The Ideal Court: Kenko's Search for Meaning - Essay Example

? Critical Analysis and Biography – Paper Two: “Essays in Idleness” - Kenko *for you to complete, please Introduction It is estimated that Kenko (1283- circa1350) wrote “Essays in Idleness” in about 1330. As an organized and published work, the earliest copy of these writings as a text appeared only in 1431. Although this is not the first of his writings – he is also claimed to have been a well-known poet (Beichman, 2008) – this collection of writings has become one of the most important works of Japanese literature. While not much is documented regarding his life, it is known that he was the son of a Shinto priest, an advisor to the Emperor Gouda, and that he became a respected courtier, serving among others, Emperor Gouda’s son. Despite this apparent success at the Imperial Court, he took Buddhist Orders and became a monk at age forty-one, (Carter, Ed, 1989) and left the Court to settle at Mount Hiei. At some later point, he returned to the city, but not to active Court life (Beichman, 2008). Japan at this time was almost constantly in a state of warfare with the Court under threat from warrior factions within Japanese society. The Imperial Court was beginning to fade, the aristocratic order to be replaced by a warrior order, and the conditions in Japan generally were unstable and fluid. Social change was often dramatic and sudden, and similarly to Kamo no Chomei, a century earlier, these changes may have influenced Kenko’s writings (Asia for Educators website, date unknown). Certainly his descriptions of Court life, and the personalities within that, are touched by a tone of regret at the loss of such custom and culture. He writes: “A familiarity with orthodox scholarship … poetry and prose in Chinese …Japanese … music … and if a man can serve as a model to others in matters of precedent and court ceremony, he is truly impressive.” Yet a great deal of his writing also acknowledges the changes taking place around him, recognize the impermanence of things: “The most precious thing in life is its uncertainty.” Thus the author of the 243 sections which make up the Essays in Idleness cannot be categorized as merely responding to the world around him – rather his work can be approached with the interaction between the writings, the world of the author and the world of the reader in mind. A central focus in many sections of the Essays in Idleness is the admonishment to embrace Buddhist philosophy. But juxtaposed with this is the admiration Kenko expresses for the forms and postures of Court life. In the same section of text, he is able to comment: “It is easy to see why the holy man Soga should have said that worldly fame is unseemly in priests…” and “Ordinary nobles appear most impressive … possess a distinctive elegance.” But he reveals a recognizable universal characteristic of humans when he mentions that: “Persons of lower rank … are apt to wear looks of self-satisfaction and no doubt consider themselves most important, but actually they are quite insignificant.” This pragmatic, realistic approach to the world is quite unique, and Kenko expresses a universal truth about the human tendency to self-involvement and arrogance without appearing to be directly or harshly critical. It is ironic that in his own life, he was a low-ranking court official, of course, but he does redeem himself when he expresses that a hermit “might seem more admirable”, a life path he seems to have selected for some time, at least (all the above from: Section 1). He also reveals a yearning for the past – perhaps most directly in these extracts, but acknowledging that things are transient, and cannot be everlasting. The traditional, the old, displays a sense of craftsmanship and pride lacking in Kenko’s “modern” times. He calls these “modern fashions … more and more debased.” Indeed, even modern language has “coarsened” according to Kenko in Section 22. But he does, even in this critique of the modern, acknowledge the inevitable changes in the world: he does not take on himself a direct criticism of modern language – instead he attributes it to “an old gentleman.” Other sections of the writing are more directly Buddhist in nature, and their commentary takes a more philosophical approach. He writes of the uncertainty of life as “precious” and argues that “The longer man lives, the more shame he endures,” encouraging the reader to remain sensitive to the beauty of things, something made more difficult by old age (Section 7). In Section 8 the dangers of sexual desire are named reflecting that man’s heart is “foolish” – yet he still maintains a pragmatic approach in his critique, praising the beauty of women if their appearance and character owe “nothing to artifice.” His argument in this Section is emphasized in his use of particularly the exclamation mark – he strengthens the idea that the heart can dictate actions, even if the individual is aware of the foolishness of sexual desire. Again, the seemingly harsh critique is tempered by a compassion for people and the “glowing plumpness of her arms, legs, and flesh” has to be admired. Simplicity and an “unassuming beauty” are advocated by Kenko if a house is to have “harmonious proportions and a pleasant atmosphere.” Again, a contrast is set up when houses filled with excellent craftsmanship and looked after with the utmost care are “ugly to look at and most depressing.” And yet again, the Buddhist sensibility can be seen in a tale related in Section 10, when a prince stretches a rope across his roof, to prevent kites from access to the roof. This is seen by an observer as being evidence of the Prince’s cruelty and arrogance. Kenko reveals the reality of the situation, when he reveals that the Prince was avoiding becoming distressed – he did not want to see the birds swooping down to kill the frogs, and hence kept the birds away. The preservation of life is an admirable characteristic in a Buddhist, and despite the inaccuracy of the casual observer, Kenko is able to show that reality sometimes belies the appearance of things. As he claims, “A man’s character, as a rule, may be known from the place where he lives.” An excellent example of how Kenko was able to manipulate language to present the unexpected to the reader can be found in Section 11. He describes arriving at a “lonely-looking hut” and praises the atmosphere and appearance of the hut – “One can live even in such a place”. But in the garden, he notices a tangerine tree, laden with fruit. The tree is enclosed by a “forbidding fence”. The reader’s expectation is to hear of his dislike of the fence. Instead, ironically, he writes that he thought: “If only the tree had not been there!” of course, his implication is that the tree should not have been fenced off in this way, but the positioning of his direct thoughts in the reader’s mind strengthens understanding of the aesthetic sense that the writer is conveying. Kenko’s descriptions continually stress the impermanence of the world, and in so doing they encourage humanity to accept this impermanence, if they are to live successfully. The essays are filled with juxtaposition and incompleteness, and it seems that this is the purpose (Chance, 1997). “If man were never to fade away like the dews of Adashino, … but lingered on forever in the world, how things would lose their power to move us!” The reality of life is that only if people accept the fact that they will die, will they be able to appreciate life; life is composed of the contradictions examined in these essays. Even though Kenko’s Essays in Idleness does reflect that he supported the Imperial Court and its traditional ways, they also show awareness and curiosity regarding the less cultured East (Chance, 1989). Despite the disturbances he must have seen in the contemporary social and political life of his time, he still maintains a view that impermanence is the aesthetically most pleasing aspect of life, and that without change, life would be worthless. In a world of change, he advocates the possibility that change can be embraced, while the good in the traditional can be preserved and treasured. His stream-of-consciousness style certainly gained popularity, and has become seminal in literature in Japan even today (Marra, 1991). It indicates a deeply personal response to the changes in his own society, through a predominantly Buddhist philosophical approach, and one in which the impermanence of all things is central. Kenko’s Essays in Idleness presents a text which does not prescribe an interpretation. Instead, it can be used by the reader to enjoy for its simplicity and complexity; its insight and lack of contextual detail; and its revelation of the mind of a writer not seeking to impose his ego on his text or on the reader. References Beichman, Janine (2008) “Review of Kenko’s Essays in Idleness” from Beichman’s Bookshelf Retrieved from http://www.japanjournal.jp/tjje/show_art.php?INDyear=08&INDmon=04&artid=acef46c089bc5fec783c03fa7e665917 Accessed June 8, 2011 Carter, Steven D. (Ed.) (1989) Introduction to Waiting for the Wind: Thirty-Six Poets of Japan's Late Medieval Age New York: Columbia University Press Chance, Linda H. (1997) Formless in Form: Kenko, "Tsurezuregusa," and the Rhetoric of Japanese Fragmentary Prose. Stanford: Stanford UP. “Kenko” Retrieved from http://www.humanistictexts.org/kenko.htm Accessed June 7, 2011 “Kenko’s Essays in Idleness” Retrieved from http://afe.easia.columbia.edu Accessed June 8, 2011 Marra, Michele (1991) "The Ideal Court: Kenko's Search for Meaning," in his The Aesthetics of Discontent: Politics and Reclusion in Medieval Japanese Literature. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press Read More