A beneficial way to use your time is interpreted from Kenko Yoshida's Tsurezuregusa. What is the "unconventional" and free life we learn from a poisonous poet?
The working title, "Tsurezure", means "I have nothing to do, and I have nothing to have, and I have free time a lot."
A)
1)
All the great people in history were born with genius and worked extremely hard, so there's no way I could do the same. Usually, you would think that this would be useless.
If you study people often, you will find this is not true. Those who have been successful in the end have been passed on to future generations, and when you look at what each person does, many things make you think, "This is so human''.
For example, Kenko Yoshida, an intellectual of the Kamakura/Northern and Southern Courts period, is one of them.
B)
2)
Don't worry about common sense! The idea that "a life of leisure" is beneficial
"I sit at my desk all day, leaving things to my leisure...''
This is the beginning of "Tsurezuregusa", which almost always appears in classical textbooks.
3)
It means something like "I'll leave it to my spare time and sit in front of the inkstone all day", but why did the author, Yoshida Kaneyoshi, have so much spare time?
Kenko Yoshida was born into a venerable family of the Urabe clan, priests of the Yoshida Shrine in Kyoto. Although some aspects of his life are unclear, he is said to have served Emperor Go-Nijo as a Kuroda (secretary) at 19. He left this post in his mid-twenties and entered the priesthood around thirty.
4)
In Tsurezuregusa, Kenko wrote, "For some reason, I don't understand how a man can work for his master morning and evening and look after his home. "
He meant: "What is so interesting about working in the palace every morning and evening and caring for the family?"
It seems that he wanted freedom rather than living within the framework of the world.
5)
He also wrote: "It is foolish to be used for fame and gain and to suffer all one's life without rest." "It is foolish to live a life of suffering, chasing after greed for honour and profit, and not even having time to be quiet."
In other words, Kenko did not have "too much free time'' but instead thought that a life with free time was beautiful and put this idea into practice.
C)
6)
What I want are cultural relations and a free position.
Although Kenko became a monk, he never entered a temple and underwent strict Buddhist training. Although he became a priest, he is a man of rigorous training, and without freedom, he is the same as a court servant.
7)
He then lived in a hermitage on Yokogawa, Mt. Hiei, and was in contact with some of the leading cultural figures of the day through waka poetry.
Although he was a 'hermit', he lived where he could go to the centre of Kyoto at any time. Kenko probably thought, "I don't want to work hard for money or career advancement, but I want to cultivate human relationships."
He tried to use his literary talent and lead a cultured life, and he valued a way of life that was not influenced by existing frameworks such as government officials or monks.
8)
Before and after becoming a priest, he went to Kamakura twice and lived there for a while.
During this time, he was treated by Sadaaki Kanazawa, who later became the 15th regent of the Kamakura shogunate. In Kyoto, he learned waka poetry from Tameyo Nijo, who rose to the rank of Gon Dainagon and was counted among the four kings of Tameyo's disciples.
9)
During the Northern and Southern Courts period, he also interacted with the Ashikaga brothers, Takauji and Tadayoshi, and Takauji's butler, Moronao Ko. While he sought freedom for himself, his friendships were surprisingly luxurious.
Cultural relationships and a free position were the way of life that Kenko sought.
D)
10)
I don't work hard in my career or education—Kenko Yoshida, who mastered the life of a free man.
"Since birth, you have wished to become like this."
Kenko wrote in the first paragraph of Tsurezuregusa: "What I wish to do is the way of actual writing, the way of composition, waka poetry and Kangen.
11)
When we think of "wishes", we tend to think first of things that benefit ourselves and our families, such as money, career advancement and health.
But Kenko wanted to be a role model for others through literature, the performing arts and traditional etiquette. Kenko, who probably lived for more than 70 years, was not a successful person in the world, but it is imaginable that he continued to be respected by those around him as a 'quirky man of culture'.
12)
Kenko disliked the way of life that conformed to the common sense decided by the world.
In "Tsurezuregusa", there are some sentences that abuse others with harsh words, such as "Is this the way to disrespect people? In today's terms, is it a cultured person who posts dry comments on SNS? It can be said that Kengo, who has found a "place" outside of common sense, can write such sentences.
13)
In addition, as a "hermit", Kenko enjoyed interacting with high-ranking figures, transcending social status and political standpoints. He was the ultimate free man who made it his life's goal not to be "influenced" by anything.
Kenko Yoshida left the palace service and became a hermit, and even when he entered the priesthood, he refused to be influenced by Buddhist training.
14)
It is precisely because of his unconventional way of life, not seeking success in life or education, that he had a significant influence on later generations as the author of Tsurezuregusa, one of Japan's three great essays (along with "Makura no Soshi" and "Hojoki").
Knowing that the person's "what you wished for" has come true and that the name still lives on in Reiwa may make you smile, even if you are dry.
A beneficial way to use your time is interpreted from Kenko Yoshida's Tsurezuregusa. What is the "unconventional" and free life we learn from a poisonous poet?
The working title, "Tsurezure", means "I have nothing to do, and I have nothing to have, and I have free time a lot."
https://otonasalone.jp/365908/
Tsurezuregusa Emaki(Pictures paper roll book)
https://www.suntory.co.jp/sma/collection/gallery/detail?id=780
