Becoming a Buddhist priest


This world so dear
cannot be cherished enough
I leave my life to save it


Warrior Norikiyo Satoh left his worldy life on October 15, 1140. His Buddhist name was Saigyo. Determined to become a Buddhist priest, Saigyo kicked his own daughter off the ledge of his house and cut his ties with his family.
Once he became a priest, Saigyo built a humble hut on the outskirts of the capital, Kyoto, and stayed there for a while.
However, in attempt to break out of his habitual setting, he set out east on a journey to Ise, and then in 1144, at the age of 27, he followed the footsteps of another poet, No-in Hoshi, who lived 200 years before his time, and continued travelling to Mutsu and Dewa on the northern end of Japan's main island.


The resthouse at the gates of Shirakawa,
moonlight shining through
brings the mind to rest here

Mt. Yoshino

Mt. Yoshino ,
I take a new path this year
to visit the flowers I have yet to see

On a quiet and sunny spring day, a thousand cherry blossom trees are blooming in Mt. Yoshino. Saigyo lays under the branches of a cherry blossom tree and gazes at the flowers to his heart's content. He watches the flower petals scattering in the air, and recalls the days of his past.
Having returned from his travels in the north, Saigyo sets his base in Koya mountain for the next thirty years, and all the while he continues to make trips to various places, including Yoshino and Kumano.

From Yoshino to Kumano

The cherry blossoms at Mt. Yoshino were more beautiful than he had ever imagined. Having decided to visit the mountains of Kumano for worship, Saigyo started on the steep mountain paths. Chanting sutras to hide his loneliness, he came to the banks of the Tozu river and there, the cherry blossoms welcomed him with their branches streched out, all in full bloom.

At Yodogawa, Eguchi,
Asking a courtesan for a night's stay

Saigyo:
I shall not ask of you to leave this worldly life,
Will you even refuse to give me shelter for the night?

woman:
Knowing you are a man who has already left this world I only do this,
so that your mind does not rest here in this temporary shelter.

"To ask you to become a nun would be a difficult task, but would you even refuse me a place to spend the night?" Late one evening, Saigyo asks a woman if he may stay at her place overnight.
The woman refuses his request, saying, "You are a man who has left this world. You mustn't rest your mind in such a worldy place." Later this story became the theme for a Noh play called "Eguchi." (by Kan-ami)

Mt. Taiho