head bowed, only pebbles
utsumuite ishikoro bakari
1933–1934 · Begging journeys out from the hermitage
Sōmokutō · On the Begging Road (Gyōkotsu tojō)
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Walking with head bowed, all that meets his eye are pebbles. The begging journey is also a journey walked with the head hung low. In the length of a road where nothing but pebbles can be seen, you can glimpse the whole of that day's weariness and mood.