Unsung heroes of old Japan, Unsung heroes of old Japan by Isoda, Michifumi, 1970- author, 磯田道史, Carpenter, Juliet Winters, translator instant download

Unsung heroes of old Japan, Unsung heroes of old Japan by Isoda, Michifumi, 1970- author, 磯田道史, Carpenter, Juliet Winters, translator instant download

207 pages ; 22 cm, \"True stories of three little-known Japanese of the Edo period who lived lives of sublime selflessness and purity, blurring the boundary between self and others. Merchant Kokudaya Jūzaburō comes up with a brilliant scheme to rescue his dying town from poverty. He and others go deep into debt, risking all to raise money for the cash-strapped daimyo and receive annual interest in return. Prodigious scholar and former Zen monk Nakane Tōri refuses a government post and elects to live in abject poverty, weaving sandals. Though perhaps the age's greatest poet, he throws his works into the fire and ends his days teaching in a country village. Ōtagaki Rengetsu, a noted beauty in Kyoto, loses two husbands and five children. She becomes a Buddhist nun and devotes her life to poetry and pottery. With her savings she feeds the hungry and builds a bridge across Kamo River\"--Publisher's website, Includes bibliographical references (page 206), Kokudaya Jūzaburō (1719-1777) -- Nakane Tōri (1694-1765) -- Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791-1875)