枕
pillow; bolster
Kanji 2115
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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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