Importance of Japan

Japan is the country of origin for Zen Buddhism. Zen itself came from China where it was called Chan Buddhism. Suzuki was born in Japan and lived there till he was 55. In the book’s Afterword, Chadwick describes that as a young man, Suzuki was disappointed by the poor quality of Japanese furniture and toys that were being exported to the West. He hoped that someday he could export the best of his culture to America.