Haikus Inspired by SEI ShŌnagon's Makura No SŌshi Volume III

This bilingual haiku collection is the thirty-first haiku anthology originally written by this author, and was inspired by Makura no sōshi (lit., 'the pillow book'), an essay collection by the court lady Sei shōnagon (c. 966-c. 1025). Makura no sōshi is considered one of The Three Great Essays in Japanese classic literature. Sei shōnagon served Empress Teishi (née, Fujiwara no Teishi, 977-1001, married to Emperor Ichijō in 990) in the mid-Heian period. Her essay collection consists of insightful observation of the four seasons, fauna and flora, and daily life, which reflect her profound knowledge of classical literature of both China and Japan. Other essays introduce intriguing anecdotes of courtiers in the Imperial Court in the ancient capital Kyoto, as well as her own poems. This haiku collection (2022), the third volume for Makura no sōshi, includes 89 essays-from Essay 146 to Essay 234-out of a total of 323 essays that Sei shōnagon wrote, along with a summary and annotations for each essay, and presents 90 original haikus by this author.