Niwa Renpo 丹羽廉芳

丹羽廉芳 Niwa Renpo (1905-1993)
Niwa Renpo was a prominent Japanese Zen Buddhist priest of the Soto school. He served as the 77th Abbot of Eiheiji, one of the two head temples of the Soto Zen tradition, and later as the head of the Soto Zen school. He devoted himself to the promotion of Baika-style Buddhist hymns and to international Buddhist and religious exchange. During a pilgrimage to Europe, he also met with Pope John Paul II. He is remembered as one of the leading Soto Zen priests of postwar Japan.