Now, let's take a look at section 7.
This section has an atmosphere that views life as something transient and empty. At first, let me explain a few words in this section.
Adashino is a cemetery located in the northwest suburb of Kyoto. There is a Buddha temple still now, and the name of the place itself used to represent graves. Toribeyama (鳥部山) is crematorium located in the eastern mountain of Kyoto. Therefore, the word "smoke" doesn't mean just smoke. It is the smoke from burning corpse. He says that life is vaporous, just like dews of Adashino, and the smoke of Toribeyama.
In this section, he states that "to die, at the latest, before one reaches forty, is the least unattractive". From this statement, I can deduce he is still young at that time. The day when each section was written is still unknown, but current study estimates that Kenko organized the texts which had been written over many years in his closing life.
Therefore, the earlier sections of his essay might have been written in earlier of his age. In fact, when you compare his earlier sections to later ones, you will observe that very earlier sections are written with young sensitivity.
On the other hand, in later sections in his essay, "death" is being treated as a motif that is the more desperate event. Comparing with the latter sections, his view of death in this section is far from the final stage.
Now, let's take a look at section 8.
This section describes what seduces a man is a woman. Of course, the time when this section was written is unknown, but whether it was written before or after that he left home to live the life as a Buddhist monk, it seems that Kenko was uneasy and wonder if he can really give up the "lust". For young Kenko, it was difficult to extinguish this kind of desire.
"The holy man of Kume" is a famous character which appears not only in this essay, but also in other historical works. He was a hermit who reached a cloistered sanctuary, and acquired the supernatural powers eventually. The story of "the holy man of Kume" and "washerwoman" is very famous which is originated in Anthology of Tales from the Past, written in the Heian Period. So famous that the name of "The holy man of Kume" is even used as a name of Japanese sake. According to the story, after his fall, "the holy man of Kume" married the washerwoman, and established Kume Temple in the land.
To be continued on Part 4
