Diary of the White Bush Clover

Diary of the White Bush Clover is the remarkable story of a Japanese woman's peace pilgrimage, walking alone three hundred miles from Kyoto to Tokyo, praying for those who died in the war. It is an inspiring story of devotion, compassion and spiritual awakening, told simply by a woman with a selfless purpose.


Diary of the White Bush Clover is a walking meditation into the
power of kindness and the potency of immanent danger. Th e
teachings of the Buddha evoke the power of grace that refl ects a
constancy of surprise. Th e reader is asked to partake in the daily discipline
of pilgrimage that mirrors the repetitive character of mind.
Th e purpose of meditation from this perspective is not only to stop
attention from wandering but to enter a place where the clarity of
pure awareness peeks through the instability of confusion. Th rough
the power of Goto Hiroko's commitment, prescient landmarks
impress the inner traveler with a steady eye that defi es obstacles
and melts despair. Th is spiritual journey is not undertaken on the
seat of a cushion but with the increase of resolve that coincides
with the gradual wearing down of one pair of sneakers. Both the
delicacy and ferocity of nature are represented, holding the reader's
concentration so that fears are gently tamed.
-Janet Sussman, author of Th e Reality of Time
Goto Hiroko's memoir, Diary of the White Bush Clover, reads like
the best Japanese poetry. Her story is larger than she is, revealing
the soul of the Japanese people, a nation wounded by a terrible war.
As she tells us what she saw and felt while walking from Kyoto to
Tokyo, her writing is so transparent that you enter the pages and
walk with her. In the tradition of the haiku, she uses images of
nature to reveal depth, emotion and vision - moments of beauty
savored and celebrated, heaven and earth, despite having traveled
through diffi cult times. She tosses gifts of spiritual awakening to
her readers, like the Zen saying, "If you scoop water you hold the
moon in your hands."
-Diane Frank, author of Blackberries in the Dreamhouse

Th is diary is a peace poem. Written in spare, lyrical simplicity,
each chapter bestows gifts of wisdom and beauty to the reader. Th e
haiku and calligraphy add layers of enchantment to this humble
account of a great act of compassion. As I followed Goto Hiroko's
journey I felt the world becoming a more peaceful place.
-Linda Egenes, author of Visits with the Amish: Impressions of
the Plain Life
Th is diary and the elegant poems that punctuate this pilgrimage are
subtle, beautiful and meaningful as breath. One cannot do better
on one's journey than to be "a servant of life."
-Rustin Larson, author of Waiting for Evening to Come
At some point, those touched by war try to make sense of it, though
there is no true sense to be made. Even so, a work and a pilgrimage
such as this, in its careful cadences, brings peace, honor and loving
attention back into the world. Reading the transliteration, translation
and the narration of the poetry walks you step by step through
a healing, silent fi eld.
-Paul Stokstad, author of Butterfl y Tattoo