Emptiness and Temporality is an account of classical Japanese poetics based, for the first time, on the two concepts of emptiness (J.kū) and temporality (mujō) that ground the medieval practice and understanding of poetry. It clarifies the unique structure of the collective poetic genre called renga (linked poetry) by analyzing Shinkei's writings, particularly Sasamegoto. This book engages contemporary Western theory, especially Derrida's concepts of differance and deconstruction, to illuminate the progressive displacement that constitutes...