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- utabukuro, uta fukuro 歌袋 song-pouch, bag to keep poetry -
pouch of poetry
quote
shiragumo wa ikuyo no hana no utabukuro
white clouds
song-pouches for ages
of blossoms
Onitsura 1600-1738
Gill's commentary:
"The 'song-pouch' was a container usually tied up to the main pillar of a poet's house into which scraps of paper with drafts of songs/poems were dropped.
It also is the balloon-like throat of the frog, a proto-poet according to the preface to Japan's second oldest major poetry collection, the Kokinshu (905).
Onitsura may be chuckling: How many generations of cherry blossom poetry have been served by this cloud conceit?"
Cherry Blossom Epiphany - Robin Gill
source : simplyhaiku.com
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utabukuro are made of strong Japanese paper (danshi 檀紙), or cotton or other material.
They are closed with a decorative know of a mizuhiki-type 水引
quote
danshi 檀紙
Japanese paper *washi 和紙 originally made from mayumi 檀 fibers (the spindle tree, euonymus sieboldianus) but now made from the fibers of the mulberry tree kouzo 楮 (see *choshi 楮紙), or a mixture of the two fibers.
Often called michinokugami 陸奥紙 because it was produced in Michinoku area (part of modern day Touhoku 東北) during the Heian period. White or light brown, the early version of the paper was smooth but later danshi is noted for its slightly wrinkled texture.
Danshi is divided into the three types:
large, ootaka danshi 大高檀紙;
medium, chuutaka danshi 中高檀紙; or
small, kotaka danshi 小高檀紙.
These categories can refer to the size of the paper or the size of the creases in its surface. Danshi was highly valued by courtiers and samurai. It was used for personal letters, documents, and poetry writing. It was often folded and carried in one's bag or pocket as kaishi 懐紙 (also read futokorogami), as tissue paper, for partitioning cakes, and for wiping tea bowls during the tea ceremony.
Danshi was also used for formal letters, business correspondence, diplomas and so on. It is still produced and used today.
source : JAANUS
. WKD : Mizuhiki 水引 ceremonial paper strings .
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The throat of a frog is also called meinoo 鳴嚢 - vocal sac vocal pouch.
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source : www.tokiwashobo.com/mokuroku1
Utabukuro, a poetry collection of six volumes of the later Edo period (1793).
Compiled by Fujitani Mitsue 富士谷御杖.
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花にあかぬ嘆きやこちの歌袋
hana ni akanu nageki ya kochi no utabukuro
among blossoms:
grieving that I can't even open
my poem bag
Tr. Barnhill
Written in 寛文7年, Basho age 24.
blossom problems
indeed! my sack of song
just won's open up
Tr. Robin D. Gill
Cherry Blossom Epiphany:
source : books.google.co.jp
This hokku has the segments 6 7 5 and the cut marker YA in the middle of line 2.
trying a literal translation:
under the cherry blossoms it does not open
and I lament - oh my
poetry pouch
Tr. Gabi Greve
It is a parody / reference to a waka in the Ise Monogatari by
Ariwara no Narihira 在原業平 (825 - 880)
花に飽かぬ嘆きはいつもせしかども
けふの今宵に似る時はなし
hana ni akanu nageki wa itsumo seshikadomo
kyoo no koyoi ni niru toki wa nashi
Blossoms without end
Ever were a grief
Indeed, yet,
This day’s night
Is like none other.
Tr. Thomas McAuley
Narihira writes "hana ni akanu" 花に飽かぬ, and Basho uses the double pun with
akanu あかぬ － akanai 明かない - 開かない does not become light, can not be opened.
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. Cultural Keywords used by Basho .
. - KIGO used by Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - .
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