A jikijitsu (直日^?) (Chinese: chih-jih) is the directing monk in charge of every movement of the monks coming to sit zazen in the zendo in a Japanese Zen monastery. Their position is that of head monk, and they are generally regarded as strict disciplinarians. Their position is considered most desirable to hold in the meditation hall. The jikijitsu also ensures that the monks get to sleep and wake up on time according to a strict protocol.

Originally the name was given to the monk who was assigned to take care of the monastery's robes and bowls. The monks rotated this duty among themselves each day. Today a monk may be appointed to the position for the duration of a sesshin (possibly more than one consecutive day).

The jikijitsu is the timekeeper for sessions of zazen, kinhin (walking meditation), and meals. Times during the daily schedule are signalled with wood blocks called han and with gongs, umpans and handbells.

During zazen, the jikijitsu will walk around the zendo wielding a keisaku (a "staff of admonition" or Zen stick, Chinese: ching ts'e), which is used to strike a student's back when they have lost focus. These strikes are generally not violent, and will often relieve muscle cramps for the individual being struck. They sound like a loud whack and can terrify newcomers, but they "are not particularly painful". In the Rinzai school, the jikijitsu may strike a student without a student's request if they feel the student has gone astray. In the Sōtō school, a student will ask for a blow by placing both palms together in gassho as the jikijitsu walks in front of them.

Shunryu Suzuki (鈴木 俊隆 Suzuki Shunryū, dharma name Shōgaku Shunryū 祥岳俊隆, often called Suzuki Roshi) (born May 18, 1904, Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan; died December 4, 1971 in San Francisco, CA, USA) was a Sōtō Zen monk and teacher who helped popularize Zen Buddhism in the United States, and is renowned for founding the first Buddhist monastery outside Asia (Tassajara Zen Mountain Center). Suzuki founded San Francisco Zen Center, which along with its affiliate temples, comprises one of the most influential Zen organizations in the United States. A book of his teachings, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, is one of the most popular books on Zen and Buddhism in the West.

Shunryu Suzuki was born May 18, 1904. His father, Butsumon Sogaku Suzuki, was almost fifty at the time and was the head abbot of a small Soto Zen temple. His mother Yone was the daughter of a priest and had been divorced from her first husband for being too independent. Shunryu grew up with an older half brother from his mother's first marriage and two younger sisters.