There are inconsistencies in Dōgen's writing over his career, especially between the twelve-fascicle and the seventy-five-fascicle Shōbōgenzō. The nature of the twelve-fascicle edition, the hermeneutic of interpreting Dōgen's kōan style of writing, and the problems in relating the twelve-fascicle edition to the earlier kōan style of the seventy-five-fascicle edition are examined.