Although it is clear that Zen played some role in the medieval waka tradition (and vice versa), textual uncertainties and controversies have long complicated scholarly efforts to determine the extent. While a considerable amount of scholarly ink has been spilled on the topic in Japanese, the mysteries of waka and Zen have yet to be taken up in any systematic fashion in English. In seeking to remedy this lacuna, this article introduces scholarship and debates on the topic (especially in Japanese), identifies areas for future research, and offers annotated translations of select poems. Topics introduced include: Zen in the imperial anthologies; waka attributed to Zen monks and nuns, such as Dōgen, Mugai Nyodai, Musō Soseki, and Ikkyū; waka and Zen practice; recent scholarship on the 1543 kōan collection Shōnan Kattō Roku (translated by Trevor Leggett as The Warrior Koans or Samurai Zen), which contains waka; and dedicatory sequences featuring Zen monks.
