Hōjōki: Visions of a Torn World

Kamo no Chōmei (1155-1216) is a famous Japanese author who was prominent during the late Heian period and the early Kamakura period. Chōmei was born to a priest of Shimogamo (Lower Kamo) Shrine, where he studied poetry and eventually won government recognition for his literary talent. Chōmei took Buddhist orders in 1204 and eventually left court life to live in seclusion in the Ohara foothills. Later, he built his small hut near Mount Hino, where he would write several of his most famous works—including “Hōjōki”— and live out the rest of his life.

Chōmei’s reasons for leaving society have never been officially confirmed, but it is widely believed that he grew disillusioned with politics and court life after being passed over for his father’s position at the shrine upon his father’s death. Chōmei himself cites events such as the shifting of the capital (from Kyoto to Fukuhara and back in 1180) and a string of natural disasters like the Famine of Yōwa in 1181 as further reasons for retreating to a peaceful, unattached life in the wilderness.

In addition to “Hōjōki,” Chōmei wrote Mumyōshō and Hosshinshū during his seclusion. Mumyōshō is a book of notes and commentary on poetry, particularly classical waka poetry and its relevant literary theories.