04/11/2026
From another site: On November 3, 1931, Japanese poet and writer Kenji Miyazawa (1896–1933) recorded a poem that would become one of the most widely recognized works of modern Japanese literature. Known as Ame ni mo Makezu (Be Not Defeated by the Rain), the poem describes a life devoted to simplicity, compassion, humility, and service to others. Today marks the 95th anniversary of the date associated with its composition.
Miyazawa was a poet, children’s author, agricultural educator, and devoted practitioner of Nichiren Buddhism, a Japanese Buddhist tradition centered on the Lotus Sutra. Although he was not a Zen practitioner, his writing explored themes shared across Buddhist traditions, including impermanence, suffering, interdependence, and the cultivation of compassion.
Written during a period of serious illness, Ame ni mo Makezu describes an individual who remains undisturbed by hardship, lives without excessive possessions, cares for the sick and elderly, and responds to the suffering of others without seeking recognition. The poem was discovered in Miyazawa’s notebook after his death in 1933. Its language reflects the ethical aspirations of Mahayana Buddhism, particularly the ideal of the bodhisattva, who cultivates wisdom and compassion for the benefit of all beings.
Miyazawa’s influence eventually extended beyond Japan through the work of American poet and Zen practitioner Gary Snyder. During the 1950s and 1960s, Snyder studied Japanese language, Buddhist literature, and Zen practice, spending extended periods training in Japanese monasteries. His engagement with East Asian poetry became an important influence on the development of American Buddhist literature.
According to translator and scholar Hiroaki Sato, Snyder first encountered Ame ni mo Makezu through Jane Imamura at the Buddhist Study Center in Berkeley. Snyder subsequently translated other works by Miyazawa, helping introduce the Japanese poet’s writing to English-speaking audiences. Their literary connection illustrates how Buddhist ideas moved between Japanese religious traditions and the emerging American Zen community through translation, poetry, and personal relationships.
Miyazawa’s poetry also demonstrates the diversity of Buddhist literary expression. His religious commitments were rooted in Nichiren Buddhism rather than Zen, while Snyder’s practice developed within Japanese Zen traditions. Their connection was literary and philosophical rather than one of formal Buddhist lineage.
The relationship between these two poets represents an important chapter in the history of Buddhism’s transmission to the West. Through poetry and translation, Buddhist teachings concerning compassion, simplicity, and the relationship between individual practice and collective suffering became accessible to new audiences, contributing to the development of American Buddhist literature.
Reading and Resources
Hiroaki Sato — “Miyazawa Kenji: The Poet as Asura?”
https://apjjf.org/hiroaki-sato/2526/article
Iwate Prefectural Library — Kenji Miyazawa Biography
https://www.library.pref.iwate.jp/english/intro-k.html
Poetry Foundation — Kenji Miyazawa
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/kenji-miyazawa
University of California Press — Miyazawa Kenji: Selections
https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt1ppjm0
