AUTHENTIC JAPANESE  COOKING  CLASS  AT  HOME
IN  KAMAKURA
 Class in English with Mariko

What is "Shoujin cuisine"

 

 

Shojin cuisine (Buddhist devotional cooking) is said to have originated from the essay, Tenzo Kyokun (Instructions for the Cook), written by Dogen Zenji, founder of Eiheiji Temple and the Soto school of Zen Buddhism.

 

The essay is full of teachings, such as the need to cook in a spirit of gratitude for the food. With these teachings as their foundation, contemporary Zen priests still prepare and eat shojin ryori as a kind of disciplinary practice.

 

The word “shojin” does not refer only to single-minded devotion to ascetic practices, but considers the preparation and eating of a meal as a discipline that refines the spirit, just like Zen meditation.

 

Shojin cuisine equates to the vegetarianism with which we contemporary folk are familiar. According to the five precepts of Buddhism, it is forbidden for a monk to take a life, and Mahayana Buddhism also prohibits the eating of meat.

 

Shojin cuisine thus emerged as a way of cooking that worked resourcefully with vegetables, beans, and grains so that food could be offered to monks.

 

 

 

Shojin cuisine as the Origin of Japanese Cuisine

 

At first glance, shoujin cuisine appears simple and plain, but the efforts put into best utilizing nature’s ingredients to make the food even more delicious can be seen throughout the cuisine.

 

The initial selection of seasonal ingredients, then their careful preparation, the complex cooking methods, and finally the delicate and beautiful presentation that exists in shojin cuisine can be seen as the origins of Japanese cuisine.

 

The simple flavorings that are a characteristic feature of shojin cuisine serve to heighten the flavor of the ingredients.

These principles are the foundations of Japanese cooking (including shoujin cuisine) and are also the foundations of present-day kaiseki ryori.

 

 

 

The First Zen Dojo in Japan

 

Kencho-ji Temple was built during the Kamakura period (1185–1333). Several kinds of religion tended to co-exist in most Japanese temples of the time, but Kencho-ji was devoted solely to Zen Buddhism, and was the first dojo in Japan to practice pure Zen.

 

                        a soup that is a typical example of Japanese home cooking, is in fact a shoujin cuisine dish born at the Kencho-ji Temple.  There are even a many Japanese who are unaware of the origins of                         soup.

 

 

 

The Teachings of Zen and Shojin Ryori

 

The practice of eating is a completely standard part of our daily lives.

However, the act of eating is in fact very sacred. This is because we sustain our lives through the taking of other life.

 

For practicing monks, eating is also an ascetic practice. In Zen temples, sutras are read both before and after meals in order to symbolize this. Also, meals are taken in a solemn atmosphere. Naturally, no one speaks, for even the sound of chewing is forbidden. 

 

Meals in the family home are an important setting for communication amongst family members, and so it is not necessary to do things in the style of Zen temples. The important thing is to not waste food and to be sure to say grace and give thanks for the meal.

 

I am not a vegetarian, but I firmly agree with Zen with regards to the act of eating. From the shojin ryori dishes that I learned in Kamakura, I have selected recipes that can be easily prepared at home and teach these in my classes.

 

Shoujin cuisine identifies six flavors or tastes: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, spicy and light. Another distinctive feature of shojin ryori is its cooking method.

This is a very delicate way of cooking that brings out the "umami" flavor and allows one to fully savor the taste of the seasonal ingredients that are used.　

 

Although I am not a vegetarian, I do incorporate shojin ryori into my normal meals because it is so healthy and flavorsome.

 

When cooking shoujin cuisine at home yourself, please be aware that there is no rule that states that you must have the complete set of ingredients in order to cook a particular dish.

Shoujin cuisine involves making resourceful use of the ingredients at hand. Such an approach is also regarded as true to the spirit of Zen.