Memorial Day & David Chadwick

On this 36th Katagiri Roshi Memorial Day, I also honor historian, archivist, and author David Chadwick (1945-2026), whose work was important to this project. Sadly, he passed away in Bali on February 23.

Chadwick's teacher was Shunryu Suzuki, but he also knew Dainin Katagiri well, and practiced with him at various times. Stories about Katagiri Roshi that Chadwick recounted in his books: Thank You and OK! An American Zen Failure in Japan (1994) and Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Zen Teaching of Shunryu Suzuki (1999), warmed my heart and were tremendously helpful when I was doing research for my essay, “Ceaseless Effort: The Life of Dainin Katagiri.”
 
The vast archive of print material that Chadwick gathered on his Cuke.com website was also important to my research. Original audio and transcripts of interviews he conducted with many of the folks who were there for the early days of Soto Zen in America are also on Cuke.com. And in 2024 he started the Cuke Audio Podcast, interviewing 100 more people with various connections to the San Francisco Zen Center, Tassajara, and Green Gulch Farm. Many of his interviews gave me new insights into Katagiri Roshi’s life in California and Minnesota.
 
So, with a bow of deep appreciation I say, “Thank you, David, and may you rest in peace.”
Andrea Martin