Like a relay racer,
Kobayashi Issa carried the baton for his predecessors, Matsuo Basho
and Yosa Buson, in the evolutionary
development of haiku into the poetic genre that would eventually
take Japan by storm. Today, over a million people compose haiku in this
tiny
Asian island nation. It has become a national pass-time. And like
a tsunami wave, this love for haiku has enveloped other countries, and
shows no
signs of abating. Haiku has come a long way from its beginning, evolving
from renga (meaning: linked poetry), a popular genre of Japanese
poetry, especially during the 14th and 15th centuries. From renga emerged
a derivative
called haikai (meaning: light hearted), a playful linked verse that
allowed room for one's imagination and the infusion of artistic exploration
and
cognitive experimentation. Haiku (the name Masaoka Shiki christened
the form during the 19th century) originally were called hokku, the
opening
5/7/5 syllable verse in a renga.
The majority of
historians and Japanese literary scholars today say Haikai was not,
for the most part, a poetic genre that society,
especiallythose
in educated circles, took seriously during the height of its popularity,though
this point is debatable. It was Matsuo Basho in the 17th century
who paved the way for the transformation of haikai into a mature,
respected art
form. Hokku was, by this time, becoming popular as a separate form,
and although a practitioner of haikai until his death, Basho did
much to elevate
the popularity of hokku. A steady trickle of hokku (Haiku) masters
refined and developed the literary form, including Yosa Buson and
Kobayashi Issa.
It is, therefore, not uncommon to hear the three referred to as
the Three Pillars of Haiku.
Professor Makoto Ueda, in his book Dew
on The Grass: The Life and Poetry of Kobayashi Issa, makes an interesting though controversial
point in
the book's Preface regarding the evolution of hokku into modern
haiku, pertaining to the contribution of Issa:
"The received opinion is that, while Basho with his mystic asceticism
and Buson with his romantic aestheticism immeasurably enriched
the haiku tradition, it was Issa who, with his bold individualism and all-embracing
humanism, helped to modernize the form to a degree matched by
no
other
poet."
I say controversial
because as Ueda points out, "Today's Japanese
scholars, however, seem reluctant to grant him (Issa) the
same literary stature as the other two masters. Ogata Tsutomu, generally
considered
the foremost living authority on haiku literature, has consistently
taken the position that the history of haiku has had only
two
towering peaks,
Basho and Buson." Ueda goes on to
quote other eminent scholars who agree with Tsutomu's assessment of
Issa. These men respected and valued
Issa's contribution
to the evolution of haiku but did not see him as an equal
to Basho and Buson. Says Ueda, "Their appraisal sounds
especially convincing, coming as it does from authorities who
have dedicated
most of their
scholarly careers to the study of Issa's poetry."
Later
in the Preface, Ueda posits, "...Issa has been a valuable
source of inspiration for a number of practicing poets and
novelists in Japan."Realizing
the chasm of differing opinions between many Japanese scholars
and people of letters, Professor Makoto Ueda decided to
write a book making use of "the
fruits of the latest Japanese scholarship." Ueda says
to his knowledge there are no other biographies of Issa in
the English language that make
use of the latest scholarship and wanted to, therefore,
fill in the gap. "What
I hope for is that the book will stimulate an interest
in this controversial poet and eventually lead to further
studies that take other critical perspectives." Makoto
Ueda's book, Dew on The Grass: The Life and Poetry of Kobayashi
Issa, therefore, becomes an important resource for scholars
and poets interested
in the poetry and contribution of this important Japanese
poet. Who is Issa? Why
did he write the way he did? Why is his standing as one of the Three
Pillars of Haiku in question?
What were
his major influences?
And what were his contributions to the genre?
Ueda gives readers
an in-depth look into the mindset and haiku of Issa, in a way that
is readable, accessible
for non-scholars, and enlightening.
Readers are introduced to the culture and social context
of
Japan between
1763 and 1828. Likewise, they, via Ueda, examine Issa's
unhappy childhood; his unsettled mobile youth; his spiritual
beliefs,
multiple marriages,
and wanderings through western Japan; and the influences
these had on his poetry. In addition, readers also benefit
from Ueda's
crisp, accurate
translations.
This is an important
book by one of the greatest living scholars in the field of Japanese
literature. Professor
Emeritus of
Japanese at Stanford
University, Dr. Ueda is the author of many important
books including: The Path of The Flowering Thorn:
The Life and
poetry of Yosa Buson;
Basho and His Interpreters; and Far Beyond
The Field: Haiku by Japanese Women.
My only criticism
of the book is its high cost: $96. This is an unrealistic price, and
Ueda agrees, calling it "that high priced book." Although
attractively bound, it is only 189 pages long. I can only hope that
the book's publisher, Brill, comes to its senses and publishes a paperback
version at a price accessible to the general public. come here
and play with me, orphaned
little sparrow
—Kobayashi
Issa |
