Hojoki (Visions of a Torn World)

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. Chomei’s verse reveals in its cadence and imagery the sweep of the universe as well as the meanderings of the human heart. (From the back cover.)