Komuso “Basket” monks - A Komusō (虚無僧) was a Japanese monk during the Edo period. Komusō were characterised by the straw basket (Tengai) worn on the head, manifesting the absence of specific ego. They are also known for playing solo pieces on the Shakuhachi flute. The Japanese government introduced reforms after the Edo period, abolishing the sect: Komusō means ”priest of nothingness” or “monk of emptiness” - Zen
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Ninja – Japan’s Secret Warriors
A komuso Buddhist monk in Kamakura, Japan. Komuso monks travelled widely on pilgrimage, hiding their faces under straw hats to help them to achieve humility. They were adherents of Fuke Zen Buddhism, and they used to be a common sight in Japan. They played the shakuhachi flute both as a form of meditation, and to call for alms. Ninja may have disguised themselves as komuso monks so they could travel freely throughout the country without arising suspicion.
Komuso - 1904 - Julian Cochrane
Komuso - 1904. A komusō (虚無僧 / こむそう) was a Japanese Fuke Zen monk during the Edo period. Komusō wore a woven straw hat which covered their head completely looking like an overturned basket or a certain kind of woven beehive; the hat symbolized their lack of ego. What the hat also did was remove their identity from prying eyes. Because of this last point, the komusō was sometimes also used as a disguise by samurai- esp. rōnin- and perhaps also ninja. Komuso were outlawed in the Meiji era due to s
