Gosho-ryu(imperial court style) Shojin ryori, the only vegetarian cuisine in Japan, is about to disappear
The dishes are served one by one.
Kousyun Nishii
Sankouin recipe book for the Western market
This is a dish that has been prepared by unknown ladies-in-waiting and nuns for the former princess, Princess Nun.
KOGANEI-SHI, TOKYO, JAPAN, February 17, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Bikuni Gosho is a temple where generations of princesses have been reincarnated.
The shojin ryori (vegetarian cuisine) handed down there dates back to 680.
Today, this Zen Buddhist culinary style is preserved only at Sankoin Temple in Tokyo.
The Bikuni Gosho was run under the protection of the aristocracy until the Meiji period.
The leading expert in this field, which has not attracted much attention even in Japan, is Barbara Ruch, Professor Emeritus at Columbia University.
Since 1998, Professor Barbara has been working with Sankouin Temple's head priest, Kouei Hoshino, to produce television programs and organize exhibitions about this culture, but the sponsors have been Western companies rather than Japanese ones.
Sankouin is the only nunnery that continues to preserve this vegetarian cuisine in a living form.
The current head chef is Kousyun Nishii, a French cuisine expert with many years of experience appearing on Japanese national television. Now 81 years old, Kousyun Nishii is the cousin of a famous Japanese actress and grew up in France from the age of 16.
He converted to shojin ryori (Japanese vegetarian cuisine) at Sankoin 32 years ago and continues to uphold its traditions.
Although she has a devoted fan base and many disciples, she is not a formal Japanese Buddhist monk.Unfortunately, it was fatal.
Just a few years ago, the temple was stolen by nuns invited by Nishii himself.
Nishii's young disciples have been kicked out one after another, and now Nishii himself has been forced to quit his restaurant and leave the temple.
The reality in Japan is that even people with no connection or attachment to temples or culture can freely run a temple as long as they have the qualifications.
Before Nishii, Sankouin was run by unmarried, childless women, but by inviting women with children and grandchildren to run it, Sankouin is quickly becoming a typical Japanese family-run Buddhist temple.
Hiroshi Hoshino
sankouin
7083853772398
sankouinsns@gmail.com
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