is consistent with Buddha's teaching. You can read more about the guidelines for robes in Kesa no Kenkyu.

How come some people's rakusu look like a patchwork of different colors?

One style of nyoho-e is choyo-e (帖葉衣) or zeccho-e (lit. a bundle of cloth strips), in which the kagami is made from one whole piece of fabric rather than from smaller pieces sewn together. The yo, or borders that form the grid-like pattern across the rakusu or okesa, can be made of strips of a different fabric and appliqued onto the robe. It's important to know that we don't choose this style as a special art project or a means of personal expression -- it's simply what happens when there isn't enough fabric to cut, fold and sew the kagami as usual and additional fabric has to be used also to make up enough material to complete the robe. Even if the choyo-e style is our only option, the second fabric should be close in color and texture to the first in order to minimize contrast and maintain a quiet dignity.

How come some zagu have white lining, but the ones at Sanshin don't?

Indeed, the commercial zagu that come from a shop for Buddhist supplies are made with one layer of white cloth. However, Sanshin follows the teachings of the Vinaya, Buddha's monastic code, as Sawaki Roshi did when making robes and related items. Nyoho-e style okesa and other robes are made according to two different Vinaya, the Dharmaguptaka (Four Part) Vinaya and the Mulasarvastavada Vinaya. During the 18th century, Jiun Onko, a Shingon monk who studied these two Vinaya extensively, revived the okesa made according to the Buddha's teaching. This is the tradition that was picked up and carried on by Sawaki Roshi.

According to these codes, the zagu must have two layers -- a front and a back -- and these must be in a dark, muted or mixed color appropriate for the okesa. White was not considered appropriate because it was commonly worn by laypeople in India. You can read more about the guidelines for zagu and robes in Kesa no Kenkyu. Unfortunately, the Dharmagputaka Vinaya and Mulsarvastivada Vinaya are only in Chinese and in classical Japanese today; there is no modern Japanese or English translation.

Can I listen to music or watch TV while I'm sewing okesa at home?

Please consider your sewing time at home to be the same as a session with your sewing teacher. Okesa sewing is a practice, the same as zazen. It shouldn't be confused with regular household sewing like mending, or with craft or art projects like quilting or embroidery. You'll eventually finish sewing your okesa, but finishing is not your goal. The main point of practice isn't achieving a goal, but being wholehearted in your action, paying attention to each stitch and maintaining the relaxed-but-straight posture. This will enable you to keep going physically while you maintain your focus by silently reciting the verse namu kie butsu (Return to the Buddha).

Before beginning your home sewing practice session, you may wish to break preoccupation by putting on your rakusu, lighting a candle, offering incense, and doing three full bows at your home altar. If you want to intensify your practice, you might also chant the robe verse at your altar before taking up your sewing. When you finish sewing for the day, carefully put your things away and do three more full bows at your altar.

Great Robe of Liberation: A Study of The Kesa
(free to read online)
Compiled by Echu Kyuma, supervised by Kodo Sawaki
Translated by Koun Franz and Yuko Okumura

Echu Kyuma-roshi’s Great Robe of Liberation, since its original publication in 1967 (as Kesa no Kenkyuu), has served as an indispensable resource for anyone wanting to study, sew, or wear robes in the Soto Zen Buddhist tradition. Kyuma-roshi, a longtime student of both Kodo Sawaki-roshi and Kosho Uchiyama-roshi, generously shares his research and personal experience, presenting a kind of technical manual with in-depth explanations of everything from the proper color, size, and materials of a robe, to the actual sewing, to how to wear it and care for it.

Woven throughout those discussions is an examination of the evolution of the robe—how it has taken shape in the vinaya and in our own Soto Zen tradition—and ultimately how we can understand it as an expression of the dharma. Great Robe of Liberation, now translated into English for the first time, is a loving, curious, and rigorous exploration of the one object that most clearly symbolizes and embodies the practice of Zen Buddhism.

Studying the robe

Encountering the robe

Making the robe