Literary Kyoto
Literary Kyoto Cycling Route 京都文学史サイクリングコース
Overview
Kyoto has yet to nurture a modern master but the city has more than its share of literary history and sites.
Japan's best-known living writer, Murakami Haruki, was born in Kyoto, but raised in a suburb of Kobe, and since leaving western Japan for college has been in the Tokyo area ever since. Moreover, he evinces no interest whatsoever in the Kansai region, let alone in Kyoto.
Many writers before him however have taken the exact opposite tack: whether born or not in Kyoto, many of Japan's greatest writers have felt the irresistible draw of the ancient capital.
This ride will visit sites that take in, chronologically, Murasaki Shikibu, Sei Shonagon, Matsuo Basho, Tanizaki Junichiro, Kawabata Yasunari, Mishima Yukio, and the Beat poet Gary Snyder. For those that can read Japanese, David Zopetti's Ichigen-san is recommended [there is now an English translation, but we have yet to read it], and thus there will be a stop at the early 20th-century campus of Doshisha University where he studied.
The route is geographical - one way to the see the sites on a bicycle - not chronological. Hence, the first stop is Sennyuji Temple, in south Kyoto. There is a monument here dedicated to Sei Shonagon (b. 965 C.E.), author of the Pillow Book. Some have likened her sharp prose to an Irish wit who lived some 1,000 years later: Oscar Wilde.
From here, ride north via the Philosopher's Walk. Though this lovely route is more closely related to a Kyoto University philosopher - and not any one literary figure - it is on the way and worth a visit.
Keep heading north until Konpukuji Temple. This is home to the hut in which haiku poet Matsuo Basho stayed and composed one of his well known poems, part of which is noted below:
Even in Kyoto
hearing the cuckoo's cry
I long for Kyoto
From here, it is a fifteen-minute ride to the grave of Lady Murasaki Shikibu. The author of The Tale of Genji is buried south of the Kitaoji - Horikawa intersection. Set in Kyoto in the Heian Period, Genji is considered the first novel ever written. Murasaki (973-1031)'s tale of intrigue among the court of the era revolves around Hikaru Genji, the shining prince. The writer herself was named by UNESCO as one of the "world's great personages." For Nobel laureate Kawabata Yasunari, the novel is "the pinnacle of Japanese literature." Her grave however is a rather sad affair, tucked into a small alley next to a factory.
Continuing west, next is the Golden Pavilion. Kanto writer Mishima Yukio was smitten with Kyoto. His best known work related to the city is The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, which is based on a true incident. In 1950, a monk at the Golden Pavilion set it on fire, destroying the famed temple. Mishima dramatized the event in his novel that stunned Japan. Several films have been based on his rendering of the immolation of one of Japan's best-known temples.
The final part of the ride will head back towards the center of town. North of the Imperial Palace are three sites with literary connections. First is the home of Tokyo born and bred writer Tanizaki Junichiro. He moved to Kyoto following the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. He spent most of his life thereafter in Kyoto and Kobe. He wrote many of his greatest works in Kyoto, including The Key and The Makioka Sisters.
Nearby is Shokokuji Temple, where Gary Snyder sat at Rinko-in. Snyder, a Beat poet and environmentalist, spent time at the temple chanting, doing daily chores and studying Japanese, ultimately becoming a Buddhist.
Next door is Doshisha University, one of Japan's most prestigious and elegant colleges. Here the Swiss writer David Zopetti studied and set much of his novel Ichigen-san. The novel is written in Japanese from the perspective a young foreign student in Kyoto who falls in love with a blind woman. An English translation is now available.
Across the street is the Imperial Palace, which was the setting for much of The Tale of Genji and The Pillow Book.
The last stop is a legendary inn: Hiragiya Ryokan, which is one of Kyoto's premier ryokan. Founded in 1818, it epitomizes old world chic.
Nobel laureate Kawabata Yasunari often stayed here. Below is a noted passage on the inn, where parts of his classic The Old Capital were written.
On a drizzly afternoon in Kyoto, sitting by the window, I watch the falling rain, listen to it's calming sound. It is here, at Hiiragiya, that I wistfully recall that sense of tranquility that belonged to old Japan.
Getting to the Starting Point
From City Hall, ride east across the river to Kawabata Dori. Turn right and head south until Shichijo Dori. Turn left and head east. Head past Sanjusangendo and the Museum on the left. At Higashi Oji Dori, turn right. It is about 10 minutes from this point.
Directions
Ride safe, ride slow, enjoy the view.
Total Riding Time
4 hours.
More Information
Golden Pavilion
1 Kinkaku-ji-cho, Kita-ku, Kyoto; Telephone : 075 461 0013
Entrance Fee
Sennyuji Temple
27 Sennyuji-Yamanouchi-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, 605-0977; Tel: 075 561 1551
Entrance Fee
Sakura no Yu Public Bath (close to the Imperial Palace)
075 231 0491
Entrance Fee: 410 yen
Painting by Suzuki Harunobu, copywrite Boston Museum of Fine Arts
Map
Literary Kyoto Cycling Route
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