It was an affiliate of the White Plum Asanga, an association of Zen centers stemming from the tradition of Taizan Maezumi.

The founder and Abbot of Kanzeon Zen Center was Dennis Genpo Merzel Roshi, who resigned in 2011 amidst controversy.

Kanzeon Zen Center was the home temple and the hub of Kanzeon Sangha International, founded by Genpo Roshi in 1984, with affiliate teachers, centers and groups in the US and seven European countries.

News reports stated that the center was deeply financially in debt to Merzel.

[1] Media related to Kanzeon Zen Center at Wikimedia Commons