a collection of words in translation
Welcome!
Kotonoha | 言の葉
Kotonoha is an archaic expression for ‘word’, weaving together the kanji characters for ‘say’ and ‘leaf’. Leaves are a resonant metaphor in literature. Centuries ago, the poet Ki no Tsurayuki likened the emotions that poetry draws on to seeds, and the words to leaves. The Cumaean Sibyl wrote prophecies on oak leaves, which would get scattered in the wind, their meaning lost. Fallen leaves evoke the multitude of lives and words that came before and still haunt the living.
This website is a collection of words in translation, gathered like fallen leaves.
It’s also a place for me to share my experiments in translation and other creative projects.
In Translations, you’ll find my translations of poems, short stories, passages from novels, and essayistic writing on a variety of topics, often related to Japanese culture.
The Folklore section is for my illustrations. I am currently drawing 100 creatures from folklore and mythology: my own little version of 鬼夜行絵巻 (Hyakki yakō emaki; or The Picture Scroll of Night-roaming Demons). Each picture is accompanied by a short caption — sometimes, I get carried away and translate a whole story for it that just doesn’t fit into Instagram, so this is a nook to house all those stories.
In the Blog, I’ll share some occasional thoughts on translation, literature, and art.
All photographs and images on this website are my own.
Thank you for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy meandering through these leaves…
「やまと歌は、人の心を種として、よろづの言の葉とぞなれりける。」
“The songs of Japan take for their seeds the heart of the people,
turning them into myriad words.”
— Kokin waka shū
Translation
Original translations
from Japanese to English
and English to Japanese
Illustration
Ink and watercolor drawings
of creatures from
folklore and mythology
Photography
Fragments of time in
Japan UK US Lithuania
and other places
The words going out into the room seemed like actual presences, hard and independent; yet as she was listening they were changed by their contact with her.
VIRGINIA WOOLF
If you have any comments, ideas, or questions, I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a line here.
Open for collaborations.
About
I am a bilingual Japanese-English translator, an early-career researcher of English literature, and an illustrator. Born in Kyoto and currently based in Southern California.
Reflections in the deep azure water lily basin in my grandmother’s garden.
Kotonoha 