Ekai Kawaguchi was a Japanese monk who was one of the first foreign travelers to Tibet.

(By Tsem Rinpoche and Pastor Niral)

Ekai Kawaguchi was a Japanese Buddhist monk, known for his travels to Tibet and Nepal in the late 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. He described his travel to Tibet in his book “Three Years in Tibet”.

Childhood and Background

Ekai Kawaguchi describes his travels in his work ‘Three Years in Tibet’ which was originally published in Japanese.

Ekai Kawaguchi was born on the 24th February 1866 and named Sadajiro. He was the eldest among five children and was Christian by birth. At the age of only 15, his direction in life turned unexpectedly after he read about the life of the Buddha. He developed a passionate urge to become a monk and decided to live by the Shojin vows. These included a strict adherence to vegetarianism, abstinence from alcohol and celibacy.

At the age of 25, he was ordained as a monk at the Gohyakku Rakunji. His name changed to Ekai Jinko which means “Ocean of Wisdom, Wide Virtue.” He became the rector of his Monastery in Tokyo but gave up the position in 1891 in order to dedicate his time to studying a large collection of Buddhist books in the Chinese language, to meditate and learning Pali in Kyoto. He lived in seclusion at the head temple of Obakusan to translate difficult classical Chinese texts of the Tripitaka into Japanese. Realising the need to refer to the original manuscripts for accurate translation, he decided to leave for Tibet in 1897.

The Gohyakku Rakunji Monastery as it stands today. It is located in Tokyo prefecture, Japan.

India

It took Kawaguchi a few years before he reached his goal of traveling to Tibet. He first stayed in Darjeeling, India for several months, living with a Tibetan family to learn the Tibetan language.

Nepal

In 2003, the Government of Nepal issued a postal stamp in commemoration of Ekai Kawaguchi’s various visits to Nepal.

Kawaguchi had to cross either Bhutan or Nepal to reach Tibet. He chose the route through Nepal as there were many Sanskrit manuscripts to study there and sacred Buddhist pilgrimage sites to visit. He was also the first Japanese to enter Nepal as it was forbidden to foreigners. Kawaguchi decided to disguise himself as either a Tibetan or Chinese monk and use less frequented routes. Kawaguchi had to maintain his undercover identity during the whole trip. He travelled through Kathmandu, across high Himalayan Mountains into Tibet. He was not well equipped and had only limited information and support. But he reached his goal, Lhasa, in 1900.

During his second visit to Nepal, in March 1905, he offered a 100-volume set of the Tripitaka to the Prime Minister of Nepal. It is currently kept in Kathmandu, at the National Archives. The then Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana offered Kawaguchi various Sanskrit manuscripts in return. Kawaguchi also collected many other Sanskrit manuscripts, Buddhist scrolls, paintings, and religious objects while in Nepal.

One of the letters that Ekai Kawaguchi wrote to the King of Nepal

During his third visit to Nepal, Ekai Kawaguchi advocated for the unity of Asia and Pan-Asianism in his letter to the prime minister. Nepal being the birthplace of Gautam Buddha deserved to benefit from Japanese science and technology. Kawaguchi also offered suggestions for the development of Nepal various and diverse fields, such as education, political and financial administration, industrial development and infrastructure.

During a pilgrimage to Lumbini in 1912, Ekai Kawaguchi witnessed animal sacrifices to Maya Devi, the mother of Buddha, who was mistaken by the local people to be a Hindu Deity. He requested Prime Minister Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana to prohibit animal sacrifices, who issued a decree prohibiting animal sacrifices at Lumbini.

Tibet

The journey from Japan to Lhasa took almost four years. He stayed at many monasteries and made pilgrimage around the sacred Mount Kailash in west Tibet. Besides being the first Japanese to visit Tibet, he also was the first foreigner who stayed for more than one year in Lhasa, the ‘forbidden city’. He studied at the Sera Monastic University in Lhasa and gained a good reputation as a doctor.

His travels are described in his book “Chibetto Rzoko Ri,” or “Three Years in Tibet”. His book is an important witness as it portrays his journey as well as the social, religious and political situation in India, Nepal and Tibet. In the 1920s he assisted the German Theravada monk Nyanatiloka, the first teacher of another pioneering traveler to Tibet, Lama Anagarika Govinda.

Upon his return to Japan, many people began to be curious about distant Tibet. He gave talks about Tibetan customs and manners but especially monastic immoderation and corruption, superstition irritated him a lot. On the other hand he had great respect for the religious and political leaders and had made many friends during his travels.

Extracts from Three Years in Tibet

Regarding Shigatze

During his visit to Tibet, Ekai Kawaguchi traveled to Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, seat of His Holiness the Panchen Lama.

The town before me was Shigatze, the second capital of Tibet, and the palatial building was the Tashi Lhunpo Temple. The name means ‘a glorious mass’ or ‘Mount Sumeru,’a legendary mountain mentioned in Buddhist Scriptures. The monastery owes its name to its founder, Gendun Tub, who thought that the mountain at the rear of the temple resembled Sumeru.

The Lama Superior of this temple is regarded as the second Grand Lama of Tibet, for, though he does not possess any political influence, yet with regard to the rank bestowed by the Chinese Emperor he is superior even to the Dalai Lama himself. Sometimes a kind of regency under this ‘second Grand Lama’ takes place during the interval between the Dalai Lama’s death and the enthronement of what in Tibet is believed to be his re-incarnated self.

This second Grand Lama is commonly called Panchen Rinpoche, but his real title is Kyab-kon Chen-bo, meaning ‘Great Protector,’ while his name is Lobsang Choe-ki Nima, the ‘noble-minded religious sun’. I was told he was eighteen years old, having been born in the year of “sheep,” and was believed to be an incarnation of Amida-nyorai. At the time of my visit he was away at a distant palace, so that I could not see him.

– Ekai Kawaguchi, Three Years in Tibet.

Regarding Sera Monastery

Ekai Kawaguchi was fascinated by the Tibetan Buddhist method of learning through dialectic debate.

I was admitted as a student of the first class, in which priest-students varying from boys in their teens to men in the forties and fifties were studying the Buddhist catechism, according to the Tibetan fashion. Their way of studying was so interesting and active, and they were so earnest and fervent, that one would have thought they were quarrelling with one another while discussing.

The catechism is a very pleasant performance, and the ways of questioning, emphasis, and intonation are quite interesting. The catechised sits in a certain attitude, and the questioner stands up with a rosary in his left hand, and walks towards him. He stretches out his hands with the palm of the left hand downwards and that of the right hand upwards and claps them together, uttering the words, Chi ! chi tawa choe chan. Here ‘ Chi ‘ means the heart of the Bodhisattva Mañjushri and its utterance is supposed to make the questioner one with Him, whose real body is knowledge. The rest of the utterance literally means, “in that nature of the truth.” The sense of the whole is “We shall begin the discussion following the nature of Truth as it is manifested in the Universe.” Then the discussion begins in earnest according the rules of the logic of Nyaya. The first question, for instance, may be whether Buddha was human or not. Whether the answer is in the affirmative or the negative, the questioner goes on to ask; “But he was not above mortality, was he?” If he be answered in the affirmative, he will say that it could not be so, for Buddha was no more than mortal. The answerer, if bright enough, will then reply that Buddha, though himself above death, submitted himself to it in his incarnated body. He must say also that Buddha had three bodies, called in Samskrit Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya, and in Tibetan, Choeku, Lonjoeku and Tulku. These terms mean: ‘The all pervading body consisting of the purest virtue of Truth in him’, ‘the body derived from his countless virtues, enjoying complete happiness with the light of Truth,’ and ‘the body derived from his boundless mercy and transcendental knowledge for the good of all beings.

If the catechised shows any weak point in his answers, the questioner never fails to take advantage of the opportunity, and drives him on, saying for example that Buddha was a real man born in India. Whether the answer be in the affirmative or negative, he will go on asking many questions in succession, and that with so much animation that, when he utters the words of a question, he beats time with hands and feet. The teacher always teaches the catechists that the foot must come down so strongly that the door of hell may be broken open, and that the hands must make so great a noise that the voice of knowledge may frighten the devils all over the world, by a fearless heart and a brave attitude. The object of the questions and answers is to free the mind from all worldliness, and to get into the very bottom of Truth, giving no power to the devils of hell in the mind.

– Ekai Kawaguchi, Three Years in Tibet.

Meeting with the Dalai Lama

Ekai Kawaguchi’s fame grew as he was helping many people through medicine and acupuncture. Because he was helping poor priests in the monastery, he was invited to the Royal Court for an audience with His Holiness 13th Dalai Lama, Gyalwa Rinpoche Thubten Gyatso. In his book, Kawaguchi shares his account of the audience and how it came about. He was even praised by the Court Physician, who said he would recommend Kawaguchi to become the Court Physician:

Due to his work healing poor monks through medicine and accupuncture, Ekai Kawaguchi has the great honour of meeting His Holiness 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso.

The Dalai Lama was dressed in a cloak different from that of a common priest. He had on a silk hood and a great robe called sanghati and under it a fine putuk of Tibetan wool about his waist. His under dress was what is called Lema woven of the best Chinese sheep wool. He wore a fine Papal crown on his head though he is said to be often bare-headed, with no crown at all. He held a rosary in his left hand. He was then aged twenty-six. He is about five feet eight inches high, a moderate height in Tibet.

The Dalai Lama looks very brave. His eyebrows are very high, and he is very keen-eyed. Once a Chinese phrenologist remarked that the Tibetan Pope would bring about war one day, to the great disturbance of the country, for though brave-looking, he had an unlucky face. Whether the prophesy comes true or not, he really looks the very man of whose face a phrenologist would be sure to say something. He has a very sharp and commanding voice, so that one could not but pay reverence in his presence.

– Ekai Kawaguchi, Three Years in Tibet.

A statue honouring the traveling monk Ekai Kawaguchi at Shichidou-station, Osaka in Japan.

Ekai Kawaguchi brought back to Japan a large collection of Tibetan scriptures. After his return he was an independent monk and lived with his brother’s family. He earned some income from the publication of his scholarly work. He was wrongly accused of being a spy in Tibet and he refused to assist the military police when they approached him. He passed away in 1945.

Three Years in Tibet – The Text

Below you can find a copy of the original version of Three Years in Tibet, authored by Ekai Kawaguchi, in which he recounts his journey to Tibet and the adventures he had. This book includes the original Japanese illustrations.

Three Years in Tibet
(download PDF)

The text above were sourced from a legitimate book-hosting service offering these texts for free download. It is made available here for purely educational, non-commercial purposes.

Three Years in Tibet – Japanese Illustrations

Ekai Kawaguchi’s book Three Years in Tibet was influential in many regards, one of them being the original Japanese illustrations that were included in the book. For most of the world, these illustrations were the first visual glimpse of life inside of Tibet. At the time Tibet was closed to all outsiders as the country adhered to a policy of self-isolation, and only a few, such as Ekai Kawaguchi were able to set foot inside its borders. Therefore the illustrations served as the earliest visual materials of what life in Tibet was like. Here are some of those illustrations.

An audience with the Dalai Lama. Click to enlarge.	A night in the open and a snow leopard. Click to enlarge.	A sand storm. Click to enlarge.
A scene from the Monlam Festival. Click to enlarge.	Attacked by robbers. Click to enlarge.	A vehement philosophical discussion. Click to enlarge.
Entering Tibet from Nepal. Click to enlarge.	Fallen into a muddy swamp. Click to enlarge.	Funeral ceremonies: cutting up the dead body. Click to enlarge.
Je Tsong Kha Pa. Click to enlarge.	Lama Sengchen Dorjechan. Click to enlarge.	Meditating in the face of death. Click to enlarge.
Pema Chungne (Padmasambhava). Click to enlarge.	Priest fighting with hail. Click to enlarge.	Procession of the Panchen or Tashi Lama in Lhasa. Click to enlarge.
Reading the texts. Click to enlarge.	The final ceremony of the Monlam. Click to enlarge.	Attacked by dogs and saved by a lady. Click to enlarge.
Struggle in the river. Click to enlarge.	Inner room of the Dalai Lama’s country house. Click to enlarge.	Lake Manasarovara. Click to enlarge.
Meeting a furious wild yak. Click to enlarge.	Outline of the Monastery of Tashi Lhunpo. Click to enlarge.	Outline of the residence of the Dalai Lama. Click to enlarge.

The pictures above have been extracted from Three Years in Tibet and made available here for purely educational, non-commercial purposes.

The Kawaguchi Ekai Memorial Museum

It was in 1899 that Ekai Kawaguchi arrived in the small town of Marpha, in the Mustang District of Nepal. It was there that he lived for two years, all the while making his secret preparations to cross over the border into Tibet. The house in which he lived has been turned into a small museum showcasing some of the items he left behind. While there, it is said that he studied the sacred Kangyur and Tengyur texts housed in the small chapel of the house.

The town of Marpha was a strategic location for Ekai Kawaguchi. It was out of the way, virtually immune to raids by bandits, yet provided him with the necessities he needed to prepare for his journey into Tibet. These days the town is known for its amazing landscape, idyllic outcroppings of apple and apricot trees, and as an overnight stop for trekkers on the Annapurna Mountain Range Circuit.

Address:
Ekai Kawaguchi’s Home
Ekai Kawaguchi Memorial Trust
Marpha-1
Mustang
Nepal

Ekai Kawaguchi’s House in Marpha, Mustang District, Nepal.

The view of the front of Ekai Kawaguchi’s home

The house in Marpha, Nepal, where Ekai Kawaguchi lived for two years before his daring journey into Tibet

The wooden exterior detail of the house

The view of the scenic landscape from the house

Part of an exhibition on the life of Ekai Kawaguchi at the Mustang Eco-Museum, in the neighbouring area of Jomsom, Nepal

A look inside the kitchen of the house in Marpha, Nepal, where Ekai Kawaguchi stayed for two years before traveling to Tibet.

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/EkaiAddition-Kitchen.mp4

The inside of the small chapel of the house, where Ekai Kawaguchi read and studied the holy Kangyur and Tengyur texts of Tibetan Buddhism

Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/EkaiAddition-ShrineRoom.mp4

Spirit of Exploration

Two great explorers, Ekai Kawaguchi with Alexandra David-Néel, and her adopted son Aphur Yongden in July 1917.

In addition to meeting royalty, politicians and personalities of the day, Ekai Kawaguchi was also acquainted with Alexandra David-Néel. She was a Belgium-French explorer, who also traveled to Tibet. Often known as the ‘first western woman to reach Lhasa’ she is also considered to have been the ‘first Buddhist in France.’ She published many books about Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism, and is considered a great explorer herself. Ekai Kawaguchi and Alexandra David-Néel met each other while in the waiting room of His Holiness the 13th Dalai Lama, when His Holiness was in exile in Kalimpong, India, between 1910-1913. While talking to each other, they realised that they were both keen explorers and became friends. They were only ever to meet again in person once, when Alexandra David-Néel visited Japan in 1917.

The Three Diaries

Pages from the long-lost diary of Ekai Kawaguchi, found in 2016

Thought to have been lost, the three hand written diaries detailing Kawaguchi’s journeys in Tibet, were found in 2004, 2005, and 2016 respectively. The last journal, found at the Tokyo home of his then 90-year-old niece, includes the account of his escape from Tibet, and his grueling 400-kilometer journey to Darjeeling, India. Interestingly, the diary contains accounts that he left out of his book Three Years In Tibet, such as details of his stay in Lhasa and the specific Buddhist teachings he received or studied at various sites in Nepal and Tibet.

However, events listed in the diaries have allowed Japanese historians to confirm the authenticity of information contained within Three Years in Tibet, which had a policy of closing its borders to outsiders at the time due to its policy of isolation. It was only after Kawaguchi returned to Japan that he dictated the story of his journey, which was published in 1904 as Three Years in Tibet. This book is known as the first book which started the travel book genre in Japan. This discovery once again reiterates the fact that Ekai Kawaguchi is considered a pioneering explorer, one of the founders of Tibetan Studies in Japan, and an great ethnologist.

Pictures of Ekai Kawaguchi

The Ekai Kawaguchi Memorial plaque in Boudha, Nepal. Click to enlarge.	Ekai Kawaguchi dressed in ceremonial Tibetan costume. Click to enlarge.
Ekai Kawaguchi performing a Tibetan Buddhist ritual. Click to enlarge.	Ekai Kawaguchi dressed as a Tibetan lama. Click to enlarge.
Ekai Kawaguchi in the Japanese robes of his Buddhist order.	Ekai Kawaguchi in 1909 before he left Japan on his travels. Click to enlarge.

Three Years in Tibet – Various Editions

Over the years Three Years in Tibet has been published again and again by a variety of publishing companies. Below are just some examples of the editions of the book available to purchase.

Published in 2005 by Bibliotheca Himalayica. Click to enlarge.	Published in 2016 by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. Click to enlarge.	Published in 2012 by Forgotten Books. Click to enlarge.
Published in 1995 by Book Faith. Click to enlarge.	Published in 2010 by Nabu Press. Click to enlarge.	Published in 2013 by HardPress Publishing. Click to enlarge.

Books about Ekai Kawaguchi

Ekai Kawaguchi’s legacy is apparent in the sheer number of history books that mention his life and work. He has been so influential that a number of works have been written about his impact to the world of ethnography and exploration. Below are just two such examples:

A Stranger in Tibet. Scott Berry, 1990, Kodansha International	Ekai Kawaguchi: The trespassing insider. Adhi Subedi, 1999, Mandala Book Point

Disclaimer: All contents, images and/or videos in this post are freely available online. They are reproduced here for purely educational, non-commercial purposes only. Tsemrinpoche.com does not claim ownership on the intellectual property rights of the any of the materials reproduced in this article. Any subsisting intellectual property rights or copyrights belong to the legal over of the contents, images and/or videos.

 
For more interesting information:

• Kazi Dawa Samdup: a Pioneering Translator of Tibetan Buddhist Texts
• Professor Garma C.C. Chang -The Illustrious Pioneer
• Herbert Guenther – Master of Languages & Buddhism
• Alexandra David-Néel
• In the Footsteps of Joseph Rock
• Trode Khangsar – a 400 year-old Dorje Shugden Chapel in Lhasa
• BBC: Lost World of Tibet
• Nepal Pilgrimage Full Videos
• 16 Unique Places in Japan
• Nepal is the Land of Spirituality Beauty and Mystery
• Mount Kailash and More
• His Holiness the Greath Thirteenth
• I Visited the Holy Jokhang Temple Lhasa 2008
• Rapping Monks of Japan!

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