Rengetsu: Life and Poetry of Lotus Moon Paperback – Illustrated, January 30, 2014

I love this book, and I have given it as a gift to a friends and family members. In just a few spare lines, Rengetsu conjures up a glimpse of nature and poignant memories in such a beautiful way.

An early and classic collection of Rengetsu's poetry with some brief prose pieces. The introduction is clear and very good, briefly touching on the losses that wounded a beautiful woman so much that she became a Buddhist nun and a profound painter, calligrapher, and ceramicist. The translations are touching. John Stevens is an accomplished translator of Japanese and a man steeped in Japanese culture, so I trust his translations, many of which are heartbreaking, all of which (with Rengetsu's biography in mind) show the depth of her emotional honesty and her fearlessness. In addition to all this, the book is beautifully produced.

This book is a jewel I am a fan of haiku poetry.this is called waka it has a zen view

The story of Rengetsu is very moving. This book consists of a short biography and many poems. She was a saint and a great artist.A beautiful book.

If you don't know Rengetsu, encourage you to buy this book and learn more about her. She was a Buddhist nun in the 1600s who wrote her poetry on ceramics she made. She was trained as a calligrapher so her writing style is beautiful but in addition her poems are also soothing and wise.

Stevens has given us a gift in this subtle translation of a woman who made poetry from the many transitions in her life. She recreated herself so many times, flowing with the events in her life. Her journey as a person, and the humor and beauty she finds, are memorable.

The book is a marvelous combination of poetry, biography and art photos. You get a wonderful feeling for this great Japanese artist.

Lovely poetry by a talented and remarkable individual.

Rengetsu is a great inspiration to me, she is the true essence of what it means to be a divine artist

hier werden die vielfachen aspekte einer person des kulturellen japanischen lebends im 19.jahrhundert gewürdigt. ihrer einzigartigen bedeutung als literatin ,als muse & zen artistin & verwirklicherin. vielleichtjapans bedeutendste poetin

The translation of one of her poems was invariance with a translation I have.The translation I have is We accept the graceful fall of the mountain cherry blossoms But it is much harder for us to fall away from our own attachment to the world.

We are too absorbed in nothingness. Rengetsu draws me back towards struggling with realityin a poetically real way.Death opens the survivor's eyes.