The most familiar edition of the Shōbōgenzō runs to 95 fascicles, a collection formally compiled in 1244 by Dōgen’s senior disciple, Koun Ejo, with later contributions smoothing out gaps. Yet earlier and regional editions often number only 12, 60, or 75 fascicles. Those shorter versions were shaped by temple lineages who selected texts they found most vital for practice and teaching.

Several factors explain the shifting count and arrangement:

• Manuscript survival: Centuries of war, fires and political upheaval led to loss and fragmentation of original scrolls. Temples in Kyoto, Echizen and later Eiheiji each preserved different subsets.
• Editorial choices: Over time, abbots like Keizan Jōkin and later scholars curated their own “best of Dōgen,” grouping fascicles thematically—wisdom teachings together, monastic codes in another cluster—so the totals bob up and down.
• Intended audiences: A 12-fascicle handbook circulated among traveling monks, while a 75-piece version served regional practitioners. In contrast, the full 95-piece corpus appeals to academic study and serious retreatants diving deep into Dōgen’s language.
• Modern scholarship: Digital humanities projects launched in 2025 have mapped variant lineages, revealing marginal notes that nudge certain texts in or out. As familiarity grows with those digital editions, more temples may adopt the 95-part standard—though some heartily stick to the 60-fascicle set they’ve known for generations.

In practice, this fluidity has become something of a feature rather than a bug. Just as Zen invites each student to bring fresh eyes to ancient words, these editorial mosaics encourage practitioners to explore Dōgen’s teachings from multiple angles—an ever-evolving dialogue rather than a fixed canon.