PETZOLD, Bruno. Breslau 1873 — 1949. German Journalist and Buddhist Priest in Japan. Studies at Leipzig and Berlin. Worked as newspaper correspondent in Paris and London in 1896/1902-07. In 1908 he went to China to work in the German-language Tagblatt für Nord China and 1910 to Japan. Wrote articles for Kölnische Zeitung and acquainted himself with Tendai Buddhism, which he then officially joined (ordained priest 1920). In 1917-43 taught German and Latin at Dai-ichi Kōtōgakkō. Married Norwegian musician Hanka Schjelderup (1862–1937), one son. His Buddhist teachers were D. Shimaji and Sh. Hanayama.

Publications: “Die Triratna; Grundsätzliches űber das Wahre des Buddhismus”, Jubiläumsband hrsg. von Deutschen Ges. für Natur- und Völkerlunde Ostasiens. 2. Tokyo 1933, 328-388.

– Goethe und der Mahayana Buddhismus. 87 p. Kyoto 1936 (from Japanese Goethe Jahrbuch).

– “Les classifications du Bouddhisme”, Bulletin de la Maison Franco-Japonaise 8, 1937, 127-157.

– “Trīṇi Śikṣāṇi or the Three Learnings of Morality, Meditation and Wisdom Leding up to Salvation”, Studies on Buddhism in Japan 2, 1940, 40 p.; other writings mainly on Japanese Buddhism.

– Tendai Buddhism: Collection of the Writings of Bruno Petzold. 430 p. Yokohama 1979.

Sources: K.Y. McVey, “BurunoPetzoldscrolls collection at Harvard-Yenching Library and its digitization project”, 2012 in https://www.eajrs.net/files/happyo/Yamada_McVey_Kuniko_12.pdf; nla.gov.au; German Wikipedia with photo.