Dokko-An Kokugyo Kuwahara was born in 1944 in Tokyo. He studied Psychology, Teaching and Zen-Buddhism and lived in the Rinzai temple of Yamanashi under Omori Sogen Roshi for 4½ years. He became a monk and taught Zen for four years in the international Zen-Dojo "Zen-Kenshujo" in Kanozan. Since 1984, K. Kuwahara has been living in Germany and teaching Zazen and Hitsuzendo.