Acknowledgments Introduction Part I. Beginnings 1. The Pillow Book, by Sei Shonagon 2. Essays in Idleness, by Yoshida no Kenko Part II. The Late Medieval Era 3. Conversations with Shotetsu, by Shotetsu 4. "To Unify the Nation and Restore Civil Society", by Ichijo Kaneyoshi 5. "Cottage of Dreams" and "Three Loves", by Shohaku 6. A Tenbun Miscellany, by The Fujiwara Lay Monk Part III. The Edo Period 7. Laughs to Keep You Awake, by Anrakuan Sakuden 8. "On Ohara", by Kinoshita Choshoshi 9. Haikai Prose, by Matsuo Basho 10. Amusements, by Amenomori Hoshu 11. Window Musings, by Matsuzaki Kanran 12. A Miscellany of Stories, by Morita Morimasa 13. Chats with Myself, by Dazai Shundai 14. Jeweled Comb Basket, by Motoori Norinaga 15. Idle Chats Beneath a Northern Window, by Tachibana Nankei 16. Blossoms and the Moon, by Matsudaira Sadanobu 17. Year by Year: A Miscellany, by Ishiwara Masaakira 18. Behind the Koto, by Murata Harumi 19. Shunparo's Jottings, by Shiba Kokan 20. Unusual People of the Modern Age and Kanden's Crop of Jottings, by Ban Kokei 21. Hoary Stories, by Tadano Makuzu 22. Haikai Prose, by Natsume Seibi 23. Clouds of Floating Grasses Part IV. The Modern Period 24. Autumn Ensemble, by Higuchi Ichiyo 25. Short Works from Long Days, by Natsume Soseki 26. "Snow", by Tokutomi Roka 27. "Desk", by Tayama Katai 28. "Fireworks", by Nagai Kafu 29. "Laughter", by Terada Torahiko 30. "Various Thoughts on the Great Kanto Earthquake" and "My Moral Precepts for Everyday Life", by Kikuchi Kan 31. "Master Hyakken's Idle Fantasies," "Bumpy Road," and "A Long Fence", by Uchida Hyakken 32. "The Image of an Author", by Dazai Osamu 33. "Baby Sparrow," "Turtledoves," and "Morning Glories", by Shiga Naoya 34. Esprit and Humor, by Kawamori Yoshizo 35. "Sleepless Nights" and "A Bed for My Books", by Osaragi Jiro 36. "On Being Down with a Cold", by Kawakami Tetsutaro 37. "The Road", by Shono Junzo 38. "Kitchen," "Raindrops," and "A Memento of the Season", by Koda Aya 39. "On Surgery" and "Rainy Day", by Kono Taeko 40. "Looking for Gloves", by Mukoda Kuniko 41. One, We Count, Then ... , by Takenishi Hiroko 42. Sunday Musings, by Hiraiwa Yumie 43. Not Much of a Book, but Please... and Just Be Sure You're Not a Bother to Anyone, by Dekune Tatsuro 44. "Myna Bird", by Kizaki Satoko 45. "Concerning the Order of Culture", by Shiroyama Saburo 46. "On Zuihitsu", by Sakai Junko
Steven D. Carter is Yamato Ichihashi Chair in Japanese History and Civilization at Stanford University. His numerous books include Haiku Before Haiku: From the Renga Masters to Basho, Unforgotten Dreams: Poems by the Zen Monk Shotetsu, and Waiting for the Wind: Thirty-Six Poets of Japan's Late Medieval Age.
The focused ramble of the traditional Japanese essay format called zuihitsu (literally, 'following the brush') has appealed to writers of both genders, all ages, and every class in Japanese society. Highly personal, these essays contain dollops of philosophy, odd anecdotes, quiet reflection, and pronouncements on taste. In running alongside the main tracks of Japanese literature, this broad collection of zuihitsu brims with idiosyncratic interest. -- Liza Dalby, author of The Tale of Murasaki and East Wind Melts the Ice: A Memoir Through the Seasons Savor a copy of The Columbia Anthology of Japanese Essays, and take a contemplative walk through the Japanese mind, full of poetic turns and pithy longings, ribald humor and lofty aspirations. -- Kris Kosaka The Japan Times Rich and highly enjoyable... This evocative selection serves both as an excellent introduction to the genre for the English-speaking world and as a reminder that, no matter how distant or seemingly different the society, people's individual struggles, aspirations and aesthetics transcend their own times. -- Morgan Giles Times Literary Supplement
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