Exploring the life of Minamoto no Yoritomo reveals a striking fact: in medieval Japan, the concept of "Kegare" (impurity or defilement) was believed to be a destructive, negative force far more terrifying than we can imagine today.

To the people of that era, Kegare was not merely a matter of being "unclean." It was viewed as a spiritual "contagion" capable of destroying entire communities. Contact with death or blood was considered the ultimate impurity. It was believed that once a person bore such defilement, they not only lost the protection of the gods and buddhas but were also shunned by society as a harbinger of disaster. For Yoritomo, who was raised as a "sacred" elite with imperial lineage, the daily life of a samurai—constantly stained by the blood of gruesome battles—must have been an unbearable horror, as if his very soul were sinking into an irredeemable mire. At the time, the established Buddhist sects in Kyoto offered no salvation; they merely turned their backs on those burdened by the "impurity of blood," telling them they were destined for hell.

It is said that Yoritomo found a way forward by adopting Rinzai Zen, which had just arrived from mainland China. This was more than a simple change of faith; it was a monumental turning point that effectively rewrote the spiritual foundation of the Japanese people. The Zen teaching of "Fuku-fujo" (Neither Stained nor Pure) offered a logic of reversal that overturned the common sense of the time: it taught that neither impurity nor purity exists inherently—they are merely shadows created by one's own mind. In this rational intelligence of "looking inward to proactively discipline the spirit," Yoritomo likely found the essential support he needed to survive as a warrior.

In fact, we of the Kajiwara family, who operate this store, are descendants of Kajiwara Kagetoki, a senior vassal who served Minamoto no Yoritomo. We have been practitioners of the Rinzai Zen sect for generations. When I reflect on our ancestors' history—how they stood by Yoritomo, shared his struggles, and found salvation through Zen—I feel that the act of "clearing defilement and aligning the spirit" is a mission deeply etched into our own lineage.

Had Yoritomo clung to old superstitions or religions based solely on external salvation, the Japanese culture we enjoy today might never have been born. The Zen aesthetic of "stripping away the unnecessary to reveal the essence" became the source of various "Do" (Ways) such as Sado (Tea Ceremony), Ikebana (Flower Arrangement), Kodo (Incense), and Karesansui (Dry Landscape Gardens). It is even suggested that this "aesthetic of subtraction" fascinated Steve Jobs in Silicon Valley centuries later, leading to the sophisticated minimalism of the iPhone. It is a fascinating historical connection to think that Yoritomo’s decision to seek refuge in Zen to escape the "impurity" of Kamakura ultimately influenced the design of modern technology.

Just as the samurai of the past sought to overcome "spiritual impurity" through Zen, the Japanese people have consistently shaped their culture by adopting new perspectives whenever faced with the challenges of their era. Today, we face the challenges of "the impurity of decay" and the "difficulty of maintenance" inherent in living plants. Kogei Bonsai (Craft Bonsai) takes the inevitable "impurity" of rotting or dying wood and filters it through Zen-like intelligence, sublimating it into an eternal, ideal "form." Much like the innovation of Yoritomo choosing Zen, this is a modern form of "wisdom"—designed to strip away the noise of daily life and bring unchanging tranquility to our living spaces.