1.
komusō; mendicant Zen monk who plays shakuhachi
A Zen Buddhist monk of the Fuke sect who wandered while playing the 尺八 shakuhachi flute as a form of spiritual practice. Recognizable in period dramas by a large basket-like straw hat (天蓋) that covers the whole head.
虚無僧が町を歩いていた。
A komusō was walking through the town.
時代劇に虚無僧がよく登場する。
Komusō often appear in period dramas.
虚無僧は尺八を吹きながら各地を巡り修行した。
Komusō traveled from place to place playing the shakuhachi as religious practice.
Members of the 普化宗 (Fuke) school of Zen, active mainly during the Edo period. They played the 尺八 as 吹禅 ("blowing Zen")—meditation through breath and sound. The Fuke sect was abolished in 1871, but the iconic image of a tengai-hatted komusō remains a fixture of historical fiction.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 虚無僧の尺八: a komusō's shakuhachi
- 虚無僧の天蓋: a komusō's straw hat
- 虚無僧に扮する: to disguise oneself as a komusō