HHH

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

- H H H -


. WKD - Hokku and Haikai 　発句と俳諧 . 　
The opening verse of a linked verse or beginning stanza was called " hokku　発句" .
Since about 1670, the haikai poets started composing stand-alone poems of 5 7 5, independent from the renku 連句　linked verse.
They were usually simply called KU　句, poem, verse.
A hokku and a haiku in Japan share the same basic formal criteria:
5 7 5 on
one kireji
one kigo/kidai
Shiki did not touch this formal definition when he promoted the naming of haiku 俳句.



. Haikai Kanjinchoo 俳諧勧進牒 - Collection to promote Haikai .
Compiled by Yasomura Rotsuu 八十村路通 Rotsu


. Heian - Basho in the footsteps of the Heian Period 平安時代　 .


- - - - -. hut　庵　my thatched hut, hermitage ### . - - - - -

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

- - - - - . hachi takaki, hachitataki 鉢叩き　ceremony for Saint Kuya 空也上人 * . - - - - -


. hafuguchi no higake ya yowaru yuu suzumi .
(summer) coolness. edge of the gable. sunlight is weakening


- - - - -. WKD : hagi 　萩　bush clover . - - - - -
. hagihara ya hito-yo wa yadose yama no inu .
(atumn) bush clover field. shelter for a night. mountain dogs


. haiide yo kaiya ga shita no hiki no koe .
(summer) toad. crawl out! silkworm shed


- - - - - . haji 恥 shame, disgrace . 　- - - - - 　


- - - - - . hakama 袴　Hakama formal trouser skirt * . - - - - -

- - - - - . hakamairi 墓参り visiting graves at O-Bon * . - - - - -

- - - - - . hakkei 八景 Eight Views, eight famous scenic spots * . - - - - -



. Hakone kosu hito mo aru rashi kesa no yuki . 　
(winter) snow. Hakone pass (along the Tokaido road). people crossing



. hamaguri no futami ni wakarete yuku aki zo . at Ogaki
(autumn) autumn is leaving hamaguri clams

. hamaguri no ikeru kai are toshi no kure .
(winter) end of the year. hamaguri clams.



- - - - - hana 花 cherry blossoms - - - - -

. hana ni akanu nageki ya kochi no utabukuro .
(spring) cherry blossoms. I can not open my poetry pouch.

花に遊ぶ虻な喰ひそ友雀　
hana ni asobu / abu na kurai so / tomo suzume
(hokku)

. hana ni ukiyo waga sake shiroku meshi kuroshi .
(spring) cherry blossoms. floating world. white ricewine. black rice

. hana ni yoeri haori kite katana sasu onna .
(spring) cherry blossoms. a lady wears a haori coat and sword

. hana no kage utai ni nitaru tabine kana .
(spring) cherry blossoms. I feel like in a Noh play. sleeping on the road - at Yoshino

花の顔に晴れうてしてや朧月
hana no kao ni / hareute shite ya / oboro-zuki
(hokku)

. hana no kumo kane wa Ueno ka Asakusa ka .
(spring) clouds of cherry blossom. temple bell, Ueno, Asakusa (in Edo)


. hana no yado ni hajime owari ya hatsuka hodo .
(spring) cherry blossoms. from beginning to end about 20 days

. hana wa shizu no me ni mo mie-keri oni azami .
(autumn) demon thistle, the poor and lowly

. hanazakari - hana-zakari yama wa higoro no asaborake .
(spring) cherry blossoms. the Yoshino mountain at daybreak

- - - - -



- - - - - . hanami 花見 cherry blossom viewing - Basho SAIJIKI . - - - - -

. hanami ni to sasu fune ososhi Yanagihara .
(spring) cherry blossom viewing. leisurely boat. Yanagiwara embankment

- - - - - . hana no wakare 花の別れ I bid farwell to a cherry blossom . - - - - -

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




. hana ayame ichiya ni kareshi Motome kana .
(summer) Ayame iris. withering over night. Kabuki actor Yoshioka Motome




. ha ni somuku tsubaki no hana ya yosogokoro .
(spring) camellia blossom. leaf. yoso gokoro, yoso-gokoro ... the heart goes astray . . .



. hanjitsu wa kami o tomo ni ya toshi wasure .
(winter) end of year party. half a day. in the company of the Shinto gods


. hana mina karete aware o kobosu kusa no tane .
(winter) withered flowers. pity. seeds of weeds


- - - - - . haori 羽織 Japanese coat * . - - - - -


. haranaka ya mono ni mo tsukazu naku hibari .
(spring) field with skylarks. not attached to anything. (voice of an animal)



. haremono ni yanagi no sawaru shinae kana .
haremono ni sawaru yanagi no shinae kana
haremono ni fureru yanagi no shinae kana
(spring) willow tree. hand touching a tumor


. haritate ya kata ni tsuchi utsu karakoromo .
no season. acupuncture needle. pounding my shoulder. cast-off robe




- - - - - haru 春 spring - - - --

. haru kaze ni fukidashi warau hana mogana .
(spring) spring wind. burst into laughter. cherry blossoms

. haru mo yaya keshiki totonou tsuki to ume /
(spring) spring takes shape. moon and plum blossoms

. haru nare ya na mo naki yama no usugasumi .
(spring) mountain. without a name. light mist

. haru no yo ya komorido yukashi doo no sumi .
(spring) spring night. person in retreat. temple corner (at temple Hasedera 長谷寺 Nara )


- - - - - . harusame　春雨　spring rain - 春の雨 haru no ame rain in spring 　 . > - - - --

. harusame no koshita ni tsutau shimizu kana .
(spring spring rain. flowing down the trees. pure water

. harusame ya futaba ni moyuru nasubidane .
(spring) spring rain. two leaves sproutng. eggplant seedlings

. harusame ya hachi no su tsutau yane no mori .
(spring) spring rain. bee's nest, rain from the roof

. harusame ya mino fukikaesu kawa yanagi .
(spring) spring rain. river willow blown like a straw coat

. harusame ya yomogi o noabasu kusa no michi .
(spring) mugwort, road with weeds

- - - - -


. haru tatsu to warawa mo shiru ya kazari nawa .
(winter, New Year). spring begins. ritual rope decorations. children will know

. haru tatsu ya shinnen furuki kome goshoo .
(winter, New Year). spring begins. old rice. ten quarts


. haru ya koshi toshi ya yukiken kotsugomori .
(winter) second-last day of the year 小晦日. has spring come?






- - - - - . - Hasedera 長谷寺 Visiting Hase-Dera in Nara - . - - - - -


. hashigeta no shinobu wa tsuki no nagori kana .
(autumn) farewell-moon. bridge beams with "fern of longing" - nagori


. hasu-ike ya orade sonomama tamamatsuri .
(autumn) O-Bon. lotus pond. not plucked
- - - - and
tamamatsuri kyoo mo yakiba no kemuri kana
smoke from the crematorium


. hasu no ka o me ni kayowasu ya men no hana .
(summer)lotus. fragrance. reaches the eyes. nose of a Noh mask.



. hatake utsu oto ya arashi no sakura asa .
(spring) to plough the fields. sound. storm. "cherry-blossom hemp"



- - - - - . hatsumono, hatsu mono 初物 first things . - - - - -
- hatsugatsuo 初鰹 first bonito and more

. hatsu aki ya tataminagara no kaya no yogi . - hatsuaki
(autumn) first sign of autumn. my folded mosquito net as blanket

. hatsu aki ya umi mo aota mo hito midori .
(autumn) autumn begins. the sea and the fields one shade of green

. hatsu hana ni inochi nanajuu gonen hodo .
hatsu hana ni inochi shichi jū go nen hodo
(spring) first blossoms. I will gain at least 75 years

. hatsu makuwa yotsu ni ya tatan wa ni kiran .
hatsu makuwa yotsu no ya kiran wa ni kiran
(summer) first Makuwa melon. cut it in quarters? or round slices?

. hatsu shigure saru mo komino o hoshige nari .
(winter) winter drizzle, monkey, straw coat. - first from Sarumino 猿蓑

. hatsu shigure hatsu no ji o waga shigure kana .
(winter) first winter drizzle. the character "first".

. hatsu shimo ya kiku hie somuru koshi no wata .
(autumn) chrysanthemums. first frost. cotton wrapper around my hip

. hatsutake ya mada hikazu henu aki no tsuyu .
(autumn) first mushrooms. few days have passed. dew in autumn

. hatsu-uma ni kitsune no sorishi atama kana .
(New Year) First Day of the Horse. a fox shaved your head
for Zekitsu 是橘

. hatsuyuki ni usagi no kawa no hige tsukure .
(winter) first snow. rabbit, fur. beard

. hatsuyuki ya hijiri kozoo no oi no iro .
(winter) first snow. mendicant monk. color of his backpack

. hatsu yuki ya itsu Daibutsu no hashira date .
(winter) first snow. Daibutsu temple, Nara. erect new columns

. hatsu yuki ya kakekakaritaru hashi no ue .
(winter) first snow. on the bridge under construction - The Great Bridge of Fukagawa 深川大橋

. hatsu yuki ya saiwai an ni makariaru .
(winter) first snow. luckily. I am in my own hut.

. hatsu-yuki ya suisen no ha no tawamu made .
(winter) first snow. enough to bend the daffodils


. hatsuzakura orishi mo kyoo wa yoki hi nari .
(spring) first cherry blossom. today is a good day
at Iga Ueno　伊賀上野, temple Yakushi-Ji


. hayaku sake kunichi mo chikashi kiku no hana .
(autumn) chrysanthemums. hurry up to bloom! Chrysanthemum festival day





. hebi kuu to kikeba osoroshi kiji no koe .
(spring) voice of a pheasant. eating a snake. dreadful voice

- - - - - . hei 塀 wall, garden wall . - - - - -


- - - - - . heso no o, hozo no o 臍の緒 umbilical cord * . - - - - -



- - - - - . hibari 雲雀 lark . - - - - -

. hibari naku naka no hyooshi ya kiji no koe .
(autumn) voice of lark and pheasant

. hibari yori sora ni yasurau tooge kana.
(spring) lark. resting in the sky at the pass

- - - - -


- - - - - . Hida no takumi 飛騨の工 / 飛騨の匠 craftsman from Hida * . - - - - -


- - - - - . Hieizan, Hiei-Zan 比叡山 Mount Hiei in Omi ### . - - - - -
- - - Hie oroshi, hieoroshi 日枝颪 wind from Mount Hieizan




. higashi nishi aware sa hitotsu aki no kaze .
(autumn) autumn wind. East. West. deep feeling is the same
on the death of Mukai Chine 向井千子


. hige kaze o fuite boshuu tanzuru wa tare ga ko zo .
(autumn) wind, beard, remembering Tu Fu


. higoro nikuki karasu mo yuki no ashita kana .
(winter) snow in the morning. hateful crows. hokku including "to hate" - nikumu




- - - - -. hijiri, hijiri kozoo 聖小僧　mendicant monk, "holy man" * . - - - - -
Basho himself was on a kind of "hijiri" life, travelling all over Japan, without a regular home.



- - - - - . himuro 氷室 (ひむろ) icehouse, ice cellar * . - - - - -



日の道や葵傾く五月雨
hi no michi ya / aoi katamuku / satsuki ame
(hokku)


. hinzan no kama shimo ni naku koe samushi .
(winter) frost. poor mountain temple. the kettle sounds cold in the frost



- - - - -. hioke 火桶 wooden brazier for winter - hibachi　火鉢　. 　- - - - -



. Hiraizumi 平泉 - Oku no Hosomichi Stage 23 .


. Hira Mikami yuki sashiwatase sagi no hashi .
(summer) Mount Hira, Mount Mikami at Lake Biwa



- - - - - hirugao - - - - -

. hirugao ni hirune seu mo no toko no yama .
(summer) bindweed, sleeping, remembering Urashima Taro

. hirugao ni kometsuki suzumu aware nari .
(summer) bindweed. noonflower. rice pounder. to cool. pityful

- - - - -



. WKD : hirune, hiru-ne 昼寝 nap, Mittagsschlaf .


. hito hi hito hi mugi akaramite naku hibari .
(spring) voice of the skylark. day by day the barley reddens


. hito-koe no e ni yokotau ya hototogisu .
(summer) little cuckoo. one call across the inlay





人も見ぬ春や鏡の裏の梅
hito mo mi nu / haru ya kagami no / ura no ume
(hokku)


. hito ni ie o kawasete ware wa toshi wasure .
(winter) "forget the year". I make him buy a house.


. hito one wa shigururu kumo ka Fuji no yuki .
(winter) snow. Mount Fuji. one ridge. winter drizzle. clouds


. hitori ama wara ya sugenashi shiro tsutsuji .
(spring) azalea. lonely nun. straw-thatched hut


. hito shigure tsubute ya futte Koishikawa .
(winter) winter drizzle. hailstones falling. Koishikawa (in Edo)


. hitotose ni ichido tsumaruru nazuna kana .
(spring/New Year) sheperd's purse. picked only once a year


. hitotsu nugite ushiro ni oinu koromogae .
(summer) changing robes


. hitotsuya ni yuujo mo netari hagi to tsuki .
(autumn) bush clover, prostitute, moon


. hitozato wa mina hanamori no shison kana .
(spring) cherry blossom warden. everyone in the region. descent


. hi wa hana ni kurete sabishi ya asunaroo .
(spring) cherry blossoms. sunset. to feel lonely. Asunaro cypress

ひやひやと壁をふまへて昼寝哉
hiya hiya to / kabe o fumaete / hiru ne kana
(hokku)




. hokku nari Matsuo Toosei yado no haru .
(spring). the home of Matsuo Tosei (Basho). hokku


. hoorai ni kikabaya Ise no hatsudayori .
(New Year) 蓬莱 Horai decoration and first news. from Ise shrine


. horohoro to yamabuki chiru ka taki no oto . horo horo
(spring) yellow mountain rose. sound of a waterfall


. Hoshizaki no yami o miyo to ya naku chidori .
(winter) plover. darkness at Hoshizaki. take a good look!




- - - - - . - hotaru 蛍 (ほたる) firefly, fireflies - . - - - - -

. hotarubi no hiru wa kie-tsutsu hashira kana .
(summer) hotaru fireflies. the pillars (of the Golden Hall, Hiraizumi)

. hotarumi ya sendoo yoote obotsukana .
(summer) hotaru fireflies. drunken boatsman. worrying

- - - - -




. hotoke　仏 - ほとけ Buddha .

. hotoketachi 仏達　Buddha statues * .



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


- - - - - . - hototogisu 郭公 / ほととぎす - little cuckoo
- . - - - - -
Cuculus poliocephalis

. hototogisu ima wa haikaishi naki yo kana .
(summer) little cuckoo. now a world without haikai masters

. hototogisu katsuo o some ni keri kerashi .
(summer) little cuckoo. skipjack sashimi

. hototogisu kieyuku kata ya shima hitotsu .
(summer) little cuckoo. it disappears. a single island

. hototogisu koe yokotau ya mizu no ue .
(summer. little cuckoo. its voice stretches over the water

. hototogisu naku ne ya furuki suzuri-bako / suzuribako .
(summer) little cuckoo. old inkstone box

. hototogisu naku ya go shaku no ayamegusa .
(summer) little cuckoo. iris of 5 shaku hight

. hototogisu ootakeyabu o moru tsukiyo .
(summer) little cuckoo. bamboo, moon night

. hototogisu Urami no Taki no ura omote .
(summer) little cuckoo. Urami no Taki waterfall (Nikko). back and front

- - - - -


- - - - - . hoya 穂屋 "shrine hut with a thatched wall" *. - - - - -



. hyaku ri kitari hodo wa kumoi no shita suzumi .
(summer) coolness. I walked 100 RI. ceiling of clouds


. hyorohyoro to nao tsuyukeshi ya ominaeshi .
(autumn) yellow valerian. covered with dew


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

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

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

MMM

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

- M M M -

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


. - Medicine, Illness, Doctors - and Basho - .


. Monk, monks and priests 僧 sō, soo .


. - Moto no Mizu もとの水 - 句集 -　A Hokku Collection attributed to Basho in 1787 - .


. - mu 無 emptiness - nothingness - .


. Museums 記念館 Kinenkan in honor of Basho .



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


. machi ishi ya yashikigata yori koma mukae . machi-ishi 町医師 *
(autumn) picking up the horses. from a samurai mansion. doctor of the town.



. madonari ni hirune no dai ya takamushiro .
(summer) mat from woven bamboo. sleeping platform by the window


. Mafukuda ga hakama yosou ka tsukuzukushi .
(spring) horsetail. Priest Mafukuda. hakama trousers to wear


- - - - - . maki-e　蒔絵 laquer paintings ### . - - - - -


- - - - - . - makura 草枕 pillow - kusamakura 草枕 pillow stuffed with grass ### . - - - - -
pillow of a traveller



- - - - - . makuwa uri 真桑瓜 Makuwa melon . * - - - - -


- - - - - . manzai 万歳 Manzai performance . * - - - - -


- - - - - . masu 枡　 measuring box . * - - - - -
- - - . masu 升　container for ritual sake . - - - - -

. masu katte funbetsu kawaru tsukimi kana .
(autumn) moon viewing. I bought a measuring box / (masu koote, masu kōte)





. mata koemu Sayo no Nakayama hatsugatsuo .
(summer) first skipjack katsuo bonito. Sayo no Nakayama pass. to cross again

. mata ya tagui Nagara no kawa no ayu namasu .
(summer) Ayu sweetfish. river Nagaragawa, vinegar-pickled fish. once again


. matsu hana ya Toozaburoo ga Yoshinoyama .
(spring) cherry blossoms. shakuhachi player Gichiku 宜竹 Tozaburo. Mount Yoshino


. Matsushima ya aa Matsushima ya Matushima ya .
- famous poem by 狂歌師田原坊 Tawara Bo, often attributed to Basho




- - - - - . - matsu 松 the pine tree - . - - - - -

. matsukaze no ochiba ka mizu no oto suzushi .
(summer) coolness. wind in the pines. sound of water

. matsukaze ya noki o megutte aki kurenu .
(autumn) autumn ends. wind in the pines. swirling around the eaves

. matsu sugi o homete ya kaze no kaoru oto .
- (matsusugi)
(summer) fragrant breeze, sound, pines. Shigure no Matsu 時雨の松
planted by Fujiwara no Sadaie


- - - - - . matsukazari 松飾り "pine decroation" * . - - - - -


. matsutake ya kabureta hodo wa matsu no nari .
(autumn), Matsutake mushroom. ragged. like a pine

. matsutake ya shiranu ko-no-ha no nebaritsuku .
(autumn), Matsutake mushroom. unknown leaf. sticking to it

- - - - -




. mayuhaki o omokage ni shite beni no hana .
(summer) safflower. reminiscent of eyebrow brushes 眉刷毛　



. - - - - - mazu まづ first of all - - - - - .

. mazu iwae ume o kokoro no fuyu-gomori / fuyugomori .
(winter) winter seclusion. celebrating. plum blossoms

. mazu shiru ya Gichiku ga take ni hana no yuki .
(spring) cherry blossoms. shakuhachi player Gichiku 宜竹 Tozaburo.

. mazu tanomu shii no ki mo ari natsu kodachi .
(summer) summer grove. to count on. pasania oak tree

- - - - -


. medetaki hito no kazu ni mo iran oi no kure .
(winter) end of the year. old age. I belong to the lucky one's


- - - - - . meido めいど / 冥土 / 冥途 nether world, world of the dead . * - - - - -


- - - - - . - meigetsu 名月 harvest moon - . - - - - -

. meigetsu ni fumoto no kiri ya ta no kumori .
- fog at the mountain foot

. meigetsu no hana ka to miete wata-batake .
- cotton fields

. meigetsu no midokoro towan tabine sen .
(autumn) moon. let us travel together to see the autumn moon - at Fukui

. meigetsu wa futatsu sugite mo Seta no tsuki .
(autumn) moon. for a second time. moon of Seta

. meigetsu ya chigotachi narabu doo no en .
(autumn) moon. temple acolytes

. meigetsu ya Hokkoku biyori sadame naki .
(autumn) moon. weather in the Northern Region (Tsuruga). uncertain

. meigetsu ya ike o megurite yo mo sugara . yomosugara
(autumn) moon. pond, night

. meigetsu ya mon ni sashi kuru shiogashira .
(autumn) moon. my gate. rising tide

. meigetsu ya tsuru hagi takaki too higata .
(autumn) moon. lower legs of cranes. far tidal flats

. meigetsu ya umi ni mukaeba nana Komachi .
(autumn) moon. the sea.
- remembering the Heian-beauty Ono no Komachi 小野 小町

- - - - -



. - - - - - MELON 瓜 uri - - - - - .



- - - - - . men 面　- 能面 Noh mask . * - - - - -



. me ni kakaru toki ya kotosara satsuki Fuji . .
(spring) azalea. Mount Fuji to be seen



. me ni nokoru Yoshino o Seta no hotaru kana .
(summer) fireflies from Seta, Lake Biwa. Yoshino


. meoto jika ya ke ni ke ga soroute ke muzukashi .
(autumn) deer. being difficult. same fur.


. meshi augu kaka ga chisoo ya yuu suzumi .
(summer) evening cool. boiled rice as a treat. old lady or wife


. mezurashi ya yama o Dewa no hatsu nasubi .
(summer) Minden eggplants from Dewa, How special!




- - - - - michi　道 road - - - - -

. michi hososhi sumotorigusa no hana no tsuyu .
(autumn) wire grass. road. dew

. michinobe no mukuge wa uma ni kuwarekeri .
(autumn) rose of sharon. roadside. eaten by a horse

- - - - -



. Mii-dera no mon tatakaba ya kyoo no tsuki .
(autumn) moon, temple Mii-dera　三井寺.to knock




. mikazuki ni chi wa oboro ya soba no hana .
(autumn) buckwheat blossoms. moon
. . . almost the same as
. mikazuki no chi wa oboro nari soba no hana .
(autumn) buckwheat blossoms. moon
三日月に地は朧なり蕎麦の花 mikazuki ni
三日月の地はおぼろ也蕎麦の花 mikazuki no
三日月や地はおぼろなる蕎麦畠 mikazuki ya chi wa oboro naru soba batake



- - - - -


. mina idete hashi o itadaku shimoji kana .
(winter) frosty road. all come out to enjoy the new bridge

. mina ogame Futami no shime o toshi no kure .
(winter) end of the year. please all, worship this ! the sacred rope of Futamigaura Beach


- - - - -


. minazuki wa fukubyoo yami no atsusa kana .
(summer) Minazuki sixth lunar month (July). great heat, time for stomach illness

. minazuki ya tai wa aredomo shiokujira .
(summer) Minazuki sixth lunar month (July). sea bream. salted whale meat

- - - - -


. mi ni shimite daikon karashi aki no kaze .
(autumn) autumn wind. penetrates my body. pungent radish



- - - - - . mino 蓑 straw raincoat . * - - - - -


. minomushi no ne o kiki ni koyo kusa no io .
(autumn) voice of the bagworm. grass hut /　蓑虫 *



. miokuri no ushiro ya sabishi aki no kaze .
(autumn) autumn wind. I see you off. lonely. (for Okada Yasui 岡田野水)



. miru ni ga mo oreru bakari zo ominaeshi .
(autumn) maiden flower (Patrinia scabiosaefolia). I will also break my vows.
(remembering Soojoo Henjoo 僧正遍照 Sojo Henjo)



- - - - - . misogi 御祓 summer purification . * - - - - -



. misokazuki nashi chitose no sugi o daku arashi .
(autumn) no moon. ancient cedar. storm (at Ise shrine)


. miyamori yo waga na o chirase konohagawa . - miyamori 宮守 * / miyamori yo waga na o chirase ochibagawa
(winter) fallen leaves. shrine warden. scatter my name in the river



. mizu no oku himuro tazunuru yanagi kana .
(summer) ice cellar. source of the water. willow trees. (at Ooishida 大石田 Oishida)




- - - - - . mizu no oto - 水の音　the famous OLD POND . - - - - -

. mizu mukete ato toi tamae doomyooji .
(summer) Temple Domyo-Ji cold rice 道明寺. offering water. console the spirit

. mizu samuku ne-iri kanetaru kagome kana .
(winter) cold water and sea gull. it can not go to sleep

. mizutori ya koori no soo no kutsu no oto .
mizutori ya / kōri no sō no / kutsu no oto
(spring) O-Mizutori ceremony, Nara. monks in retreat. sound of wooden clogs

. mizu-umi ya atsusa o oshimu kumo no mine .
(summer) heat. lake (Biwako). billowing clouds



. - Miyako 都 / みやこ / Kyooto 京都 Kyoto, Kyo -　 .



- - - - - . mochi 餅 rice cakes ### . - - - - -

. mochi-bana ya kazashi ni saseru yome ga kimi /mochibana 餅花 . *
(New Year) "mochi flower" decorations. first mouse

. mochi o yume ni ori musubu shida no kusa makura .
(New Year) fern. rice cakes in a dream. grass pillow



. mochiyuki o shira-ito to nasu yanagi kana .
(winter) snow like mochi. white stripes. willow
- - - - -


- - - - - . momi suru 籾する hulling rice, polishing rice . * - - - - -
- - - - - Momi suru Oto 籾する音 The Sound of Hulling Rice



. momo tose no keshiki o niwa no ochiba kana / momotose .
(autumn) fallen leaves. hundred years. landscape. garden



. mon ni ireba sotetsu ni ran no nioi kana .
(autumn) orchid. when I enter the gate. Sotetsu palm. fragrance. (at Ise Shrine)



- - - - - mono 物 something - - - - -

. mono hitotsu waga yo wa karoki hisago kana .
(summer) gourd flowers, just one possession

. monohoshi ya fukuro no uchi no tsuki to hana .
I desire the large sack of Hotei

. mono ieba kuchibiru samushi aki no kaze .
(autumn) autumn wind. my lips are cold. when I speak.

. mono kakite oogi hikisaku nagori kana .
(summer) handfan. I write a poem. to leave things behind
for Tachibana Hokushi 立花北枝


- - - - -


. mononofu no daikon nigaki hanashi kana .
(winter) radish. samurai gathering. bitter



. moroki hito ni tatoen hana mo natsu no kana .
(summer) summer. wild fields. a delicate child. (For Yasukawa Rakugo 安川落梧 - )



- - - - - . mugi 麦 barley and wheat . - - - - -

. mugimeshi ni yatsururu koi ka neko no tsuma .
(spring) cats in love. wheat gruel. loosing weight

. mugi no ho o tayori ni tsukamu wakare kana .
mugi no ho o chikara ni tsukamu wakare kana
(summer) barley. I clutch to support myself. parting with friends

. mugi no ho ya namida ni somete naku hibari .
(spring) voice of the skylark. ears of barley tinted in tears

- - - - -



. mugura sae wakaba wa yasashi yabure ie .
(spring) new leaves. Mugura cleavers. a dilapidated house



. mukashi kike Chichibu dono sae sumootori .
(autumn) sumo wrestling. listen to old stories! Lord of Chichibu


- - - - -


. Musashino ya issun hodo na shika no koe .
(autumn) voice of the deer. Musashino plain. reaches about one sun


. Musashino ya sawaru mono naki kimi ga kasa .
(no kigo) Musashino plain. to interfere with your traveler's hat

- - - - -


- - - - - . mushiro 筵 takamushiro 簟　bamboo floor mat to sleep on . - - - - -



. muzan ya na kabuto no shita no kirigirisu .
(autumn) grasshopper. How pityful! helmet. grashopper
in memory of the helmet of Saito Sanemori 斉藤実盛, Tada Shrine


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

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

Oku Station 10 - Shirakawa

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

- Oku no Hosomichi - 奥の細道 - おくのほそ道
The Narrow Road to the Deep North -

. Oku no Hosomichi - 奥の細道 - Introduction .



source :　itoyo/basho
白河の関（「芭蕉翁絵詞伝」 Shirakawa no Seki


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

- - - Station 10 - Shirakawa no Seki 白川の関 - - -

After many days of solitary wandering, I came at last to the barrier-gate of Shirakawa, which marks the entrance to the northern regions. Here, for the first time, my mind was able to gain a certain balance and composure, no longer victim to pestering anxiety, so it was with a mild sense of detachment that I thought about the ancient traveller who had passed through this gate with a burning desire to write home. This gate was counted among the three largest checking stations, and many poets had passed through it, each leaving a poem of his own making. I myself walked between trees laden with thick foliage with the distant sound of autumn wind in my ears and a vision of autumn tints before my eyes. There were hundreds and thousands of pure white blossoms of unohana in full bloom on either side of the road, in addition to the equally white blossoms of brambles, so that the ground, at a glance, seemed to be covered with early snow. According to the accounts of Kiyosuke, the ancients are said to have passed through this gate, dressed up in their best clothes.

Decorating my hair
With white blossoms of unohana,
I walked through the gate,
My only gala dress.

-- written by Sora


Tr. by Nobuyuki Yuasa
source : terebess.hu/english


心許なき日かず重るまゝに、白川の関にかゝりて旅心定りぬ。いかで都へと便求しも断也。中にも此関は三関の一にして、風騒の人心をとゞむ。秋風を耳に残し、 紅葉を俤にして、青葉の梢猶あはれ也。卯の花の白妙に茨の花の咲そひて、雪にもこゆる心地ぞする。古人冠を正し、衣装を改し事など、清輔の筆にもとゞめ置れしとぞ。

卯の花をかざしに関の晴着かな - u no hana o kazashite sekii no haregi kana 曾良 - Sora

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



source :　www.yumekougei.com


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

Basho wrote some hokku in Shirakawa, not mentioned in the main story.


西か東かまづ早苗にも風の音
. nishi ka higashi ka mazu sanae ni mo kaze no oto .

from the west? from the east?
above all in the rice sprouts
the sound of the wind
Tr. Barnhill

from the east or west?
among the first rice-sprouts now
the sound of the wind
Tr. Chilcott


In memory of a waka by Priest Noin

都をば霞と共に立ちしかど秋風ぞ吹く白河の関

At the capital
it was with the spreading [spring] haze
that I took to the road.
Now the autumn wind is blowing
at Shirakawa Barrier
Tr. Donald Keene

. Nooin, Nōin, Noo-In 能因法師 Priest Noin .

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


早苗にも我が色黒き日数哉
sanae ni mo waga iro kuroki hikazu kana

Rice just sprouting
Yet already suntanned I am -
So many days.
Tr. Saito/Nelson


Basho had left Edo quite a while ago and now the young rice plants are already out. His own skin had darkened from the many days spend on the road.

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


the rice plants still young
and yet my skin is dark
from many days (travelling) . . .
Tr. Gabi Greve

Basho uses the expression "my color is black" waga iro kuroki.

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


田や麦や中にも夏のほととぎす
. ta ya mugi ya naka ni mo natsu no hototogisu .

rice fields and barley -
and among them also
summer's cuckoo
Tr. Barnhill


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


Written at - - - - Station 11 - Sukagawa 須賀川 - - -

関守の宿を水鶏にとをふもの　
. sekimori no yado o kuina ni toou mono .


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


Waka by Fujiwara no Suemichi　藤原 季通　(Heian period, around 1158)

見て過る人しなければ卯の花の 咲ける垣根やしらかわの関
mite suguru hito shi nakereba unohana no / sakeru kakine ya Shirakawa no seki

Since no one passes
without looking
at the shrub fence
blooming with white deutzia,
it must be Shirakawa Barrier.
Tr. Shirane


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


Sakai no Myoojin 境の明神 (福島) Sakai no Myojin Shrine, Fukushima
Two shrines at the border to the Northern Territories. One on each side of the frontier line. On the inner side a shrine for the female deity (Tamatsushima Myojin 玉津島) to protect the interior. On the outer side a shrine for a male deity (Sumiyoshi Myojin 住吉明神) to protect from enemies of the outside.　Travellers in the Edo period used to pray here for a safe trip and gave thanks after a trip was finished.

. Basho in Shirakawa .

. Sumiyoshi Jinja 住吉神社 Sumiyoshi Shrines in Japan .


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



白河の関の章段
source : www.bashouan.com


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

BACK TO
. Oku no Hosomichi - 奥の細道 - Introduction .


. Shirakawa Daruma 白川だるま .



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

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

Oku Station 13 - Shinobu

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

- Oku no Hosomichi - 奥の細道 - おくのほそ道
The Narrow Road to the Deep North -

. Oku no Hosomichi - 奥の細道 - Introduction .

4月29日

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

- - - Station 13 - Shinobu no Sato 忍ぶの里 / 信夫 - - -

On the following morning I made my way to the village of Shinobu to look at the stone upon whose chequered face they used to dye a certain type of cloth called shinobu-zuri. I found the stone in the middle of a small village, half buried in the ground. According to the child who acted as a self-appointed guide, this stone was once on the top of a mountain, but the travellers who came to see it did so much harm to the crops that the farmers thought it a nuisance and thrust it down into the valley, where it rests now with its chequered face downward. I thought the story was not altogether unbelievable.

The busy hands
Of rice-planting girls,
Reminiscent somehow
Of the old dyeing technique.


Tr. by Nobuyuki Yuasa
source : terebess.hu/english


あくれば、しのぶもぢ摺の石を尋て忍ぶのさとに行。遥山陰の小里に石半土に埋てあり。里の童部の来りて教ける。昔は此山の上に侍しを往来の人の麦草をあらして此石を試侍をにくみて此谷につき落せば、石の面下ざまにふしたりと云。さもあるべき事にや。

早苗とる手もとや昔しのぶ摺 - sanae toru temoto ya mukashi shinobuzuri


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

sanae toru temoto ya mukashi shinobuzuri


the pattern-rubbing stone

planting seedlings
with the hands—ancient patterns
from the fern of longing
Tr. Barnhill


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

. Kawara no In 河原院 源融 Minamoto no Toru . (822 – 895)
百人一首

みちのく（陸奥）の　しのぶもぢずり（忍ぶ 綟摺り）
誰ゆえに　乱れ染めにし　我ならなくに

Michinoku no shinobu mojizuri tare yue ni
midaren somenishi ware naranaku ni

As wholly confused
as cloth dyed in moss-fern design
from Michinoku
so distraught is my heart now
and for no one else but you.
Tr. Steven D. Carter


shinobu mojizuri is a special cloth dyed in the region of the village
Shinobu gun Fukushima 福島県信夫郡.
Made from shinobugusa 忍ぶ草、hare's-foot fern, deersfoot fern
Davallia bullata and others
MORE
. Michinoku roads みちのく路 .


and

I long to find a path
to the depths of Mount Shinobu
that I might fathom
the secrets of
another’s heart
Tr. Shirane

Ise Monogatari

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


- quote
Shinobu Mottling Rock, Fukushima
6 km north-east from Fukushima City sits the village of Shinobu (present-day Mojizuri). Three seemingly unconnected objects - a large, moss-dappled rock, the Michinoku (Tohoku) kimono design of mottled ferns made famous in the Heian period (794 - 1185), and an impossible love story - have together made Shinobu a vastly recognized and esteemed location of utamakura. Utamakura is a place-name used in waka (traditional Japanese poetry) which, through alternative readings of the name's kanji (Chinese characters) or its associations with national histories and figures, can be used as an allusive tool towards sentiment and meaning within waka; an incredibly popular and admired poetic device which was employed even in everyday conversation at the Heian Kyoto Court.

In the 9th century, Minamoto no Toru (a high-ranking noble of the Heian Imperial Court in Kyoto) traveled to the "great north," Michinoku, which was at that time deemed an uncivilized land due to its distance from the shining capital. At some point, he passed through Shinobu, a village well-known by the Imperial Court for its unique production of a kimono design called Shinobu Mojizuri (fern mottle). It was not uncommon for high-ranking nobles to undertake vast journeys north for state affairs. And on these journeys, it wasn't completely unheard of to learn of nobles falling in love with villagers of little, or no, social status.

Unfortunately for Minamoto no Toru and the lady of Shinobu, he did just so. Staying with the lady's father and delaying his return to the capital for over a month, he was eventually called back to court and the separation was impossible to withstand for both of them. Minamoto no Toru did as all Heian courtiers in his day could do; he wrote a poem about it. And the lady of Shinobu took to her bed with grief, dying before the verse could reach her. The verse adopts the word 'shinobu' and its three potential readings in Japanese: the name of the village Shinobu; the type of fern found in abundance around the village, called shinobugusa; and the verb shinobu, "to love secretly." In just five lines, Minamoto no Toru encapsulates his sentiment, the history and relevance of the setting to his story, and appropriate similes for such a saddening poem in incredible subtlety and talent in his employment of utamakura.

Like the cloth printed
with ferns in far Shinobu
of the deep north —
if not for you
for whom would I dye my heart
with tangled love?

Minamoto no Toru (822 – 895)

Since this all occurred over twelve centuries ago, Shinobu has welcomed such admirers of its history and poetry as Basho Matsuo, who came to compose a haiku on the subject in his Oku no Hosomichi pilgrimage of Michinoku utamakura locations.

早苗とる手もとや昔しのぶ摺

Deft hands that now pluck
seedlings, once you used to press
patterns from the stones.
Tr. Donald Keene

The mottling rock upon which the famous Michinoku kimono was mottled with fern is enshrined by an open gate. The two poems are also on the grounds, set in stone. All are surrounded by a wonderful view of Fukushima, the Kannon-Do Temple and Phoenix Pagoda, and a river also famous in traditional waka, the Abukumagawa.
- source : http://ja.japantourist.jp


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



source :　HeartLand-Icho

mojizuri ishi 文字摺石 - 信夫文知摺石 mojizuri mottlilng stone, rock
shinobu mojizuri しのぶもじずり / 忍捩摺り／信夫捩摺り

The lower part of the stone has been used so often that it is all shining and the stone was once called kagami ishi 鏡石 mirror stone.

This famous rock is now located in a temple at the foot of the mountain.
in Shinobu village, Fukushima. It tells a sad love story of the Heian period and now a story of radioactive contamination after the accident in March 2013 . . .


芭蕉忌や文字摺石は除染中　
bashooki ya mojizuri ishi wa josenchuu

Basho Memorial Day -
the Mojizuri Rock needs
to be decontaminated

Chinen Tetsuo 知念哲夫

. WKD : bashooki 芭蕉忌 Basho Memorial Day .


. Japan after the BIG earthquake March 11, 2011　.


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

BACK TO
. Oku no Hosomichi - 奥の細道 - Introduction .



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

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

Oku Station 16 - Kasajima

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

- Oku no Hosomichi - 奥の細道 - おくのほそ道
The Narrow Road to the Deep North -

. Oku no Hosomichi - 奥の細道 - Introduction .


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

sometimes spelled Kasashima 笠嶋 "Hat Island"
Now in Miyagi prefecture, Natori town 宮城県名取市.


Basho and his traveler's hat (kasa)
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .

- - - Station 16 - Kasajima 笠嶋 - - -

Passing through the castle towns of Abumizuri and Shiroishi, I arrived at the province of Kasajima, where I asked the way to the mound of Lord Sanekata of the Fujiwara family. I was told that I must turn right in the direction of the villages of Minowa and Kasajima visible at the foot of the mountains in the distance, and that the mound was still there by the side of a shrine, buried in deep grass. I wanted to go that way, of course, but the muddy road after the early rain of the wet season and my own weakness stopped me. The names of the two villages were so befitting to the wet season with their echoes of raincoat and umbrella that I wrote:

How far must I walk
To the village of Kasajima
This endlessly muddy road
Of the early wet season?

I stopped overnight at Iwanuma.


Tr. by Nobuyuki Yuasa
source : terebess.hu/english


鐙摺白石の城を過、笠嶋の郡に入れば、藤中将実方の塚はいづくのほどならんと人にとへば、是より遥右に見ゆる山際の里を蓑輪 笠嶋と云。道祖神の社、かた見の薄今にありと教ゆ。此比の五月雨に道いとあしく、身つかれ侍れば、よそながら眺やりて過るに、蓑輪笠嶋も五月雨の折にふれたりと、

笠嶋はいづこさ月のぬかり道


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

笠島はいづこ五月のぬかり道
Kasajima wa izuko satsuki no nukari michi

Rainhat Island -
where is it in this rainy month
along muddy roads?
Tr. Barnhill


Kashima's
where now on the month of May's
mud-ridden highway
Tr. Corman/Kamaike


Kasajima -
Which way?
This muddy road of May.
Tr. Saito/Nelson


whereabouts is
Kasashima? this rainy month,
this muddy road
Tr. Ueda


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


In the year 1689, June 20 - 元禄2年5月4日


source :　itoyo/basho

This hokku is divided in two parts in the middle of line 2.

Kasajima wa izuko
satsuki no nukari michi

Where is it,
this Kasajima? The muddy road
of the swamp month.
Tr. Gabi Greve


satsuki　皐月 "swamp month"
is the fifth lunar month, now the rainy season of June, July.
五月 is also written with the character for 5　五.

. The Asian Lunar Calendar .




source :　kikyou0123

The haiku sweet represents the stones on the muddy road of Basho.


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


Toono chuujoo Sanekata 藤中将実方 Tono Chujo Sanekata
Fujiwara no Sanekata 藤原実方
(? - 998)

A waka poet of the Heian period, during the reign of the Emperor Ichijo (986-1011).
He has one poem in the collection "100 poems from 100 poets".

Legend knows that he was quite a quarreler, and after an argument in the palace with Fujiwara Yukinari he was ordered in exile, as Governor of Mutsu province　陸奥の国.
One day he passed a small shrine of the wayside deities Dosojin 道祖神 of Kasajima without getting off his horse. As divine punishment he was thrown from his horse and died.




When I must hide
these burning feelings,
I feel as though
my body is on fire
with Ibuki mugwort.

Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Poems 小倉百人一首
. Fujiwara no Sanekata Ason 藤原実方朝臣 .


. Doosojin 道祖神 Dosojin .
the Wayside Gods of Japan


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


Saigyo also passed this village and wrote the following waka:

くちもせぬ 其の名ばかりを 留め置きて
枯野の薄 形見 にぞみる

kuchi mo senu sono na bakari o todome okite
kareno no susuki katami ni zo miru

He has left nothing
but an undying name
in this world . . .
On his grave in the withered moor
pampas grass is all I see.
Tr. Ueda


Saigyo and Basho 西行法師
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


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




Abumizuri 　鐙摺　lit. "side of a horse where the stirrups rub"
A small town near tha Abumizuri mountain.
The pass through this mountain is so narrow that the stirrups of a rider almost scrape the sides.

Minowa 蓑輪 lit. "raincoat wheel"

Shiroishi　白石 lit. "white stone"


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


BACK TO
. Oku no Hosomichi - 奥の細道 - Introduction .



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

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

Oku Station 20 - Shiogama

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

- Oku no Hosomichi - 奥の細道 - おくのほそ道
The Narrow Road to the Deep North -

. Oku no Hosomichi - 奥の細道 - Introduction .


More hokku by Basho and background information:
. WKD : Matsushima 松島 .

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

- - - Station 20 - Shiogama - - -

Stopping briefly at the River Noda no Tamagawa and the so-called Rock in the Offing, I came to the pine woods called Sue no Matsuyama 末の松山, where I found a temple called Masshozan and a great number of tombstones scattered among the trees. It was a depressing sight indeed, for young or old, loved or loving, we must all go to such a place at the end of our lives. I entered the town of Shiogama hearing the ding-dong of the curfew. Above was the darkening sky, unusually empty for May, and beyond was the silhouette of Migaki ga Shima Island* not far from the shore in the moonlight.

The voices of the fishermen* dividing the catch of the day made me even more lonely, for I was immediately reminded of an old poem which pitied them for their precarious lives on the sea. Later in the evening, I had a chance to hear a blind minstrel singing to his lute. His songs were different from either the narrative songs of the Heike or the traditional songs of dancing, and were called Okujoruri (Dramatic Narratives of the Far North). I must confess that the songs were a bit too boisterous, when chanted so near my ears, but I found them not altogether unpleasing, for they still retained the rustic flavor of the past.

The following morning, I rose early and did homage to the great god of the Myojin Shrine of Shiogama. This shrine had been rebuilt by the former governor of the province* with stately columns, painted beams, and an impressive stone approach, and the morning sun shining directly on the vermillion fencing was almost dazzlingly bright. I was deeply impressed by the fact that the divine power of the gods had penetrated even to the extreme north of our country, and I bowed in humble reverence before the altar.

I noticed an old lantern in front of the shrine. According to the inscription on its iron window, it was dedicated by Izumi no Saburo in the third year of Bunji (1187). My thought immediately flew back across the span of five hundred years to the days of this most faithful warrior. His life is certain evidence that, if one performs one's duty and maintains one's loyalty, fame comes naturally in the wake, for there is hardly anyone now who does not honor him as the flower of chivalry.

It was already close to noon when I left the shrine. I hired a boat and started for the islands of Matsushima. After two miles or so on the sea, I landed on the sandy beach of Ojima Island.


Tr. by Nobuyuki Yuasa


- - - - - Explanations

Noda no Tamagawa
Noda no Tamagawa is an Uta Makura. This is one of six famous Tamagawas in Japan. Noin wrote a famous poem about it, Shinkokinshu #643: Come evening briny air starts flowing in with plovers crying over Tama's stream at Noda in Michinoku (H.H. Honda, p. 173)

Rock in the offing
A poem by Nijoin in the Senzaishu twists the meaning of this Uta Makura: -- The reference is to a stone in a small pond at Hachiman Jiohi at Taga Castle.

Sue no matsuyama
This is also an Uta makura. Among the Azuma Uta of the Kokinshu is: -- Another poem from Goshuishu by Kiyohara no Motosuke (One of the 36 poetic geniuses of the Heian period, he was also a skilled player of the koto. He was editor of the Gosen Waka Shu ((909-990)): --

Masshozan
This word is written with the same characters as "Sue no Matsuyama," so the place name and temple name reinforce each other.

End of our lives
This is a reference to the poem "Everlasting Sorrow" by Po Chu-i.

Old poem
This is an allusion to one of the Azuma Uta in the Kokinshu which goes:--

Okujoruri
Okujoruri is a kind of old style joruri, also called "Sendai Joruri" or "Okuni Joruri." In this style one narrates a story to the rhythm of a fan or biwa.

Past
In Japanese the line literally says: "He beat it with a rustic rhythm and he did it close by my pillow, but at any rate it was a tradition of this area and I could not put it from my mind, and so it seemed commendable."

Myojin Shrine
This Myojin Shrine was built by Date Masamune (1567-1639). He had inherited the Mutsu domain from his father. In 1590 he had an audience with Toyotomi Hideyoshi at his camp at Odawara and was received as a retainer of the Taiko. Later, at Sekigahara and at the seige of Osaka Castle he led attacks for Tokugawa Ieyasu and was later given the Sendai domain. He built the Shiogama Myojin shrine in 1597.

Izumi no Saburo
Izumi no Saburo was the third son of Fujiwara no Hidehira (?-1187) who built the powerful Fujiwara presence at Hiraizumi in the late Heian period. From there he ruled the north. Hidehira opposed Minamoto no Yoritomo and favored Yoshitsune. On his death bed Hidehira ordered his sons to protect Yoshitsune from Yoritomo. Saburo tried to do so and was murdered by his treacherous older brother. He died at the age of 23.

Five hundred years
Literally this passage reads: "The ghosts of 500 years ago came floating before my eyes now." This is an echo of the 1000 year old stone monument he had seen earlier at Taga Castle.
source : terebess.hu/english


末の松山 Sue no Matsuyama
それより野田の玉川沖の石を尋ぬ。 末の松山は寺を造りて末松山といふ。松のあひ／＼皆墓はらにて、はねをかはし枝をつらぬる契の末も終はかくのごときと悲しさも増りて、塩がまの浦に入相のかねを聞。五月雨の空聊はれて、夕月夜幽に、籬が嶋もほど近し。蜑の小舟こぎつれて、肴わかつ声／＼に、つなでかなしもとよみけん心もしられて、いとゞ哀也。其夜、目盲法師の琵琶をならして奥上るりと云ものをかたる。平家にもあらず、舞にもあらず。ひなびたる調子うち上て、枕ちかうかしましけれど、さすがに辺土の遺風忘れざるものから、殊勝に覚らる。

塩釜明神 Shiogama Myoojin
早朝塩がまの明神に詣。国守再興せられて、宮柱ふとしく彩椽きらびやかに石の階、九仭に重り、朝日あけの玉がきを かゞやかす。かゝる道の果塵土の境まで、神霊あらたにましますこそ、吾国の風俗 なれどいと貴けれ。神前に古き宝燈有。かねの戸びらの面に文治三年和泉三郎寄進と有。五百年来の俤今目の前にうかびて、そゞろに珍し。渠は勇義忠孝の士也。佳命今に至りて、したはずといふ事なし。誠人能道を勤、義を守べし。名もまた是にしたがふと云り。日既午にちかし。船をかりて松嶋にわたる。其間二里餘、雄嶋の磯につく。


. 源の義経　Minamoto no Yoshitsune (1159 - 1189) .

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


Tr. Britton
The following morning, I rose early and did homage to the great god of the Myojin Shrine of Shiogama. This shrine had been rebuilt by the former governor of the province with stately columns, painted beams, and an impressive stone approach, and the morning sun shining directly on the vermillion fencing was almost dazzlingly bright. I was deeply impressed by the fact that the divine power of the gods had penetrated even to the extreme north of our country, and I bowed in humble reverence before the altar.

I noticed an old lantern in front of the shrine. According to the inscription on its iron window, it was dedicated by Izumi no Saburo in the third year of Bunji (1187). My thought immediately flew back across the span of five hundred years to the days of this most faithful warrior. His life is certain evidence that, if one performs one's duty and maintains one's loyalty, fame comes naturally in the wake, for there is hardly anyone now who does not honor him as the flower of chivalry.

It was already close to noon when I left the shrine. I hired a boat and started for the islands of Matsushima.






More about Izumi no Saburo 泉三郎 and a stone lantern in his honor
. WKD : Shiogama jinja　鹽竈神社 Shrine Shiogama .
and the Salt-making Deity

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


松島やああ松島や松島や

Matsushima ya
aa Matsushima ya
Matsushima ya

attributed to Kyoka-Writer Monk Tahara Bo
狂歌師田原坊 (Tawara Boo, Tawarabo)

Read more about the discussion of this poem:
. WKD : Matsushima 松島 .

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

Saigyo visiting the grave of Fujiwara Sanekata, a Heian period poet who was exiled in the North:

He has left nothing
but an undying name
in this world . . .
On his grave in the withered moor
pampas grass is all I see.
Tr. Ueda

- - - - -

The sound of wind
brings the dew to the fields
on Miyagino
To the tiny bush clover
I convey my message.


If ever I should change my mind
and banish you from my heart
then let great ocean waves
rise and cross
Sue no Matsuyama
Tr. Kamens


. 　Basho and Saigyo 芭蕉と西行法師　.


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


BACK TO
. Oku no Hosomichi - 奥の細道 - Introduction .


. WKD - Shiogama 塩竃市 - Sail-cord Festival .



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

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