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pillow; bolster
Kanji 2115

Thank you for visiting this Character Home Page. Below you'll find a synopsis of the essay. If you wish to read the full text, the PDF of the essay is available for purchase to the right.

Synopsis

This wide-ranging essay examines literature over millennia, from ancient China to "The Pillow Book" to Basho and Soseki, plus the connections between pillows, travel, and poetry. The essay covers several types of pillows (e.g., those atop boxes, those you hug, and manly pillows), pillows as cures, pillow-flipping ghosts, figurative pillows (e.g., railroad ties!), a confection, and more.

Revision history:

Mar. 4, 2022: p. 13: Deleted a repetitious sentence.

Nov. 23, 2021: p. 19: Added a yomi and definitions for 草枕. I had introduced the word on p. 10 and thought a reminder would help.

June 9, 2021: 

  • p. 2: Updated the Henshall etymology.
  • p. 20: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.

July 1, 2016: Originally published.

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Kanji PDF
Cover of essay 2115 on 枕, titled "Pillow Talk"
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JOYO ON-YOMI
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JOYO KUN-YOMI
まくら
STROKES8
RADICAL木 (75: tree)
JLPTN1
HALPERN-/759
HENSHALL-/2002
SPAHN4a4.8