It is one of those wonderful historical coincidences that Zen Buddhism arrived in Japan at a time when political, economic and social forces converged in such a way as to foster outstanding achievements in the arts.
In 1180, Minamoto no Yoritomo had just installed himself in Kamakura as the first shogun of Japan and was trying to shake himself loose from the decadent aristocrats of Kyoto and the powerful clergy in Nara. The nation had re-established links with China, hungrily absorbing the new arts and technology that had developed there during the Heian Period, a time of relative isolation for Japan.
Bushido, the way of the warrior, was just beginning to take shape. Bushi warriors valued duty and loyalty to their master above all personal concerns. With a sword as their only worldly possession, samurai lived, at least in theory, for a life of honor and glory. Death was the only alternative, defeat or disgrace were not. The meaning and transience of life as explained in Zen teachings was a perfect fit with these ideals.