Ikkyū and the Crazy Cloud Anthology

Arntzen's classic study and select translation of the Japanese medieval Zen poetry Crazy Cloud Anthology (Kyunsh ) by the Buddhist monk Ikky (1394-1481) is a carefully revised edition of the 1986 University of Tokyo Press edition which was issued as part of the Japanese series of the UNESCO collection of representative works.

This Quirin Press Edition offers the following features:

Fully revised, updated, and expanded by the author. Contains additional selected poems from Ikky's Kyunsh with text in Chinese script, and Japanese kundoku reading in Romanization. Carefully typeset and proofed for typographical errors and inconsistencies. Includes a new Preface and Afterword.

Keywords:      Zen poetry, Japanese -- Translations into English. | Ikky , 1394-1481. | Buddhist monks -- Japan.

Ikky Sjun (1394-1481), Zen monk and poet, is an unconventional figure in Japanese literary history. An eccentric personality, he raged at the corruption and hypocrisy of the wealthy Zen monastic system of his day. Defiantly living outside that institution for much of his life, his community included artists, actors, and women entertainers/ brothel girls. Many of his poems have sexual desire at their core, engaging with it as a kan. Authentic Zen master as well as sensual lyricist, Ikky created some of the most original poetry in the entire Zen tradition.

Translations from the Crazy Cloud Anthology, or Kyunsh , Ikky's major collection of poetry in literary Chinese, form the core of this work. Ikky's biography and historical context of medieval Japan are outlined in the first part of the introduction. The analysis sections provide a portal for the reader to enter the world of the poems by demonstrating how Ikky's poetry produces experiences of Zen most often through the dialectical use of allusion.

Ikky's non-conformism in response to a troubled, uncertain time will strike a sympathetic chord in the modern reader. Students of Japanese literature and religion, culture and history will find Ikky an engaging figure. And lovers of poetry will be inspired by his candour and free spirit.

Originally published by University of Tokyo Press in 1986 as part of the Japanese series of the UNESCO collection of representative works, the present Quirin Press edition both augments and revises this seminal exploration of Ikky's key poetic output.