Kyudo Nakagawa (中川 球童, 12 February 1927 – 29 December 2007) was a Japanese‑born Rinzai Zen Buddhist rōshi. He is noted for his leadership of the Soho Zen Buddhist Society, Inc. in New York City and for serving as abbot of Ryūtaku‑ji, a historic Rinzai monastery in Japan. He was a Dharma heir of Soen Nakagawa, though they were not related by blood.
Early life and education
Born Myōsho Nakagawa in Ichijima‑cho, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, Nakagawa entered monastic life at the age of eight. He pursued Buddhist studies at Komazawa University, a prominent institution for Buddhist scholarship, before joining the training hall Gukei‑ji.
Zen training
At age thirty, Nakagawa entered Ryūtaku‑ji, where he trained under Soen Nakagawa, a distinguished Rinzai master. He received Dharma transmission from Soen, becoming his successor in the lineage.
International teaching and leadership
In 1968 Nakagawa was sent to Jerusalem to head Kibutsu‑ji, a Zen center founded by Soen Nakagawa, where he remained for thirteen years. After returning briefly to Ryūtaku‑ji, he moved to New York City and became the head teacher of the Soho Zen Buddhist Society, Inc., which operated the Soho Zendo on West Broadway in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. He also made periodic teaching visits to England, leading sessions for the London Zen Society.
Abbot of Ryūtaku‑ji
Following the death of Soen Nakagawa in 1984, Sochu Suzuki became abbot of Ryūtaku‑ji. After Suzuki’s death in 1990, Nakagawa succeeded him as abbot, a position he held until his own death in 2007.
Later years and death
Kyudo Nakagawa died on 29 December 2007 at the age of eighty. After his death, the Soho Zen Buddhist Society’s practice center in Manhattan closed.
Legacy
Nakagawa is remembered for transmitting Rinzai Zen teachings to Western practitioners and for maintaining the historic lineage of Ryūtaku‑ji. Among his students was author Lawrence Shainberg, whose memoir Ambivalent Zen provides a personal portrait of Nakagawa’s teaching style and influence.