Hōjōki
 Book cover of Hōjōki: A Hermit's Hut as Metaphor by Matthew Stavros | |
| Author | Kamo no Chōmei |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Recluse literature, Zuihitsu |
Publication date | 2020 |
Hōjōki (方丈記, literally "square-jō record"), translated as An Account of My Hut or The Ten Foot Square Hut, is an important and popular short book of the early Kamakura period (1185–1333) in Japan. It was written in March 1212 by Kamo no Chōmei.
The book outlines the Buddhist concept of impermanence (mujō). It does so through the description of various disasters such as earthquake, famine, whirlwind and fire that happened to the people of the capital city Kyoto.
The author Chōmeihad been a court poet and a player of the biwa and koto in his youth.. In his fifties, he became a Buddhist monk and moved farther and farther into the mountains. He ended up living in a 10-foot square hut located at Mt. Hino.
The book has been classified both as part of the zuihitsu genre and as Buddhist literature. The book is considered as a Japanese literary classic. It is part of the Japanese school curriculum.
Other websites[change | change source]
- Hōjōki, original text at Aozora Bunko (in Japanese)
- English translation of Hōjōki by Robert N. Lawson in 2001, on Washburn University website
- Hojoki (Eremitorium): Latin Translation, by Alexander Ricius
- Reception of Hōjōki with a focus on Sōseki's English translation, by Gouranga C Pradhan
- Chasing a Recluse: Kamo no Chōmei