Readers of medieval Japanese literature have long been captivated by its romance and philosophy. In this volume, two acclaimed thirteenth-century classics,
The Ten Foot Square Hut and
Tales of the Heike, are presented in translation.
The Ten Foot Square Hut (the
Hojoki) takes its title from a four and half mat sized Tearoom, the size of the hut in which the hero of the story, Chomei, lives. It offers the memorable reflections of this sensitive aristocrat who has retired from a world filled with violent contrasts and cataclysms to find refuge in nature and Buddhist philosophy. Though this narrative was written 700 years ago, its message continues to have an astonishing timeliness.
Tales of the Heike (selections from the
Heike Monogatari) deals with the same period but from a different point of view, supplying the background of Chomei’s meditations. It is a collection of episodic stories, written in poetical prose, related to the rise and fall of the Taira clan in twelfth-century Kyoto, one of the great turning points in Japanese history.
The translations, by the late Professor A. L. Sandler, are complemented by an informed Introduction on the background to these masterpieces of Japanese literature.
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Eiji Yoshikawa (1892–1962) was born in Kanagawa, Japan. Although he received little more than a primary education, he authored some 80 novels and more than 180 short stories over the course of his lifetime. Among his best-selling novels are
Mushashi, Way of the Samurai, and
The Heike Story. Credited with elevating popular fiction, Yoshikawa was the first writer of such works to be awarded the Imperial Order of Culture.
Fuki Wooyenaka Uramatsuwas a writer, translator, editor, and teacher. She was a columnist for the English-language Yomiuri newspaper. She graduated from Wellesley College and her many publications include the book
A Bowl of Tea.
Alexander Bennett is a professor of Japanese history and Budo theory at Kansai University. He co-founded and continues to publish
Kendo World, the first English-language journal dedicated to Kendo. He holds black belts in several martial disciplines including Kendo Kyoshi 7-dan, Iaido 5-dan, and Naginata 5-dan. His published works include
The Complete Musashi: The Book of Five Rings and Other Works and
Hagakure: The Secret Wisdom of the Samurai.
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