Tsurezuregusa

The work takes its title from its prefatory passage: What a strange, demented feeling it gives me when I realize I have spent whole days before this inkstone, with nothing better to do, jotting down at random whatever nonsensical thoughts that have entered my head.

[4]: 1 The poet Shōtetsu, who lived a hundred years after Kenkō, noted that Essays in Idleness resembled Sei Shōnagon's The Pillow Book in form, being composed of anecdotes, reminiscences, and Buddhist homilies.

[2] Kenkō's work has been held in high regard and considered a classic in Japan since the 17th century, but little is known of its composition and publication, and they remain matters of speculation.

One of the most popular beliefs about it was first put forward by Sanjonishi Sane'eda (1511-1579), who stated that Kenkō did not edit the 243 sections of his work, but rather wrote his thoughts on random scrap pieces of paper, which he then pasted onto the walls of his cottage.

Kenkō himself states this in a similar manner in his work: “If man were never to fade away like the dews of Adashino, never to vanish like the smoke over Toribeyama, but lingered on forever in this world, how things would lose their power to move us!”[4]: 7 Kenkō clearly states his point of view regarding the nature of things in life, and regards the perishability of objects to be moving.

Irregularity and incompleteness of collections and works show the potential for growth and improvement, and the impermanence of its state provides a moving framework towards appreciation towards life.