I came to Gichu-ji—
many hi carved in rocks all around.
One deep orange persimmon left on the tree.
gichu-ji ya
hi ni kakomarete
kaki akashi
First and foremost I would like to offer my deep appreciation to Goto Hiroko for her friendship and willingness to share her personal life with me.
I am greatly indebted to the following volunteers in Japan who helped with the interviews and translation. Without them Goto’s life story would not have made its way into English. Many thanks to Brenda Wright, for the poetry translation, clarifying questions, explanations of the nuances of Japanese culture and religion, careful attention to diction and grammar and copy editing; Watanabe Kazufumi, for his attention to the proper style of expression and his historical knowledge; Joon Ou, for his knowledge of American English, deep understanding of Japanese culture and religion and editing the spelling and usage of Japanese words; Takahashi Hatsue and Yagi Shiomi, for their untiring work, patience and hospitality; Goto Sumio, for help with his mother’s family tree and being available between official sessions.
Special thanks are due to Kihara-shin, a famous artist from Fukuoka, who painted the exquisite paintings of Kannon-sama, the grasshopper and the white bush clover.
In addition I wish to extend my warmest thanks to my husband John for his support, which made this adventure possible.
Carole Lee Connet
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