WKD - Matsuo Basho Archives

05/06/2012

tabi travelling tabine

tabigarasu 旅烏 "traveling crow", wandering crow,
is a common metaphor for people who travel a lot, like a vagabond, wanderer. People also use it to talk about themselves.

..........................................................................................................................................................

. WKD : Travel, Traveler's Sky　旅　tabi .

Places visited :
. - Basho travelling in Japan - .

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- - - tabine 旅寝 Basho sleeping on the road - - -

病雁の夜寒に落ちて旅寝哉
. byoogan no yosamu ni ochite tabine kana .
I fall ill on a cold night like a sick goose

花の陰謡に似たる旅寝哉
. hana no kage utai ni nitaru tabine kana .
I feel myself to be in a Noh play.
The Cherry Blossoms at Mount Yoshino 吉野山

名月の見所問はん旅寝せん
. meigetsu no midokoro towan tabine sen .
let us travel together to see the autumn moon
- for Kobe Toosai 神戸洞哉/ 神戸等哉 / 等栽 Kobe Tosai in Fukui

都出でて神も旅寝の日数哉
. miyako idete kami mo tabine no hikazu kana.
sharing many nights with the gods on the road

死にもせぬ旅寝の果てよ秋の暮
. shi ni mo senu tabine no hate yo aki no kure .
(autumn) autumn dusk. end of my journey. I did not die yet
(shini mo senu)

..........................................................................................................................................................

. tabine shite mishi ya ukiyo no susu harai (susuharai) .
(winter) end of year housecleaning. sleeping on the road. floating world
This haiku contains yo no tsune 世常

On one side there is the poet in his own world.
On the other side is the everyday world, doing everyday jobs.

..........................................................................................................................................................

旅寝して我が句を知れや秋の風
. tabine shite waga ku o shire ya aki no kaze .
(autumn) autumn wind. sleeping on the road. to know my hokku

....................................................................................................................................................

旅寝よし宿は師走の夕月夜
tabine yoshi yado wa shiwasu no yuuzukiyo

great to sleep on the road -
this lodging in december
with a sickle moon

Written on day 9 of the 12th lunar month in 1687. 貞亨4年12月9日
This is a greeting hokku to his host Ichi-I 一井 in Nagoya.
The next day Basho took off to visit his disciples in Atsuta.

Owari no Ichi-I 尾張の一井
His residence was Ichi-I An 一井庵.

Oi no Kobumi 笈の小文
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .

. WKD : yuuzukiyo 夕月夜 "moon in the evening" .
In autumn, from day 2 until day 7 or 8, when the moon looks like a drawn bow in the late autumn evening. It was a well loved theme for poetry since olden times.

....................................................................................................................................................

高水に星も旅寝や岩の上
. takamizu ni hoshi mo tabine ya iwa no ue .
the stars too sleep on their journey — Tanabata 七夕 Star Festival

夜着ひとつ祈り出して旅寝かな
. yogi hitotsu inori-idashite tabine kana .
a padded kimono on a cold night

.......................................................................................................................................................

よるべをいつ一葉に虫の旅寝して
yorube o itsu hitoha ni mushi no tabine kana

Basho age 37, 延宝8年

The yellow leaf floats –
o cycada, where will you
suddenly wake up?
Tr. (© DS)

One small insect on a large paulownia leaf has fallen into the Fukagawa river and is floating around. When will it find a safe place at the shore?
This image is classic in Japanese poetry.

floating around
on a paulownia leaf, this insect
sleeps on its trip . . .
Tr. Gabi Greve

The cut marker kana is at the end of line 3.

. kiri hitoha 桐一葉 (きりひとは) one paulownia leaf .
kigo for early autumn

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Basho Shuuku 芭蕉秀句 The best hokku of Basho
by Katoo Shuuson 加藤楸邨 Kato Shuson (1905 - 1993)

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

あさむつや月見の旅の明け離れ
. asamutsu ya tsukimi no tabi no ake-banare .
(autumn) moon viewing. six in the morning. travelling. dawn

杜若語るも旅のひとつ哉
. kakitsubata kataru mo tabi no hitotsu kana .
(summer) Iris laevigata. to talk about. travelling

..........................................................................................................................................................

source : Nishio Shiho 西尾志保

おもしろや今年の春も旅の空
omoshiro ya kotoshi no haru mo tabi no sora

how amusing
this year in spring
the skies of a journey

According to Kyorai's book, Basho sent this hokku to him to indirectly inform him of the planned journey. The verse was published in 1791, with Ranku's postscript, in a collection of letters and haikai from Kyorai.
Tr.and note by Jane Reichhold

so exciting -
in the spring of this year too
the sky of wayfaring
Tr. Barnhill

Written in 1689

..........................................................................................................................................................

住みつかぬ旅の心や置火燵
. sumitsukanu tabi no kokoro ya okigotatsu .
(winter) kotatsu heater, brazier. no place to live. traveller's mind.

旅に病んで夢は枯野をかけ廻る
. tabi ni yande yume wa kareno o kakemeguru .
the death haiku of Matsuo Basho
. . . I am ill on the road . . .

..........................................................................................................................................................

旅人の心にも似よ椎の花
tabibito no kokoro ni mo niyo shii no hana

my mind of a traveller
should be like this -
pasania blossoms
Tr. Gabi Greve

the traveling heart
should be like
hidden blossoms
Tr. basho revisited

and another about the pasania blossoms

Sent to Kyoriku (Kyoroku)
shii no hana no kokoro ni mo niyo Kiso no tabi

emulate the heart
of pasania blossoms:
a Kiso journey”
Tr. Barnhill

. - Morikawa Kyoroku / Kyoriku 森川許六 - .

まづ頼む椎の木もあり夏木立
mazu tanomu shii no ki mo ari natsu kodachi

. WKD : shii 椎 the Shii-oak, Pasania .
Castanopsis cuspidata. Shii-Castanopsis

..........................................................................................................................................................

. tabibito to waga na yobaren hatsu shigure .
more haiku from Basho, the Eternal Traveller

....................................................................................................................................................

旅烏古巣は梅になりにけり
tabi-garasu furu su wa ume ni narini keri
tabigarasu furusu wa ume ni nari ni keri

a wayfaring crow:
its old nest has become
a plum tree
Tr. Barnhill

The wandering crow
finds only plum blossoms
where its nest has been

Tr. Sam Hamill
source : books.google.co.jp

Written in 貞亨2年, Basho age 43
This is a text to a scroll painting.

The "wandering crow" or "traveling bird" Basho had finally spent a leisurely New Year at his homeland, Iga Ueno.
He could enjoy the first fragrance of the plum blossoms.

tabigarasu is a common metaphor for people who travel a lot, like a vagabond, wanderer. People also use it to talk about themselves.

. 野ざらし紀行 Nozarashi Kiko .

....................................................................................................................................................

旅に飽きてけふ幾日やら秋の風　
tabi ni akite kyoo ikuka yara aki no kaze

weary of the journey,
how many days like today?
autumn’s wind
Tr. Barnhill

tired of the journey,
what day is it now today?
the wind of autumn
Tr. Chilcott

Written on the 10th day of the 7th lunar month 貞亨5年7月10日.
Basho spent the night at Narumi, Nagoya.
Basho was tired of travelling and after resting some days, he suddenly head the wind of autumn. It was the beginning of autumn 立秋 in the lunar calendar.

With reference to a waka by 藤原敏行 Fujiwara no Toshiyuki (? - ?907)

秋来ぬと目にはさやかに見えねども
風の音にぞ驚かれぬる

Autumn has arrived
I cannot clearly see it,
And yet I am taken aback
By that familiar sound
Of the autumn wind.
- Tr. :　Philippe - USA

Oi no Kobumi 笈の小文
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .

. kaze no oto 風の音 the sound of wind - .

another waka about Sumi no E 住の江 - Osaka, by
. 藤原敏行 Fujiwara no Toshiyuki .

.........................................................................................................................................................

年暮れぬ笠着て草鞋はきながら
. toshi kurenu kasa kite waraji hakinagara .

wearing my travelers hat
and my straw sandals
the year comes to an end
Tr. Gabi Greve

.........................................................................................................................................................

月ぞしるべこなたへ入らせ旅の宿
. tsuki zo shirube konata e irase tabi no yado .
come to my house, a wayside inn

憂き人の旅にも習へ木曾の蠅
. ukihito no tabi ni mo narae Kiso no hae .
learn from the journey of a sorrowing wayfarer - Basho talks to the flies of Kiso
This was a poem written for his disciple Kyoroku (Kyoriku) 許六, who left for a trip, see above
tabibito no kokoro ni mo niyo shii no hana

. - Morikawa Kyoroku / Kyoriku 森川許六 - .

..........................................................................................................................................................

世を旅に代かく小田の行戻り
yo o tabi ni shiro kaku oda no yuki modori

traveling the world
instead of tilling a small field
round and round
Tr. Addiss

on a journey through the world,
tilling a small field,
back and forth
Tr. Barnhill

travelling the world
tilling a small field of rice
back and forth and back . . .
Tr. Chilcott

Written in 元禄7年 - 1694 in a letter to 杉山杉風 Sugiyama Sanpu.
Basho seems to sum up his own lifestyle.
Basho stayed in Owari, Nagoya.

shiro kaki 代かき letting water into the wet rice paddies
kigo for summer

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Carrying luggge in the Edo period
yanagi goori 柳行李 wicker boxes from willow tree

. yanagigoori katani wa suzushi hatsu makuwa .
his wicker boxes

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. WKD : Travel, Traveler's Sky　旅　tabi .

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Temples visited

source :　city.kashima.ibaraki.jp

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. Asakusa Kannon Temple 浅草観音 in Edo　江戸 .

. Daibutsu - the Big Buddha in Nara　奈良の大仏 .

. Daichi-In 大智院 . Mie, Kuwana, Nagashima 三重県桑名市長島町

. Daishooji 大聖寺 Daisho-Ji, Kaga Ishikawa .
- - - - - and Zenshooji 全昌寺 Zensho-Ji

. Doomyoojii 道明寺 Domyo-Ji .

. - Gichuuji 義仲寺 Gichu-Ji - . Shiga, Otsu town.
Gichuuan　義仲庵 Gichu-An // Mumyooan 無名庵 Mumyo-An // 巴寺, 木曽塚, 木曽寺

. Hasedera 長谷寺 Hase Kannon 初瀬観音 - Hatsuse はつせ . Nara

. Hikari Doo 光堂 Hikarido . - Konjiki Do 金色堂 The Golden Hall, Chuzon-Ji　中尊寺 at Hiraizumi　平泉

. Hoojuu In 法住院 Hoju-In at 守栄院 Shuei-In in Ise.

. Honryuuji 本竜寺 Honryu-Ji .

. Hontooji 本当寺 / 本統寺 Honto-Ji, Hontoji . Kuwana 桑名

. Hoozooji 法蔵寺 Hozo-Ji, Hozoji . Nagoya - 広井村田中山法蔵寺

. Ishiyamadera 石山寺 "Stony Mountain Temple". Otsu, Shiga.

. Jinguuji 神宮寺 Jingu-Ji at Ise, Bodaisen 菩提山 . 　
yamadera no kanashisa tsugeyo tokoro-hori - "mountain temple" (Not Bodai-Temple)　

. Kasadera Kannon 笠寺観音 . - 天林山笠覆寺 Ryufuku-Ji. Nagoya
笠寺や漏らぬ岩屋も春の雨　 - Kasa-dera ya moranu iwaya mo haru no ame

. Konpukuji, Konbukuji 金福寺 / 金福寺 Konpuku-Ji . Kyoto
and the Basho-An in Kyoto 芭蕉庵

. Konponji 根本寺 Konpon-Ji . on the trip to Kashima　鹿島

. Kooyasan　高野山 Koyasan - Temple Kongoobuji 金剛峰寺 Kongobu-Ji - WKD.

. Menshooji 明照寺 Mensho-Ji (also Meisho-Ji) - Myoohoozan Menshooji 妙法山明照寺 .

. Miidera 三井寺 Mii-dera .
- - - - - and the temple bell 三井の鐘 from Mii-dera
. shichi kei wa kiri-ni kakurete Mii-no-kane .
Eight Views of Lake Biwa 近江八景 Omi Hakkei

. Natadera 那谷寺 . a temple with white cliffs, ishiyama 石山
Oku no Hosomichi, Station 37

. Saiganji 西岸寺 Saigan-Ji .

. Seigan-Ji in Narumi 鳴海 - 誓願寺. 　

. Shin Daibutsu-Ji 新大仏寺 . Iga town, Mie

. Soozuiji 祥端寺 Sozui-Ji, Katada 堅田, Otsu town 大津市 .

. Suizen-Ji　水前寺 . Fukuoka - with the famous seaweed soup

. Sumadera 須磨寺 .

. Taimadera　当麻寺　 .

. Tooshoodaiji 唐招提寺 Toshodai-Ji - Shoodaiji (Shodai-Ji) . and Ganjin 鑑真

. Ukimidoo, Ukimidō 浮御堂 Ukimi Do - the Floating Hall . - at Biwako　琵琶湖　　Lake Biwa

. Yakushiji 薬師寺 Yakushi-Ji at Iga Ueno　伊賀上野.

. Yamadera　山寺 - Ryushakuji, Risshakuji 立石寺 Risshaku-Ji.
Oku no Hosomichi, station 26

. Zenkooji 善光寺 Zenko-Ji . Nagano - four gates and four (Buddhist) sects are all one

.............................................................................

奈良七重七堂伽藍八重ざくら
. Nara nanae shichi doo garan yae-zakura .

The "Seven halls of a temple compound" 七堂 were different in Nara

Kondoo 金堂 Golden Hall - Kondo
Koodoo 講堂 Lecture Hall - Kodo
Too 塔 Pagoda - To
Shooroo 鐘楼 Bell tower - Shoro
Kyoozoo 経蔵 Sutra Hall - Kyozo
Shokudoo 食堂 /中門）Hall for Eating - Shokudo
Sooboo 僧坊 living quarters for the monks - Sobo

. Basho visiting - Nara 奈良 ancient capital of Japan - .

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

花の雲鐘は上野か浅草か
. hana no kumo kane wa Ueno ka Asakusa ka .

cloud of blossoms
is that the temple bell from Ueno
or Asakusa?
Tr. Gabi Greve

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- - - - - Temple not well known - - - - -

貧山の釜霜に鳴く声寒し
hinzan no kama shimo ni naku koe samushi

at a poor mountain temple,
a kettle crying in the frost,
the voice frigid
Tr. Barnhill

At the poor mountain temple,
the iron pot sounds like weeping
in the cold
Tr. Samhill

Written in 　延宝9年（天和元年, Basho age 38.

There is a famous line in the Chinese collection Sangaikyoo - Sankaikyoo 山海経

豊山之鐘霜降而鳴 - hoozan no kane shimo orite naku
(The bell at Mound Hozan rings when there is frost.)
hoozan 豊山 literally means a prosperous mountain (temple).

....................................................................................................................................................

砧打て我に聞かせよや坊が妻
. kinuta uchite ware ni kikase yo ya boo ga tsuma .
wife of the temple priest

....................................................................................................................................................

この寺は庭一盃のばせを哉　
kono tera wa niwa ippai no bashoo kana
kono tera wa niwa ippai no baseo kana

at this temple
the garden is full
of banana plants . . .
Tr. Gabi Greve

Written around 貞亨元年, Basho age 41 to 51.
Maybe a greeting hokku to his host at a haikai meeting.

This hokku has the cut marker KANA at the end of line 3.

The "bashoo" trees in a temple were often the kind of sotetsu 蘇鉄 cycad.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. Temple acolytes (chigo 稚児, 兒, 児 ) .

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

hotoke　仏　ほとけ Buddha

菊の香や奈良には古き仏達
. kiku no ka ya Nara ni wa furuki hotoketachi .
The old Buddha statues of Nara

....................................................................................................................................................

南無ほとけ草の台も涼しけれ - なむほとけくさのうてなもすずしけれ
namu hotoke kusa no utena mo suzushikare
(namo hotoke / kusa no utena mo / suzushi kare)

Praise to Buddha!
this pedestal of grass
must also be so cool
Tr. Gabi Greve

Hokku for a statue of Shussan Shaka 出山釈迦 "Shaka coming out of the mountains".
by his disciple in Edo, Torii Bunrin 鳥居文鱗.
In 1683, when Basho moved to the second Basho-An in Fukagawa, Bunrin gave him a statue of Skakyamuni coming down from the mountains, which Basho cherished a lot.
Not much is known about Bunrin, but he has some hokku in the collection "Arano あら野".
Before Basho died at Osaka, he gave this statue to Kagami Shikoo 各務支考 Shiko.

Shakyamuni is coming down from the mountains after long years of meditation and has his new wisdom still hidden under his robe.
. Shutsuzan Shaka - Shussan Shaka 出山釈迦 Shaka coming out of the mountains.

There is also a plant, called . WKD : hotoke no za 仏の座 "the seat of Buddha" .
herb of the Three Buddhist Realms, sangaigusa 三界草
Lamium amplexicaule.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

. Shinto Shrines visited by Matsuo Basho .

. - Basho and Kami 神　- Shinto deities - .

. WKD : Introducing Buddhist Deities .

. WKD : Buddhist Temples　寺 .

. WKD - Japan - Shrines and Temples .

. WKD : Japanese deities (kami to hotoke) .

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

One sentence

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

- One sentence - one image/theme hokku -

. WKD : One Sentence Haiku - one line .
General Introduction.

. Basho and his use of cut markers 切字　 .

One Theme Hokku
see below

All the hokku that end with the cut marker KANA in line 3 represent one sentence, finished with the "!".
Other hokku end the last line with KERI.
Most of these hokku keep the form of the three segments 5 7 5.

You can find them for now in the ABC files of this archive,
searching for KANA.

If I find the time I will list them here later.

under construction
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- quote -
Traces of Dreams - The Single Object Poem
by Haruo Shirane

In response to Kyoriku’s emphasis on the “combination poem” and his claim that combining separate topics was the central technique of the Basho style, Kyorai argued that, although combining was certainly important, it did not take precedence over other techniques and that Basho also composed “single-object” (ichibutsu shitate) poems, which focused on a single topic and in which the hokku flowed smoothly from start to finish, without the leap or gap found in the combination poem. In Kyoraisho, he noted:

The Master said:
"A hokku that moves smoothly from the opening five syllables to the end is a superb verse.”

Shado remarked: “The master once told me, ‘The hokku is not, as you believe, something that brings together two or three different things. Compose the hokku so that it flows like gold being hit and flattened by a hammer.’” . . .

Kyorai: “If a poet composes by combining separate things, he can compose many verses and composed them quickly. Beginning poets should know this. But when one becomes an accomplished poet, it is no longer a question of combining or not combining. (NKBZ 51: 498)29
In Travel Lodging Discussion (Taibneron; 1699), Kyorai even went so far as to say that all hokku are single-object poems.

Generally speaking, all hokku focus on a single object. Allow me to explain and give some examples. First of all, the following verse is on a single object.

warmly wrapped
in its feathered robe––
feet of the wild duck
––the late Master

kegoromo | ni | tsutsumite | kamo | no | ashi
feathered-robe | in | wrap | warm | wild-duck | ‘s | feet

They say that the Master took delight in this poem and told Shiko, “This hokku was deliberately composed on a single object.” Other examples include:

well, then,
let us go snow-viewing
until we tumble over!
––the late Master

iza | saraba | yukimi | ni | korobu | tokoro | made
well | then | snow-viewing | for | tumble | place | until

scratching
its beautiful face––
the pheasant’s spurs
––Kikaku

utsukushiki | kao | kaku | kiji | no | kezume | kana
beautiful | face | scratch | pheasant | ‘s | spurs | !

Someone might say that the “feet of the wild duck” and “the feathered robe” form a combination or that the poet combines “the pheasant’s spurs” with “face,” but what could they say “snow-viewing” was combined with? When the late Master spoke about combining objects, he appeared to make a distinction between those that worked within the boundary and those that worked outside it. Kyoriku, it seems, defined the combination poem as something that went outside the boundary. But there are poems that combine within the boundary just as there are those that combine without.

spring
gradually takes shape––
moon and plum blossoms
––the late Master

These poems all combine within the boundary. (KHT 10:206-7)

Kyorai was arguing that since the combination poem can be composed quickly and relatively easily, it is suited for beginners, but that the more accomplished poet will not be limited to this particular technique. Furthermore, a number of good combination poems, especially impromptu ones, remain within the “boundary” or circle of established poetic associations. In Kyoraisho (NKBZ 51: 498), Kyorai suggested that beginners should compose distant combinations: as Kyoriku pointed out, going outside the established boundary makes it easier to find new material and avoid plagiarism. The rule, however, does not apply to accomplished poets who, as Basho’s examples suggest, can either discover new connections within the boundary of established associations or approach the traditional associations in new ways. For example, “spring,” “moon,” and “plum blossoms,” which appear together in Basho’s hokku, were closely associated in classical poetry, especially as a result of The Tale of Genji, where the scent of the plum blossoms in the light of the misty evening moon represented one of the beauties of spring.
The haikai character of Basho’s hokku lay not in the combination, which was purely classical, but in the manner of the expression, especially in the rhythm. The middle phrase––which comes to a slow stop, ending on three, drawn out, successive “o” sounds, the last sliding into the vowel “u”–– suggests the gradual vernal movement that brings together the moon and the plum blossoms.

In contrast to the combination poem, which combined different topics, a single-object poem focused on a single topic, but on closer examination even single-object poems can usually be broken down into two parts, consisting of a traditional seasonal topic, which established a horizon of expectations, and the description or presentation, which often worked against those expectations. A good example is the “wild duck” hokku cited above, which Basho composed in Edo in the winter of Genroku 6 (1693-94) and which Kyorai considered a single-object poem. In the classical tradition, the wild duck (kamo) was often found floating on a winter pond or ocean, and its figure and voice were associated with loneliness, longing for home, uncertainty, and, most of all, with coldness. In a haikai reversal, this wild duck appears “warm” (nukushi), its feel tucked beneath its “feathered robe” (kegoromo). The circular movement, the “going and returning,” in such a single-object poem occurs not between the two parts of the hokku so much as between the implied topic (wild duck) and the unusual, haikai-esque approach, between the text and the horizon of expectations raised by the seasonal topic.

Both the combination and the single-object approach had a profound influence on the course of modern haiku. Both Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) and his successor Takahama Kyoshi (1874-1959) pressed for mimetic poetry, which tended to focus on a single object that could be depicted directly, through the senses. On the other hand, the notion of the combination poem found new life with other modern poets. In the Taisho period (1912-26), for example, Osuga Otsuji (1881-1920) stressed the importance of placing the cutting word or the break in the middle of the haiku, thereby causing the part with the seasonal word to interact with the other half. In the Showa period Yamaguchi Seishi (1910-94), harking back to Basho and spurred on by the notion of Eisenstein’s montage (re-imported to Japan), believed that haiku should focus on the interrelationship between different objects of nature, a relationship that must “leap beyond” the predictable.

- - - - - Haruo Shirane
- source : books.google.co.jp - (pages 111-114) -

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

行く春を近江の人と惜しみける

. yuku haru o Oomi no hito to oshimikeru .

spring is departing
and with the people (friends) of Omi
I lament its passing . . .

Here Basho chooses to use the first line to end with o to show that the sentence is continuing.

He does not end line 1 with the more frequently used cut marker YA

yuku haru ya.

He must have his reasons to write one sentence with three segments 5 7 5 for this special occasion.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

秋の色糠味噌壷もなかりけり
aki no iro nukamiso tsubo mo nakarikeri

not even a pot
in the colors of autumn
for fermented miso paste

. hatsu yuki ni usagi no kawa no hige tsukure .
(winter) first snow. rabbit, fur. beard
Basho makes a snowman with the children of Iga.

. shio-dai no haguki mo samushi uo no tana .
cold gums of the sea bream in the fish shop

yo ga fuuga wa karo toosen no gotoshi .
(winter) handfan in winter. my elegance. fireplace in summer
same as - no gotoshi

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

盃の下ゆく菊や朽木盆
. sakazuki no shita yuku kiku ya Kitsuki bon .
sakazuki no shita yuku kiku NO Kitsuki bon

Here the cut marker YA can be replaced by NO to make it one sentence.

.............................................................................

桜狩り奇特や日々に五里六里
. sakuragari kidoku ya hibi ni go ri roku ri .
The cut marker YA is in the middle of line 2 - all about "hunting for cherry blossoms2

涼しさを我が宿にしてねまるなり
suzushisa o / waga yado ni shite / nemaru nari

月のみか雨に相撲もなかりけり　
. tsuki nomi ka ame ni sumoo mo nakarikeri .
no moon and no Sumo at Tsuruga beach

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

鴬や竹の子薮に老を鳴く
. uguisu ya take no ko yabu ni oi o naku .
the uguisu sings of his old age in a bamboo grove

more TBA

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

. WKD : One Sentence Haiku - one line .

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Haiku and hokku with one theme, one scene

. WKD : ichibutsu jitate 　一物仕立て　
haiku with only one theme .

They come with or without a cut marker.

The most famous one is the old pond hokku

. furu ike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto .
(spring) frog. old pond, frog jumps, sound of water

- - - - -

このあたり目に見ゆるものは皆涼し
. kono atari me ni miyuru mono wa mina suzushi .
all that meets the eye here is cool

むざんやな　甲の下の　きりぎりす
. muzan ya na kabuto no shita no kirigirisu .
(autumn) grasshopper, in memory of the helmet of Saito Sanemori 斉藤実盛
The cut marker YA before the end of line 1 works like an exclamation mark.
How pitiful!

五月雨を集めてはやし最上川
. samidare o atsumete hayashi Mogamigawa .
(summer) rain during the rainy season, river Mogamigawa　最上川, Hiraizumi

塩にしてもいざ言伝ん都鳥
. shio ni shite mo iza kotozuten Miyako-dori .
(winter) hooded gull. pickled in salt. message

当帰よりあはれは塚の菫草
. tooki yori aware wa tsuka no sumiregusa / sumire-gusa .
(spring) violet. pitiful. Angelica-type parsley. his grave mound
On the death of his disciple Kondoo Romaru 近藤呂丸 / 露丸.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. WKD : One Sentence Haiku - one line .

. WKD : ichibutsu jitate 　一物仕立て　
haiku with only one theme .

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

poetry of nouns

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

- Haiku - the Poetry of Nouns -

The Style of Basho

quote
Basho's hokku have been called a "poetry of nouns"
because of its tendency to rely primarily on image rather than statement.
We can look back at the Sado Island, crow on a withered branch, and old pond poems as examples.
In each case we have the same pattern of noun, noun-verb, noun.
Much of the dynamism of these poems is in the stark imagism that turning them into a statement would only dilute.
Barnhill

What is Basho's style?
His style evolved over his career, from the early Danrin school influence, through Genroku 'keiki' style with its Chinese influence, to his final 'karumi' style.

And as Blyth points out,
Basho could write from a lot of different points of view.

There is a theory that
Basho used more Chinese characters and nouns, writing about the Elite of Japan, whereas Issa used more hiragana and verbs, to talk about the human situation of his time.
. WKD : What is Basho's style? .

..................................................................................................................................................................

quote
Karumi
Matsuo Basho's Ultimate Poetical Value, Or was it?
. . . The first of my 'mini' assumptions is the possibility that one of the main objectives of Basho's last journey might have been to disseminate the new style of karumi among his followers in the western regions, particularly Kamigata.
The second assumption is that the urgency and enthusiasm with which Basho was trying to develop karumi in his last years can be explained partly by the fact that some of his important disciples were falling away or even challenging the introduction of his new style and that he therefore had to try even harder to establish it.
The third of my assumptions . . . is that the greatest of all Basho's achievements is to be found in the creation of a new kind of poetry, born out of the marriage of the already existing two poetic worlds represented by sabi and karumi.
. . .
Amami is probably the most ambiguous and misleading of all Basho's terminology.
. . .
What is meant by karumi, whether it is hokku or tsukeku, is that it is composed as one sees, so to speak, without reaching out for it.
Using plain words does not mean that the sentiment expressed is slight. (On the contrary) it should come deep from the poet's heart and the finished stanza should have perfect naturalness.
. . .
a) Karumi as the Antithesis of Omomi
b) Karumi as the Antithesis of Furubi
c) Karumi as the Antithesis of Nebari and Shiburi
d) Karumi as the Antithesis of Shi-i (self-will)
e) Karumi as the Antithesis of Amami
f) Karumi as the Antithesis of Umami

- - - - and Characteristics of Karumi
a) Kogo-kizoku
b) aikai-jiyu (freedom)
c) Karumi and Zen
d) Humour
e) Karumi's Pictorial Qualities
f) Karumi and Musical Qualities
Notwithstanding the validity of the generally-held view that Japanese poems usually lack the characteristics of Western prosody, musical qualities do play their part in them. In an extreme case, if a Japanese poem sounds monotonous to the Western ears, the Japanese hear 'their' music in that monotony.

- - - - -also discussed are the concepts
fuga no makoto
fueki-ryuko
the scope for sabi

Haikai wa tada fuga nari. Fuga ni ron wa sukoshi mo gazanaku soro.

Haikai is nothing but poetry.
Poetry needs no theory.

- - - - - - Read this important analysis here :
. WKD : Essay by Susumu Takiguchi .

..................................................................................................................................................................

. WKD : Hokku and Haikai 　　発句と俳諧 .

. WKD : Haiku - the Poetry of Nouns .

under construction
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

秋風の鑓戸の口やとがり声
. akikaze no yarido no kuchi ya togarigoe .
(autumn) autumn wind. sliding door. piercing sound

冬牡丹千鳥よ雪のほととぎす
. fuyu botan chidori yo yuki no hototogisu .
this hokku contains four different kigo - winter peony, plover, snow, Hototogisu

隠れ家や月と菊とに田三反
. kakurega ya tsuki to kiku to ni ta san tan .
hermitage, moon, chrysanthemums, three tan of rice paddies

近江蚊帳汗やさざ波夜の床
Oomi-gaya ase ya sazanami yoru no toko
mosquito net from Omi -
my sweat - gentle waves
my bed at night

涼しさを飛騨の工が指図かな
. suzushisa o Hida no takumi ga sashizu kana .
coolness and the master carpenter from Hida

梅が香やしらら落窪京太郎
. ume ga ka ya Shirara Ochikubo Kyootaroo . 　
fragrance of plum blossoms. Shirara. Ochikubo. Kyotaro.

さざ波や風の薫りの相拍子
. sazanami ya kaze no kaori no ai byooshi .
gentle waves, fragrant breeze, the right accent (at lake Biwako)

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

quote
Barnhill says that in his travels Basho pursued
“the wayfaring life in order to embody physically and metaphorically the fundamental character of the universe.”
He visits places “loaded” with cultural and spiritual significance and his sense of “nature” is bound up with these traditions of place. This intertwining of place and significance, the local and the transcendental, is basic to Basho’s experience.
The centrality of “place names” or utamakura is basic to Basho’s outlook. Barnhill says,
“Basho tended to write of places in nature handed down through literature, giving cultural depth to his experience of nature.”

By JAMIE EDGECOMBE
source : worldhaikureview2

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

西行の和歌における、宗祇の連歌における、
雪舟の絵における、利休が茶における、
其の貫道する物は一なり

Saigyo for waka, Sogi for linked verse,
Sesshu for painting, Rikyu in the tea ceremony —
- there is a single thread running through their art.
- the fundamental principle is the same.
- There is one thing that permeates.
- One thread unites them.
- one thread runs through the artistic Ways.

Oi no Kobumi 笈の小文 Knapsack
- Reference -

Introduction - Oi no Kobumi

"Heels torn, I am the same as Saigyo, and I think of him at the Tenryu ferry. Renting a horse, I conjure up in my mind the sage who became furious. In the beautiful spectacles of the mountains, field, ocean and coast, I see the achievement of the creation.
Or I follow the trails left by those who, completely unattached, pursued the Way, or I try to fathom the truth expressed by those with poetic sensibility."

"In the beautiful spectacles of the mountains, field, ocean and coast, I see the achievement of the creation."

" I see the achievement of the creation. Or I follow the trails left by those who, completely unattached, pursued the Way, or I try to fathom the truth expressed by those with poetic sensibility."

Tr. Hiroaki Sato

MORE
source : worldhaikureview

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

quote
Basho Hokku - A selection of Makoto Ueda's translations

Basho and His Interpreters: Selected Hokku with Commentary
by Makoto Ueda

The following list of sixty-four (64) of the two-hundred-fifty-six (256) hokku translations by Ueda stand out for their emphasis on the verbs or have one or more lines in a verse ending with a verb. They are 25% of the book’s translated hokku.

The following list of sixty-four (64) of the two-hundred-fifty-six (256) hokku translations by Ueda stand out for their emphasis on the verbs or have one or more lines in a verse ending with a verb. They are 25% of the book’s translated hokku.

*Note that all of the Basho hokku presented in the book use verbs in their normal context. None stretch the meaning for the sake of novelty or added surprise.

source : Elaine Andre

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

quote
“The Master often said:
‘Those who limit themselves with formal rules and seek conceptual principles should be ranked in the middle level, while those who go beyond formal rules and forget (wasure) conceptual principles are the immortals of the art.’”

To “go beyond formal rules and forget conceptual principles” is to eliminate the subjective and conceptual consciousness.
It has been noted that “forgetting” was the mental state Bashô pursued in his old age, and he believed that this mental state was essential to achieve karumi.
In a haibun written one year before his death, Bashô says:

"People who lack wisdom have a lot of thoughts.
People who excel in an art due to worldly concerns are also good at distinguishing “right” and “wrong.”
Holding the “right” as their way to live, their hearts suffer in the hell of desires, and, drowned in these shallow ditches, they cannot produce true art. I would say following the old immortal Nanhua’s words to do away with fame and profit, to forget years, and to be in idleness — this is the happiness of my old age.

To “forget years” is an allusion to the second chapter of the Zhuangzi. It implies a mental preparation for attaining the Dao.

In Chinese literature, the term “forget” is used in both epistemological and spiritual ways. When designating a spiritual realm, “forget” (C. wang; J. wasure) suggests the elimination of worldly concerns. As seen in earlier chapters, doing away with fame and profit and forgetting worldly worries are major themes in Bashô’s work.

Yet the importance of “forgetting” in haikai theory, as Bashô accentuated increasingly in his later writings, lies in its epistemological implication: forgetting as a primary way to enter emptiness and limitlessness, the ideal state in which to attain the Dao.
source : Basho-and-the-Dao - Peipei-Qiu

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

source :　www.library.metro.tokyo.jp

Basho Portrait by Watanabe Kazan 渡辺崋山
(1793 - 1841)
Scholar of rangaku Western Learning

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

. WKD : Haiku - the Poetry of Nouns .

. WKD : What is Basho's style? .

. Cut and cut markers used by Basho .
kire 切れ the CUT and kireji　切字 cut markers

. Cultural Keywords used by Basho .

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

04/06/2012

uma, koma - horse

Ando Hiroshige

. umakata 馬方 owner of a station horse . 　

. WKD : uma 馬 horses and kigo .

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

uma, muma 馬

冬の日や馬上に氷る影法師
. fuyu no hi ya bajoo ni kooru kagebooshi .
- samuki ta ya bajoo ni sukumu kagebooshi
(winter) cold. shadow, horse

歩行ならば杖突坂を落馬哉　
. kachi naraba Tsuetsuki-zaka o rakuba kana .
(no season word). if I had walked. the slope Tsuetsukizaka. I fell from my horse

桟やまづ思ひ出づ馬迎へ
. kakehashi ya mazu omoi-izu uma mukae .
(autumn) the meeting of the tribute horses at the hanging bridge in Kiso

道の辺の木槿は馬に喰はれけり
. michinobe no mukuge wa uma ni kuwarekeri .
(autumn) rose of sharon. roadside. eaten by a horse

野を横に馬牽きむけよほととぎす
. no o yoko ni uma hikimuke yo hototogisu .
(summer) little cuckoo, horse

蚤虱馬の尿する枕もと
. nomi shirami uma no bari suru makuramoto .
(summer) fleas, lice, horse pissing, my pillow

阿蘭陀も花に来にけり馬に鞍
. Oranda mo hana ni ki ni keri uma ni kura .
(spring) blossoms. Dutch delegation in Edo. saddle my horse

柴付けし馬のもどりや田植樽　
. shiba tsukeshi uma no modori ya tauedaru (taue-daru) .
(summer) rice planting. the horses return with sake casks

..........................................................................

folding screen by Hasegawa Tohaku 長谷川等伯

馬ぼくぼくわれを絵に見る夏の哉　
. uma bokuboku ware o e ni miru natsuno kana / hokuhoku .
(summer) summer field. horse

馬方は知らじ時雨の大井川
. umakata wa shiraji shigure no Ooigawa .
(winter) sleet. horse leader does not know. River Oigawa 大井川

馬に寝て残夢月遠し茶の煙　
. uma ni nete zanmu tsuki tooshi cha no keburi .
(autumn) moon. horseback. I sleep. dream. smoke from tea

馬をさへ眺むる雪の朝哉
. uma o sae nagamuru yuki no ashita kana .
(winter) snow. horse

..........................................................................

雪や砂馬より落ちよ酒の酔　
yuki ya suna muma yori ochiyo sake no yoi
. yuki ya suna uma yori ochiyo sake no yoi .
(winter) snow. sand. you fall from your horse. drunk on sake
for Ochi Etsujin

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

koma　駒

町医師や屋敷方より駒迎へ
. machi ishi ya yashikigata yori koma mukae .
they pick up the town doctor with a horse

行く駒の麦に慰む宿り哉　
. yuku koma no mugi ni nagusamu yadori kana .
the horse enjoys munching barley

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

and a Kabuki actor with the character for horse in his name
Yoshioka Motome 吉岡求馬

花あやめ一夜に枯れし求馬哉
. hana ayame ichiya ni kareshi Motome kana .

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

厩馬図屏風 - folding screen owned by the Takada family 高田稔さん所蔵

. WKD : uma 馬 horses and kigo .

. Cultural Keywords used by Basho .

. - KIGO used by Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - .

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

utabukuro - song-pouch

The throat of a frog is also called meinoo 鳴嚢 - vocal sac vocal pouch.

....................................................................................................................................................

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.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

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.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

. Cultural Keywords used by Basho .

. - KIGO used by Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - .

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

ukiyo floating world

source :　ezoushijp

上下を着し世を千金と営む人も、
浮世一ツ分五厘と酔ふてくらす（春）

ukiyo ippun gorin 浮世一分五厘（うきよ‐いっぷんごりん）
gorin - to borrow money at a rate of 5.5 percent (for one minute)

この世のはかなく価値がないことを銀目の一分五厘にたとえたもの。　
世間を軽く見てのんきに世をすごすこと。
ukiyo sanpun gorin 浮世三分五厘ともいう。

○迷えば煩悩、悟れば菩提
○迷えば凡夫、悟れば仏
○迷う者は道を問わず
○浮世は色々無明の酔い　
人間の仏心をくらます無明(一切の迷妄・煩悩の根源)の煩悩を酒の酔いにたとえていう。
- Reference - ukiyo-e

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

花にうき世我が酒白く飯黒し
hana ni ukiyo waga sake shiroku meshi kuroshi

cherry blossoms in this fleeting world
my ricewine is white
my rice is black
Tr. Gabi Greve

Amid the blossoms' joy
a cruel world: My wine is cloudy and
My rice unmilled.
Tr. haikubandit

Drunk with blossoms
my rice wine is coloured white
& my rice is brown

and a preface in Chinese by Po Chu I

When we have a serious worry,
We realize the holy power of sake.
Only when we have suffered poverty,
Do we realize the divine value of money.

Tr. and Comment : Bill Wyatt

Basho age 40 天和3年.
The meter of this poem is 6-7-5.

He is quite poor and has to drink "nigorizake", a cheap white type.
His rice is not hulled and white, but "black", because he has to eat unhulled genmai brown rice.
So now he has to learn and study about the "God of Money" 銭の神 to change his poor living conditions.

. Ricewine, rice wine (sake, saké, saki) .
nigori or nigorizake (濁り酒)

..........................................................................................................................................................

木曽の橡浮世の人の土産かな
. Kiso no tochi ukiyo no hito no miyage kana .
(autumn) chestnuts. souvenir from Kiso　木曽 floating world.

. koomori mo ideyo ukiyo no hana ni tori .
(spring) cherry blossoms. bats come out. floating world.

. tabine shite mishi ya ukiyo no susu harai (susuharai) .
(winter) end of year housecleaning. sleeping on the road. floating world

. tsuyu toku toku kokoromi ni ukiyo susugabaya .
(autumn) dew. floating world

..........................................................................................................................................................

source :　genchou/tokusyu
Basho no Sakura - cherry blossom haiku of Basho - collection

うらやまし浮世の北の山桜
urayamashi ukiyo no kita no yama-zakura / yamazakura

Written in the spring of 1692 元禄5年春.

so enviable:
far north of the floating world
mountain cherry blossoms
Tr. Barnhill

How delightful !
North of our world of woe
mountain cherries !
Tr. Robin D. Gill

Part of a letter to his student Kukuu 句空 Kuku in Kanazawa. KuKuu lived in a hermitage on mount Utatsuyama 金沢卯辰山 in Kanazawa. Basho had once visited him on his trip to Northern Echigo.
He wrote two poem collections
Kita no Yama 北の山 "Northern Mountain" and
Sooan Shuu 草庵集, "Grass Hut Collection".

kita no yama, the Northern Mountain, referes to Kanazawa, far in the North of Japan.

The meaning of this haiku:
You are lucky to live in the quietude of your Northern Mountain.
I am here in the petty everyday life (ukiyo) of Edo and have to worry about so many daily problems, like worrying about money, infighting of my students, illness in the family, my cramped living conditions and so many more.

..........................................................................................................................................................

ukiyo no kita 浮世の北. 下巻 / 可吟

Poetry collection by haikai poet Kagin 可吟
source :　www.wul.waseda.ac.jp

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

Basho also used the expression "
yo no xyz 世の ... xyy of this world
(yono)

世にふるも更に宗祇の宿り哉
. yo ni furu mo sara ni Soogi no yadori kana .
(autumn) Sogi. life in this world, rain on the shelter of Sogi
Iio Soogi 飯尾宗祇 Iio Sogi

世に匂へ梅花一枝のみそさざい
yo ni nioe / baika isshi no / misosazai

世に盛る花にも念仏申しけり
yo ni sakaru / hana ni mo nebutsu / mōshikeri

世の人の見付けぬ花や軒の栗
. yo no hito no mitsukenu hana ya noki no kuri .
(summer) sweet chestnut flowers. "people of this world"
For priest Kashin 僧侶可伸, in rememberance of Saint Gyooki 行基菩薩 Gyoki Bosatsu.

世の中は稲刈るころか草の庵
. yo no naka wa ine karu koro ka kusa no io .
(autumn) harvesting rice. in the world. my thatched hermitage

世の夏や湖水に浮む浪の上
yo no natsu ya / kosui ni ukamu / nami no ue

世を旅に代掻く小田の行き戻り
yo o tabi ni / shiro kaku oda no / yuki modori

- - - - -

椹や花なき蝶の世捨酒
kuwa no mi ya / hana naki chō no / yosute-zake

梅が香や見ぬ世の人に御意を得る
ume ga ka ya / minu yo no hito ni / gyoi o uru

..........................................................................................................................................................

世直しの大十五夜の月見かな
yo naoshi no oojuugoya no tsukimi kana

the night of reforms
of moon viewing
on the fiftheenth . . .
Tr. Gabi Greve

yonaoshi "to re-do the world", reform, world-healing,
is also a concept of Pure Land Buddhism.
Maybe Basho is making resolutions for himself to improve his life, like we do on the Night of the New Year.

juugoya 十五夜（じゅうごや）night of the fifteenth
The deity revered on this night is Dainichi Nyorai 大日如来.

. meigetsu 名月 ( めいげつ) "famous moon" harvest moon .

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

seken　世間　the every-day-world

花にいやよ世間口より風の口
hana ni iya yo / seken guchi yori / kaze no kuchi

雨の日や世間の秋を堺町
. ame no hi ya seken no aki o Sakai choo .

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

- - - - - Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶

浮草や浮世の風のいふなりに
ukikusa ya ukiyo no kaze no iu nari ni

floating plants
move to the changing winds
of the floating world
Tr. Chris Drake

This hokku is from the sixth month (July) of 1821. The word ukikusa is a traditional general word used in waka, renga, and haikai that means literally "floating plants." In Issa's time three different plants had also given this name by botanists, but these technical terms were not widely used. In contemporary Japanese the word refers to one specific kind of floating plant, duckweed. Floating plants were also called "rootless plants" (nenashi-gusa), since their roots hang unconnected in the water.

To Issa their unrooted, free-floating existence provides an interesting perspective on the human world as well. The commonly used term "floating world" has various meanings: the painful, difficult, impermanent world as taught by Buddhism; the everyday world of poverty and economic struggle to survive; the dreamlike world of constant change and uncertainty; the present world as opposed to the next world; ordinary, mundane daily life, human society; this-worldly enjoyment and entertainment; contemporary, stylish. Issa himself commonly refers to the floating world to refer to: a painful situation or existence; the world of physical necessity, economics, measurement; the everyday mundane world; the visible world as imperfect; an existence dominated by desire, want, greed, clinging; conspicuous change amid general impermanence.

In this hokku Issa seems to be focusing on the rootless, directionless way most people live in the floating world of daily existence. He says the water plants do whatever the changeable winds "tell them to do," so he is probably talking about plants and ordinary human society at the same time. Instead of choosing their lives, most people are content to follow whatever fickle winds of fashion and thinking are popular at the moment, floating here and there like rootless water plants. Issa himself had clear goals and sometimes went against the prevailing wind, as when he struggled to return to his hometown, but ultimately he almost surely includes himself among the floating plants, since in the True Pure Land school of Buddhism to which he belonged it is believed that all humans have imperfections, failings, and weaknesses and are dependent on others, especially on Amida Buddha. Issa was not a yes man, but he was acutely aware of his own limitations and dependence on Amida.

Chris Drake

. WKD : ukikusa 萍 (うきくさ) all kinds of floating water weeds .

我垣やうき世の葛の花盛り
waga kaki ya ukiyo no kuzu no hanazakari

oh my hedge -
arrowroots of the floating world
are in full bloom
Tr. Gabi Greve

kuzu, ningen no kuzu 人間の葛 "people like arrowroots",
means : human trash, the lowest of humans.

- - - - - MORE of Issa and the floating world

. hana saite hon no ukiyo to nari ni keri .

. mizudori yo ima no ukiyo ni nebokeru na .

. naku na kari dokko mo onaji ukiyo zoya .

. Kobayashi Issa 小林一茶 in Edo .

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　

[ . BACK to DARUMA　MUSEUM　TOP . ]
[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::　