The Other Side of Zen: A Social History of Sōtō Zen Buddhism in Tokugawa JapanPopular understanding of Zen Buddhism typically involves a stereotyped image of isolated individuals in meditation, contemplating nothingness. This book presents the "other side of Zen," by examining the movement's explosive growth during the Tokugawa period (1600 1867) in Japan and by shedding light on the broader Japanese religious landscape during the era. Using newly discovered manuscripts, Duncan Ryuken Williams argues that the success of Soto