John Toler, abbot of Seisen-An Temple in Ouda, Nara Prefecture, died of heart failure on Nov. 14 at the temple. He was 75 years old and a key link in the history of foreigners living in postwar Japan.
Toler was an unlikely choice to end up as one of the only Westerners ever to become a Zen temple abbot.
Born Sept. 3, 1931, in Idalou, Texas, Toler graduated from Texas Tech University majoring in journalism. He was drafted for the Korean War and sent to Japan in 1954. After a stint in Sendai, he moved to Tokyo and began studying Japanese.
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