Fukudenkai: Sewing the Buddha's Robe in Contemporary Japanese Buddhist Practice

Abstract

This paper discusses twentieth-century Buddhist robe study and sewing groups called fukudenkai that were established after World War II by the Sōtō Zen priest and scholar Sawaki Kōdō (1898-1965) and his disciples. The term fukudenkai refers to a metaphor of spiritual efficacy (a field of merit) that the robe embodies, and many participants believe that the act of sewing the robe in a context of meditation and formal Zen practice produces merit. Sawaki's promotion of faith in the Buddhist robe as equivalent to faith in the Buddhist teaching is based on two essays by Dōgen (1200-1253), who is revered as the founder of the Japanese Sōtō Zen lineage. In addition to Sōtō commentaries on Dōgen's essays, Sawaki also made use of the texts and practical robe sewing techniques developed by the pioneering Shingon scholar, Jiun Ōnkō (1718-1804). The form and materials of fukudenkai robes are quite different from the modern forms established by the Sōtō administrative office, whose regulations guide commercial robe makers. Fukudenkai groups thus provide an alternative to the centrally controlled commercial culture of robe making in contemporary Japan.