Emmanuel Ryugaku Risacher was ordained a bodhisattva in 1972 and a monk in 1981 by Master Taisen Deshimaru.

A forester by trade, he is one of the managers of the La Gendronnière Zen temple. In January 2000, he left the forests to become a permanent member of staff at the AZI headquarters in Paris.

In November 2008, he received the Dharma transmission from Genshu Imamura Roshi, at La Gendronnière.