Yinyuan and Mount Fuji

I have been exchanging emails with Prof. Yang Kuei-hsiang about Yinyuan and his love of Mount Fuji. I have a whole section in my book Leaving for the Rising Sun (page 159-162) to discuss this interesting connection. Yinyuan even built a miniature Mount Fuji in his court yard to enjoy the imagined landscape in his later years. 

I will write more about this. He wrote quite a few poems about Mount Fuji and here is one of them which I selected to put in my book, which he likened himself to the "white hair" Mount Fuji. I append the Chinese version below as well. 

Us both with white hair and me old besides

facing each other we think the same thought

I would say something deep but have nothing to say

I’m relying on you to keep this going forever

(IGZS 8: 3746) 

其二

白頭以及白頭翁，兩兩相看心事同。

我欲玄談無可說，借君一脈永流通。

錄自《隱元全集》第八卷第3746頁

Viewing Mount Fuji from my hotel in Shonan 湘南, 2011, Feb. 28-March 5

This hotel is 49.93 miles (80.36 km) from Mount Fuji according to Google Map. I left Japan four days before the great earthquake and tsunami.