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Hojoki: Visions of a Torn World (Rock Spring Collection of Japanese Literature)
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About Hojoki: Visions Of A Torn World
Product Description Japan's capital city of Kyoto was devastated by earthquake, storm, and fire in the late 12th century. Retreating from "this unkind world," the poet and Buddhist priest Kamo-no-Chomei left the capital for the forested mountains, where he eventually constructed his famous "ten-foot-square" hut. From this solitary vantage point Chomei produced Hojoki, an extraordinary literary work that describes all he has seen of human misery and his new life of simple chores, walks, and acts of kindness. Yet at the end he questions his own sanity and the integrity of his purpose. Has he perhaps grown too attached to his detachment? Review "Poet, reporter, social philosopher, monk, Kamo-no-Chomei is one of the great noble and solitary figures in all of Japanese literature, his incomparable Hojoki as relevant today as it was eight hundred years ago. Thanks to Yasuhiko Moriguchi and David Jenkins for this luminous translation and for their brilliant introduction to the ancient masterpiece." -Sam Hamill -- Review "Presents us with insight anew into the depth, compassion, and wisdom of this exquisite classic." -New Asia Review -- -New Asia Review Kamo-no-Chomei was tormented by the instability of the material world. All about him, things were falling apart. There was violence and natural catastrophe. The citizens of old Kyoto were in despair. As so Chomei, a Buddhist monk in 13th century Japan, left the city. He built a small hut for himself in the forested mountains. There he led a pastoral,contemplative, Buddhistic life. Still, there were doubts about whether this was the proper Way. This modern-verse translation has a message as timely and profound as anything written about the Los Angeles riots, the Kobe earthquake, or the horrors of modern war. Hojoki will raise questions, inspire discussion, and move readers with its passionate descriptions of the human condition. Hojoki is one of the wonderfully timeless books about the human experience, the meaning of life, and the proper conduct thereof. -- Midwest Book Review From the Publisher Stone Bridge Press is a leading English-language publisher of Japanese literature in translation. Our ROCK SPRING COLLECTION OF JAPANESE LITERATURE features absorbing and important translations of classical and contemporary Japanese fiction and poetry. We believe that literature is a window into culture and society, and an expression of what is most peculiarly, and universally, human. About the Author Yasuhiko Moriguchi and David Jenkins are writers, teachers, and translators living in Kyoto.
