"Tsurezuregusa" (Essays in idleness), which describes various topics including natural features in prose, is regarded as one of the three major Japanese essays; it also gives information to understand the tendencies and customs of the society at that time.
『徒然草』は自然の風物などが散文として書かれ日本の日本三大一覧に数えられ、また当時の社会風潮などを知るための資料にもなっている。