Teiunshu—Wandering Clouds

Masaharu Anesaki (1873-1949) was a leading member of Japan’ s most interesting generation: the second generation of Meiji

scholars, who lived in a highly-educated if not rareed world that blended Japanese and Western traditions in a way that made

them unique in their country’ s long history.

Following our rst-English publication of Hanatsumi nikki, his neglected classic of travel writing, philosophy, history, and

comparative religion, we are delighted to be able to oer the second volume of his fascinating examination of America,

Europe, and India in the very rst years of the 20th century. For scholars and general readers both, here is a glimpse into the

mind of modern Japan as it stood at the crossroads of modernity, and a look into a very dierent, and gentler, West viewed

through Japanese eyes.

Anesaki kept a detailed diary of his travels around the world, including one journey a travel grant from the Kahn Foundation,

a philanthropic organization that funded scholars’ overseas travel in the interest of promoting international understanding.

Published in 1909, Teiunshu combines the records of several trips, opening a window into his thoughts on art, human life,

European and Japanese culture, Buddhism, Christianity, and faith. Anesaki was a leading member of a generation of educated,

humanistic, and surprisingly global Japanese scholars and intellectuals who helped to introduce Japan to the West. He also

attempted to integrate his understanding of Western culture in his own study of Japanese religion.