Takayoshi Kido · Choshu
Original
駑馬雖遅積歳多
Takayoshi Kido's Chinese-style poem, "駑馬雖遅積歳多高山大澤盡堪過請看一掬". Read the original Japanese, translation, meaning, and historical background. This is not a dramatic death poem, but a beautiful poem of accumulated effort.
Person
Known as Katsura Kogoro, a Choshu mediator who helped shape the Satsuma-Choshu Alliance and the Meiji government. He survived the shadows of the Bakumatsu and became one of the quiet political minds that carried revolution into state-building.
Know This Person
Translation
Even a slow horse can cross mountains with years enough; a handful of spring water can become a vast sea.
Poetic Shape Kanshi draws on a classical Chinese poetic tradition, where restraint, allusion, and moral tension carry much of the weight. The poem sounds formal, but the pressure beneath it is personal.
Reading
This is not a dramatic death poem, but a beautiful poem of accumulated effort. It remains quiet and beautiful as a poem of accumulated effort.
Background
A Chinese poem by Kido. It shows not a brilliant youth, but the gaze of a statesman who believed in continuation and accumulation. Known as Katsura Kogoro, a Choshu mediator who helped shape the Satsuma-Choshu Alliance and the Meiji government.
Source / Transmission Wording and readings may differ by transmission; this page treats the text as one circulated form.
Further Reading
Find related books and places to stay For readers who want more historical context, these links search for related books on external stores.
Affiliate link
