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Counting Dreams

The Life and Writings of the Loyalist Nun Nomura Bōtō

Roger K Thomas author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Cornell University Press

Published:15th Oct '21

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Counting Dreams cover

Counting Dreams tells the story of Nomura Bōtō, a Buddhist nun, writer, poet, and activist who joined the movement to oppose the Tokugawa Shogunate and restore imperial rule. Banished for her political activities, Bōtō was imprisoned on a remote island until her comrades rescued her in a dramatic jailbreak, spiriting her away under gunfire. Roger K. Thomas examines Bōtō's life, writing, and legacy, and provides annotated translations of two of her literary diaries, shedding light on life and society in Japan's tumultuous bakumatsu period and challenging preconceptions about women's roles in the era.

Thomas interweaves analysis of Bōtō's poetry and diaries with the history of her life and activism, examining their interrelationship and revealing how she brought two worlds—the poetic and the political—together. Counting Dreams illustrates Bōtō's significant role in the loyalist movement, depicting the adventurous life of a complex woman in Japan on the cusp of the Meiji Restoration.

Translations of two diaries are included here: one recounts a trip to the capital and encounters with other loyalists; the other was written during her imprisonment. [The translations] provide a clear sense of the daily life of an observant, sensitive, well-educated woman who cared deeply about poetry, politics, and people.

* Choi

ISBN: 9781501759994

Dimensions: 229mm x 152mm x 30mm

Weight: 907g

354 pages