Zen (2009 film)
Introduction  is a 2009 film directed by Banmei Takahashi and starring Nakamura Kantarō II as Dogen, and Yuki Uchida as Orin. The story is based on the novel ''Eihei no kaze: Dōgen no shōgai'' written by Tetsuo Ōtani in 2001.The film is a biography of Dōgen Zenji, a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher. After travelling to China to study, Dogen founded the Sōtō school of Zen in Japan. The Buddhist Film Foundation described it as "a poignant, in-depth, reverent and surprisingly moving portrait of Eihei Dogen."
Reception Russell Edwards of ''Variety'' described it as "The origins of a spiritual tradition are depicted with prerequisite solemnity and a pleasing veneer of arthouse showmanship." Mark Schilling, writing for ''The Japan Times'', gave the film three and a half stars and described it as a "rare serious film about this form of Buddhism, which has had a huge cultural influence but is little understood — let alone practiced — by ordinary Japanese."
Release The film premiered in Japan in 2009.The following year, it had its US debut at the International Buddhist Film Festival.The film was released on DVD and includes a short documentary entitled ''The Zen of Dogen'' with Kazuaki Tanahashi.
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