Category Archives: Pillow Book
No One Likes a Lazy Exorcist
There are times in life when one hires a religious figure to complete a ceremony or needed task. Whether it is a priest, pastor, rabbi, or shaman, sometimes a spiritual authority is needed and thus summoned. We expect the figure … Continue reading
Filed under exorcism, Pillow Book, Shonagon, superstition, Uncategorized
Make Strange Wagers with Your Boss
Though gambling is one of the remaining taboos in American culture, it was an every day amusement in Heian Japan. Betting was common, whether over competitive games such as Go, who could come up with the best poem, or every … Continue reading
Filed under gambling, Literature, nature, Pillow Book, Sadako, Shonagon
Demand Poems from All Your Friends
In one of the many anecdotes that characterizes Sei Shonagon’s The Pillow Book, Sei, a lady in waiting to the Empress Sadako, (who is the wife of Emperor Ichijo and a niece of Michinaga) goes with the other ladies in … Continue reading
Filed under Michinaga, Pillow Book, poetry, Sadako
