Kyoto ¨C On Kyoto¡¯s Marutamachi-dori last week, customers lined up in the rain for a final look inside CC¡¯s, the storied cafe and gathering place for poets.

The shop closed for good on Feb. 28.

Located in Nakagyo Ward, CC¡¯s had long been a hub for the city¡¯s literary community. Its interior had a charmingly mismatched aesthetic, with a stone floor, bamboo ceiling and walls lined with brown persimmon-dyed bags for making sake. An enormous wood-and-glass display case cast an ambient glow over the otherwise dim room.

Opened in 1974 by American poet Cid Corman, who died in 2004 at age 79, and his wife Shizumi, the kissaten (traditional Japanese cafe) attracted writers from around the world. Cultural figures including Allen Ginsberg and Kenneth Rexroth were among those who stopped in during visits to Kyoto.

In the 1970s and early ¡¯80s, biweekly poetry gatherings were held at the cafe, while the second floor served as an informal workshop space. Over time the meetings grew smaller and more intimate, often shifting to Corman¡¯s home, but the cafe remained a waypoint for poets passing through the city.

A photograph of Corman next to acclaimed Japanese poet Shinpei Kusano (1903-88) hung above the small wooden tables, looking out over the room.

In the days before CC¡¯s closed, the refrigerated shelves of the display case were already half empty. A tray of angel food cake and some sweet potatoes remained, alongside a single slice of black bottom cake and another of pecan pie.

¡°Natsukashii aji,¡± a woman sighed as she bit into a choux cream ¡ª a nostalgic taste. Nearby, young customers snapped photos of the ¡°American-style¡± confections and the swirled double Cs of the logo on the plates.

Described as ¡°one of the chief architects of modern American poetry¡± by Gregory Dunne, an American academic and editor, Corman established a radio program called ¡°This is Poetry¡± in his hometown of Boston and a long-running quarterly magazine, Origin, while still in his 20s. Through both endeavors, he provided a platform for many up-and-coming writers, including the poet, essayist and environmentalist Gary Snyder, who spent several years living in Japan.

Corman was a man of many contrasts.

Though he spoke little Japanese, his translation of Matsuo Basho¡¯s ¡°Back Roads to Far Towns: Basho¡¯s Oku-No-Hosomichi,¡± produced in collaboration with Susumu Kamaike, was described by American translator Sam Hamill as ¡°essential reading.¡±

Peers remember him as both a great encourager of their work and an eviscerating editor. Corman wrote tens of thousands of letters over his lifetime and published nearly 400 books, yet proclaimed he craved anonymity.

He also expressed sadness that his work was not better known.

Shizumi Corman, and later her sister Sachiko, eventually...