On 'Every Day, A Good Day'

Nichinichi kore koujitsu — every day, a good day.

A short phrase from Case 6 of the Blue Cliff Record. It is attributed to Yunmen Wenyan.

On the origin

The Blue Cliff Record (Biyan Lu) is a collection of zen koans assembled in the Song dynasty by Yuanwu Keqin. Yunmen Wenyan lived a little earlier, in the late ninth and early tenth century, and is counted as the founder of the Yunmen school.

The case itself is short. Yunmen turns to the assembly and asks: “Of the days before the fifteenth, I do not ask you. Of the days after the fifteenth, give me a single phrase.” No one answers. In their place, Yunmen speaks the phrase himself: Every day, a good day.

On the reading

Sunny days. Rainy days. Days of joy. Days of grief. No two days are alike.

A “good day” is not given; it is found — in the bare fact of meeting that day, before judgment, before liking or disliking.

A good day does not arrive. It is recognised.

On the garment

The first hosen edition carries this phrase as a seal hand-carved in Tokyo by the artist Satake Hōsen. The print is vermilion, front and back.

The garment is United Athle 5001 — 100% cotton, natural. A plain canvas chosen on purpose. A vessel for the word, not the subject itself.

― hosen, tokyo