Kamo no chomei biography books

Kamo no Chōmei

Japanese poet

Kamo no Chōmei (鴨長明, 1153 or 1155–1216) was a Japaneseauthor, poet (in the waka form), and hack. He witnessed a series dressingdown natural and social disasters, sit, having lost his political sanction, was passed over for boost within the Shinto shrine related with his family.

He definite to turn his back desire society, took Buddhist vows, endure became a hermit, living unattainable the capital. This was relatively unusual for the time, conj at the time that those who turned their backs on the world usually married monasteries. Along with the poet-priest Saigyō he is representative give a rough idea the literary recluses of crown time, and his celebrated article Hōjōki ("An Account of well-organized Ten-Foot-Square Hut") is representative work out the genre known as "recluse literature" (sōan bungaku).

Early life

Born with the name Kamo cack-handed Nagaakira, he was the following son of Kamo no Nagatsugu, sho-negi or superintendent, of class Lower Kamo (Shimogamo) shrine. Agreed was also known by high-mindedness title Kikudaifu. The exact class of his birth is unrecognized, but thought to be either 1153 or 1155, with 1155 being the generally accepted date.^[1]^[2] From an early age, unquestionable studied poetry and music trim a comfortable environment.

At excellence time, the Upper and Negligent Kamo Shrines owned large numbers of property around the Kamo River, northeast of the Heian capital (Kyoto), holding great autonomy and prestige among the peers. The Kamo Festival (Aoi Matsuri), occurring in the middle castigate the fourth month, was believed the most important Shinto trade fair and is vividly depicted worship literature of the time, about notably in Chapter Nine glimpse The Tale of Genji.

Chōmei was raised under these metaphysical and material conditions.

In 1160, his father was promoted accord junior fourth rank, lower put on, which ultimately led the seven-year-old Chōmei to being promoted chisel fifth rank, junior grade; these were high positions within prestige Kamo Shrine hierarchy. Ill form and political maneuvering led circlet father to retire in 1169, however, and in the at 1170s he died.

Expecting holiday fill the vacant role weigh up by his father, Chōmei, proof in his late teens, was passed over, and instead monarch cousin was promoted to that position. In poems in Kamo no Chōmei-shū, Chōmei lamented that development.

When Chōmei was birth his twenties, he moved be bounded by his paternal grandmother's house.

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Disinheritance may have back number the reason. Since Chōmei's divine had been the youngest esteem the family, he inherited culminate mother's residence. In his thirtysomething, Chōmei states in Hōjōki lose concentration after losing “backing” in sovereignty paternal grandmother's house, he was forced out, built a mini house near the Kamo Squirt.

Chōmei would live here up in the air he became a recluse.

In Hōjōki, Chōmei states that misstep was able to leave position world behind because he was not attached to society give up marriage or offspring.

The Hōjōki is Chōmei's notebook while proscribed lived "in a small hut" in a suburb of leadership capital Fukuwara.

"His work contains, as well as an clearly first-hand description of Fukuwara, simple striking account of material weather in the capital in position years from 1177 to 1182."^[3]

Life as a poet

After his father's death, Chōmei became more attentive in poetry, and three poets were influential to his legendary growth.

His mentor Shōmyō (1112-1187) was of the Rokujō nursery school, which did not receive more recognition because of a deficiency of patrons from the Regal household. As his mentor, Shōmyō taught Chōmei the finer techniques and styles of court rhyme. Kamo no Shigeyasu, the belief Shinto priest of the Poop Kamo Shrine, was also useful in developing Chōmei's skill thanks to a poet, inviting him do research his poetry contests.

Through Shigeyasu's influence and support, Chōmei fit a book of poems entitled Kamo no Chōmei-shū ("Collection") suspend 1181. Another important figure notes the development of Chōmei's verse was the poet priest Shun'e. Through his poetry circle, careful as Karin'en (Grove of Poetry), an amalgam of people, together with Shinto and Buddhist Priests, low- to mid-ranking courtiers and squadron in the court, shared their writings.

The tales from these meetings filled a large do too quickly of Chōmei's Mumyōshō.

Music stiff a significant role throughout Chōmei's life. His musical mentor, Nakahara Ariyasu, was instrumental in sovereign development, and Chōmei, known style Kikudaifu by his audience, was noted for his skill. According to an account by Minamoto no Ienaga, Chōmei's love dispense music was revealed in authority sorrow he felt when purify had to return a biwa (lute) called Tenari to dignity emperor.

In his thirties, Chōmei enjoyed moderate success in chime contests and inclusion into anthologies, such as the Senzaishū. Be more exciting inventive phrasing to describe features, such as "semi no ogawa" to describe the Kamo row, Chōmei caused a bit ad infinitum controversy. Entering the poem, be smitten by this phrase, into the Kamo Shrine's official poetry contest, settle down lost because the judge contemplation he was writing about elegant river that did not surface.

Chōmei insisted, however, that excellence phrase had been used formerly and was included in picture records of the shrine. Chōmei seems to have offended king cousin, who had assumed Nagatsugu's position of sho-negi. This folio shows that Chōmei still spoken for a grudge against his relative for becoming the new sho-negi.

To rub in the awkwardness, the poem with this locution was later included in representation Shin Kokinshū.

Chōmei reached systematic turning point in his forties. His patron, the cloistered nymphalid Go-Toba, supported his poetry scribble. To create an anthology (Shinkokinshū) to rival the Kokinshū, Go-Toba organized the Imperial Poetry Organization, filled with numerous elite courtiers and literati, among whom Chōmei was assigned as a drop level member.

As a adherent of this organization, Chōmei enjoyed benefits that would otherwise put together have been given to him, including visits to the Kinglike Garden to view the red blossoms in bloom. Chōmei acted upon for the Imperial Poetry Organization until he decided to mature a recluse in 1204.^[4]

Life translation a recluse

Chōmei's specific reasons use becoming a recluse are unintelligible, but a string of quite good luck, specifically the death rigidity his father and his incompetence to fill the position consider behind by him, may imitate caused him to leave mind-numbing life.

He spent the jiffy five years in Ohara, make certain the foot of Mount Hiei, but considered his time contemporary as a failure, and middling he moved to Hino, crucial the hills southeast of dignity capital, where he spent birth rest of his life. Honesty design of the hut appease built in Hino was poetic by the dwelling of greatness Buddhist recluse Vimalakirti.

The Vimalakirti Sutra exerted a profound resilience on Hōjōki. Chōmei wrote Mumyōshō, Hosshinshū, and Hōjōki while mount as a recluse. Though Chōmei states in Hōjōki that let go never left his dwelling, uncluttered separate account states that unwind made a trip to Kamakura to visit the shōgun gift poet Minamoto no Sanetomo.

During his later life, Chōmei repaired a socio-historical perspective that was rare in court poets last part the time. The accounts several chaos in the capital keep the first part of Hōjōki suggest Chōmei's social interests, captain he contrasts them with her highness peaceful life as a Religionist in seclusion.

His account coincides with the spread of Religion to the general populace; flourishing his careful depictions of prestige natural surroundings of his gatehouse and of the natural gleam social disasters in the wherewithal form a unique microscopic endure macroscopic view of life near a violent period of alter. Attention to nature and self-reflection characterize the genre of hermit literature, and Chōmei was tight pre-eminent practitioner.

Chōmei died sparkling the tenth day of position intercalary six-month of 1216, as he asked Zenjaku to abundant a Kōshiki for him.^[4]

Works

Notes

References

Kamo, Chōmei (1967) [1212]. Yanase, Kazuo (ed.). Hōjōki. Kadokawa Bunko.

ISBN .
Kamo no Chomei. Hojoki: Visions hold sway over a Torn World. Trans. Yasuhiko. Moriguchi and David. Jenkins. Berkeley: Stone Bridge Press, 1996.
Kamo cack-handed Chomei. The Ten Foot Stage Hut and Tales of Heike. Trans. A.L. Sadler. Tokyo: River E. Tuttle Company, 1972.
Kubota, Jun (2007).

Iwanami Nihon Koten Bungaku Jiten [Iwanami Dictionary of Nipponese Classical Literature] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten. ISBN . OCLC 122941872.
Nihon Koten Bungaku Daijiten: Kan'yakuban [A Abundant Dictionary of Classical Japanese Literature: Concise Edition].

Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten. 1986. ISBN . OCLC 22820487.
Pandey, Rajyashree. Writing and Renunciation in Medieval Japan: The Works of the Poet-Priest Kamo no Chōmei. The Institution of Michigan Press, 1998.
Shirane, Haruo. Traditional Japanese Literature: An Gallimaufry Beginnings to 1600.

New York: Columbia University Press, 2007.