Ekai Kawaguchi

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Ekai Kawaguchi (1866–1945), born Sadajiro, was a Japanese Buddhist monk who became famous for visiting Nepal and Tibet. He was the first known Japanese person to travel to both countries.

From a young age he wanted to be a monk and kept strict vows of vegetarianism, chastity, and temperance. He was critical of corruption in Japanese Buddhism. He served as the head of the Zen Gohyaku Rakan Monastery in Tokyo until 1891, then lived as a hermit in Kyoto studying Buddhist texts. Frustrated with the Buddhist world in Japan, he decided to go to Tibet, a place closed to foreigners.

In 1897 he left Japan for India with almost no money. He met Sarat Chandra Das, a Tibetan scholar who helped him reach northern India. Kawaguchi did not know Hindi or Tibetan well but learned Tibetan by talking with locals in Darjeeling.

Crossing the Himalayas with a wary guide, he eventually reached Lhasa after many stops, including a pilgrimage near Mount Kailash. He posed as a Chinese monk and earned a reputation as a healer. He met the 13th Dalai Lama and spent time at Sera Monastery.

In Tibet he studied Buddhism, learned Classical Tibetan, and worked as a doctor. When his cover was blown he fled the country. He tried to stay, but eventually left. He used his contacts to help Tibetan friends imprisoned in Nepal with the support of Nepal’s prime minister. After returning to Japan, his travel writings surprised many with both admiration for some Tibetans and sharp criticisms of others.

Kawaguchi visited Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, in 1912 and returned to Tibet in 1913. He brought back many Tibetan scriptures and debated with other pilgrims about the Dalai Lama’s intentions. He later supported other Buddhist scholars and lived as an independent monk near Kyoto.

He died in 1945. The Nepal government honored his visits with a postage stamp in 2003. He is said to have planted saplings near a Kyoto temple. Kawaguchi urged a return to focusing on Shakyamuni Buddha and practical, lay-centered practice rather than a large pantheon of deities.