In a Japan Times article on Beauty in Japan today, one of my favourite writers on Japan, Michael Hoffman, puts forward some interesting thoughts about early Japanese poetry and the attitudes to nature that it reflects.
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In the … Read the rest
Today is Kobayashi Issa’s memorial day, for it was on Jan. 5 that he died. Issa (1763-1828) is known as one of the Big Four of Japanese haiku, together with Basho, Buson and Shiki.
Issa was a follower of Pure … Read the rest
Shimogamo –
First signs of
the new year
Winter sunshine
Clear crisp air –
a new year beckons
Slipping, squeezing
Through narrow openings –
Winter solstice
Winding stream
of yellows, reds, and browns –
forgotten memories
Kanzanji Onsen in Shizuoka Prefecture is a small and commercialised hot spring resort, but rather delightful out of season when there are no crowds to spoil the peace. It’s on Hamanako, which used to be a fresh-water lake until … Read the rest
A previous posting noted how the eighth-century poetry compilation, Manyoshu is permeated with a proto-Shinto sentiment. I’ve now come across another article on the subject by Furukawa Teishi. It’s entitled ‘The Tradition of Sei-mei-shin’ and was included in the Proceedings … Read the rest
In a preface to the tenth-century Kokin Wakashu, the poet-courtier Ki no Tsurayuki describes the divine origins of Japanese verse. What interests me here is the origins of the 5-7-5-7-7 syllable pattern of short verse (tanka). As … Read the rest
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