28-560: Tsurezuregusa ( 徒然草 , Essays in Idleness , also known as The Harvest of Leisure ) is a collection of essays written by the Japanese monk Kenkō (兼好) between 1330 and 1332. The work is widely considered a gem of medieval Japanese literature and one of the three representative works of the zuihitsu genre , along with The Pillow Book and the Hōjōki . Essays in Idleness comprises
56-408: A more accurate translation would be "Notes from Leisure Hours" or "Leisure Hour Notes." Themes of the essays include the beauty of nature , the transience and impermanence of life, traditions, friendship, and other abstract concepts. The work was written in the zuihitsu ("follow-the-brush") style, a type of stream-of-consciousness writing that allowed the writer's brush to skip from one topic to
84-401: A preface and 243 passages, varying in length from a single line to a few pages. Kenkō, being a Buddhist monk, writes about Buddhist truths, and themes such as death and impermanence prevail in the work, although it also contains passages devoted to the beauty of nature as well as some accounts of humorous incidents. The original work was not divided or numbered; the division can be traced to
112-576: A son. Keene was not married. Keene died of cardiac arrest in Tokyo on February 24, 2019, aged 96. In an overview of writings by and about Keene, OCLC / WorldCat lists roughly 600+ works in 1,400+ publications in 16 languages and 39,000+ library holdings. nihonjin no seiyou hakken 日本人の西洋発見 (中公叢書, 1968). Jp trans. 芳賀徹訳 [?trans of 2nd ed] ikiteiru nihon Revised edition published as 果てしなく美しい日本 (講談社学術文庫, 2002). Jp trans. 足立康改 [?mistake. ?Separate work] bunraku kinou no senchi kara Second book in
140-669: Is by Donald Keene (1967). In his preface Keene states that, of the six or so earlier translations into English and German, that by G. B. Sansom is the most distinguished. It was published by the Asiatic Society of Japan in 1911 as The Tsuredzure Gusa of Yoshida No Kaneyoshi: Being the Meditations of a Recluse in the 14th Century . [REDACTED] Media related to Tsurezuregusa at Wikimedia Commons Kenk%C5%8D Urabe Kenkō ( 卜部 兼好 , 1283–1350) , also known as Yoshida Kenkō ( 吉田 兼好 ) , or simply Kenkō ( 兼好 ) ,
168-430: Is the beginnings and ends that are interesting.” Kenkō's work predominantly reveals these themes, providing his thoughts set out in short essays of work. Although his concept of impermanence is based upon his personal beliefs, these themes provide a basic concept relatable among many, making it an important classical literature resonating throughout Japanese high school curriculum today. The definitive English translation
196-770: The ateji form 鬼怒鳴門 . Keene was born in 1922 in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York City and attended James Madison High School . He received a Bachelor's degree from Columbia University in 1942 and studied under Mark Van Doren , Moses Hadas , Lionel Trilling , and Jacques Barzun . He then studied the Japanese language at the United States Navy Japanese Language School in Boulder, Colorado and in Berkeley, California , and served as an intelligence officer in
224-519: The "A History of Japanese Literature" series nihon bungakushi kinseihen nihon tono deai nihon bungaku sanpo nihonsaiken Third book in the "A History of Japanese Literature" series Fourth book in the "A History of Japanese Literature" series koten no tanoshimi Later published by 宝島社, 2000. hyakudai no kakaku: nikkini miru nihonjin Later published by Asahi, 2011 and 2012. [?trans of revised edition] noh, bunraku, kabuki First book in
252-528: The 17th century. The work takes its title from its prefatory passage: What a strange, demented feeling it gives me when I realize I have spent whole days before this inkstone, with nothing better to do, jotting down at random whatever nonsensical thoughts that have entered my head. The poet Shōtetsu , who lived a hundred years after Kenkō, noted that Essays in Idleness resembled Sei Shōnagon 's The Pillow Book in form, being composed of anecdotes, reminiscences, and Buddhist homilies. Another influence on Kenkō
280-405: The 243 sections of his work, but rather wrote his thoughts on random scrap pieces of paper, which he then pasted onto the walls of his cottage. It has been hypothesized that Imagawa Ryoshun, a friend of Kenkō's who was a poet and a general, compiled these scraps into a book, combining them with other essays of Kenkō's found in the possession of Kenkō's former servant, and arranging the material into
308-534: The Pacific region during World War II. Upon his discharge from the US Navy , he returned to Columbia where he earned a master's degree in 1947. Keene studied for a year at Harvard University before transferring to Cambridge University as a Henry Fellow , where he earned a second master's and became a Fellow of Corpus Christi College , Cambridge from 1948 to 1954, and a University Lecturer from 1949 to 1955. In
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#1732771972237336-416: The aesthetics of beauty in a different light: the beauty of nature lies in its impermanence. Within his work, Kenkō quotes the poet Ton’a:“It is only after the silk wrapper has frayed at top and bottom, and the mother-of-pearl has fallen from the roller, that a scroll looks beautiful.” In agreement with this statement, Kenkō shows his support for an appreciation for the uncertain nature of things, and proposes
364-440: The daughter of the prefect of Iga Province , or his mourning over the death of Emperor Go-Uda that caused his transformation. Although he also wrote poetry and entered some poetry contests at the imperial court (his participation in 1335 and 1344 is documented), Kenkō's enduring fame is based on Tsurezuregusa , his collection of 243 short essays, published posthumously. Although traditionally translated as "Essays in Idleness,"
392-485: The fleeting pleasures of life. The Tsurezuregusa was already popular in the 15th century and was considered a classic from the 17th century onwards. It is part of the modern Japanese high school curriculum, as well in some International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme schools. Donald Keene Donald Lawrence Keene (June 18, 1922 – February 24, 2019) was an American-born Japanese scholar, historian, teacher, writer and translator of Japanese literature . Keene
420-434: The idea of how nothing lasts forever is a motivation for appreciation of what one has. Kenkō himself states this in a similar manner in his work: “If man were never to fade away like the dews of Adashino, never to vanish like the smoke over Toribeyama, but lingered on forever in this world, how things would lose their power to move us!” Kenkō clearly states his point of view regarding the nature of things in life, and regards
448-453: The impermanence of life is noted in general as a significant principle in Kenkō's work. This concept is included throughout Tsurezuregusa as a whole, making it a highly relatable work to many as it touches on the secular side among the overtly Buddhist beliefs mentioned in some chapters of the work. Kenkō relates the impermanence of life to the beauty of nature in an insightful manner. Kenkō sees
476-452: The impermanence of things, and it is because of impermanence that beginnings and ends are interesting and should be valued. Irregularity and incompleteness of collections and works show the potential for growth and improvement, and the impermanence of its state provides a moving framework towards appreciation towards life. Kenkō notes, “Branches about to blossom or gardens strewn with faded flowers are worthier of our admiration. In all things, it
504-476: The interim, in 1953, he also studied at Kyoto University , and earned a PhD from Columbia in 1949. Keene credits Ryūsaku Tsunoda as a mentor during this period. While staying at Cambridge, Keene went to meet Arthur Waley who was best known for his translation work in classical Chinese and Japanese literature. For Keene, Waley's translation of Chinese and Japanese literature was inspiring, even arousing in Keene
532-463: The next, led only by the direction of thoughts. Some are brief remarks of only a sentence or two; others recount a story over a few pages, often with discursive personal commentary added. Aside from his magnum opus Tsurezuregusa , another of his works is A Cup of Sake Beneath the Cherry Trees , which is a compilation of reflections and essays of his thoughts, by which it primarily discusses about
560-422: The order they are found in today. The oldest surviving text of Tsurezuregusa has come down to us from Ryoshun's disciple Shotetsu, a fact that appears to support Sanjonishi's account. However, most modern scholars have rejected this account, being skeptical of the possibility that any individual other than Kenkō himself could have put the book together. Throughout Essays in Idleness , a consistent theme regarding
588-451: The perishability of objects to be moving. In relation to the concept of impermanence, his works links to the fondness of the irregular and incomplete, and the beginnings and ends of things. Kenkō states: “It is typical of the unintelligent man to insist on assembling complete sets of everything. Imperfect sets are better.” Within his work, Kenkō shows the relation of impermanence to the balance of things in life. Beginnings and ends relate to
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#1732771972237616-459: The remainder of his life there. He acquired Japanese citizenship, adopting the legal name Kīn Donarudo ( キーン ドナルド ) . This required him to relinquish his American citizenship , as Japan does not permit dual citizenship . Keene was well known and respected in Japan and his relocation there following the earthquake was widely lauded. In 2013 Keene adopted shamisen player Seiki Uehara as
644-495: The thought of becoming a second Waley. Keene was a Japanologist who published about 25 books in English on Japanese topics, including both studies of Japanese literature and culture and translations of Japanese classical and modern literature, including a four-volume history of Japanese literature which has become a standard work. Keene also published about 30 books in Japanese, some of which have been translated from English. He
672-529: Was University Professor emeritus and Shincho Professor Emeritus of Japanese Literature at Columbia University , where he taught for over fifty years. Soon after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami , he retired from Columbia, moved to Japan permanently, and acquired citizenship under the name Kīn Donarudo ( キーン ドナルド , "Donald Keene" in the Japanese name order) . This was also his poetic pen name ( 雅号 , gagō ) and occasional nickname, spelled in
700-491: Was Urabe Kaneyoshi (卜部 兼好), and that his last name was later changed to Yoshida (吉田); all of this was recently demonstrated to be false, according to the latest research by Ogawa Takeo. He became an officer of guards at the Imperial palace. Later in life, he retired from public life and became a Buddhist monk and hermit . The reasons for this are unknown, but it has been conjectured that it was either due to his unhappy love for
728-472: Was a Japanese author and Buddhist monk . His most famous work is Tsurezuregusa ( Essays in Idleness ), one of the most studied works of medieval Japanese literature . Kenko wrote during the early Muromachi and late Kamakura periods . Kenkō was probably born around 1283, as the son of an administration official. Forged documents by the Yoshida Shinto authorities claimed that his original name
756-599: Was president of the Donald Keene Foundation for Japanese Culture. Keene was awarded the Order of Culture by the Japanese government in 2008, one of the highest honors bestowed by the Imperial Family in the country, becoming the first non-Japanese to receive the award. Soon after the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami , Keene retired from Columbia and moved to Japan with the intention of living out
784-465: Was the eremitic tradition exemplified in Kamo no Chōmei 's Ten-foot Square Hut . Kenkō's work has been held in high regard and considered a classic in Japan since the 17th century, but little is known of its composition and publication, and they remain matters of speculation. One of the most popular beliefs about it was first put forward by Sanjonishi Sane'eda (1511-1579), who stated that Kenkō did not edit
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