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Matsuo ■ Basho ; : TWAYNE'S WORLD AUTHORS SERIES A SURVEY OF THE WORLD'S LITERATURE ! MATSUO ■ BASHO MAKOTO UEDA JAPAN MATSUO BASHO by MAKOTO UEDA The particular value of this study of Matsuo Basho is obvious: this is the first book in English that gives a comprehen­ sive view of the famed Japanese poet’s works. Since the Japanese haiku was en­ thusiastically received by the Imagists early in this century, Basho has gained a world-wide recognition as the foremost writer in that miniature verse form; he is now regarded as a poet of the highest cali­ ber in world literature. Yet there has been no extensive study of Basho in Eng­ lish, and consequently he has remained a rather remote, mystical figure in the minds of those who do not read Japanese. This book examines Basho not only as a haiku poet but as a critic, essayist and linked-verse writer; it brings to light the whole range of his literary achievements that have been unknown to most readers in the West. * . 0S2 VS m £ ■ ■y. I.. Is:< i , • ...' V*-, His. -.« ■ •. '■■ m- m mmm t f ■ ■ m m m^i |«|mm mmimM plf^Masstfa m*5 si v- mmm J 1 V ^ K-rZi—- TWAYNE’S WORLD AUTHORS SERIES A Survey of the World's Literature Sylvia E. Bowman, Indiana University GENERAL EDITOR JAPAN Roy B. Teele, The University of Texas EDITOR Matsuo Basho (TWAS 102) TWAYNES WORLD AUTHORS SERIES (TWAS) The purpose of TWAS is to survey the major writers — novelists, dramatists, historians, poets, philosophers, and critics—of the nations of the world. Among the national literatures covered are those of Australia, Canada, China, Eastern Europe, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Latin America, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Scandina­ via, Spain, and the African nations, as well as Hebrew, Yiddish, and Latin Classical literature. This survey is complemented by Twayne’s United States Authors Series and English Authors Series. The intent of each volume in these series is to present a critical-analytical study of the works of the writer; to include biographical and historical material that may be necessary for understanding, appreciation, and critical appraisal of the writer; and to present all material in clear, concise En- glish^-but not to vitiate the scholarly content of the work by doing so. MATSUO BASHO By MAKOTO UEDA University of Toronto Twayne Publishers, Inc. :: New York Copyright © 1970 by Twayne Publishers, Inc. All Rights Reserved Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 73-110703 MANUFACTURED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA Preface The Japenese haiku, consisting of only seventeen syllables, is one of the shortest verse forms in world literature. It has become widely known in the West, especially since its conciseness and supcr-pository structure caught the interest of the Imagists early in this century. The influence of the haiku is noticeable in varying degrees in the poems of Ezra Pound, Amy Lowell, Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, and other contemporary poets. Today, one need not be an eccentric to write a haiku in English. A large number of people, ranging from grade-school children to established poets, entertain themselves by writing verse in this form, and some of their products are very interesting indeed. There are several magazines in North America that regularly publish haiku in English. The haiku which has the present 5-7-5 syllable pattern began in Japan in the sixteenth century and has been thriving ever since. Adorning its long history are a number of great poets who, with their various individual talents, have explored its poetic possi­ bilities from many angles and have produced numerous master­ pieces in the course of doing so. Yet if one poet is to be singled out as the greatest contributor to the development of haiku litera­ ture, there will be little question about the choice: it has to be Matsuo Basho. Before Basho’s time the haiku had not realized its full potential and was regarded as little more than an entertain­ ing pastime. With Basho it came to maturity and attained the status of a major literary genre. And from that time on Basho was the authoritative model, a poet of the highest order whose pres­ ence could never be ignored by anyone writing in that genre. Those who wanted to write in a radically different style had to deny Basho’s poetry first and justify their denial in one way or another. MATSUO IS A S II O This book is intended to give a comprehensive view of Basho’s works in the haiku as well as in other related forms in which he wrote. After a brief look at his life, it traces his gradual growth as a haiku poet, showing the ways his poetic genius was mani­ fested at different stages of his career. It proceeds to an analysis of two samples from his renku, or linked verse, an interesting verse form out of which the haiku evolved. This is followed by a discussion of Basho’s prose, for he was a fine prose writer who produced a number of short poetic essays and a few travel jour­ nals. Also treated is his literary criticism which marked a high point in the history of Japanese esthetics. The book ends with a glance at Bashers influence on later literature. Although some of his works are available in English (and he is one of the more fortunate Japanese poets in this regard), they represent only a small part of the vast Basho canon. Extant tran­ slations are scarce, especially in the areas of the renku and literary criticism. This book tries to cite Basho’s works in transla­ tion as much as possible, for there is little sense in analyzing a work that is not available in English. It is for this reason that the third chapter cites two linked poems (hitherto untranslated) in their entirety even though they are rather lenghty. Fortunately, the haiku is much shorter and far more quotable: about one hundred and sixty haiku are included in the following pages. A clarification of several literary terms is in order. In this book, the term “haiku” is used in accordance with today’s Japanese usage: it designates an independent, autonomous verse written in the 5-7-5 syllable pattern. The word “hokku,” on the other hand, refers to the o)pening verse of a linked poem; though it has the same form as die haiku, it anticipates other verses to follow and to complement its meaning. In Basho s day “hokku” was a more inclusive term and covered the realm of today’s haiku as well; he and his contemporaries seldom used the word haiku, even though, as seen in Basho’s journals, the practice of treating a hokku as an independent poem was common. To avoid unnecessary con­ fusion, this book employs the term haiku for any self-contained 5-7-5 syllable poem. Finally, the word haikai is used as a general term encompassing the whole range of haiku literature; it in­ cludes the haiku, the renku, and prose written in the spirit of the haiku. In other words, the term is so broad as to cover the entire Preface scope of Basho’s writings, and that is the scope of this book also. I am indebted to many persons in the writing of this book. In­ deed, there is virtually no page in this book that does not owe something to the awesome collection of Japanese Basho studies. From an almost endless list of names I should at least mention, with deep gratitude, some of the more recent Japanese scholars whose works I found especially helpful: Abe Kimio, Asano Shin, Aso Isoji lino Tetsuji, Imoto Noichi, Iwata Kuro, KatS Shuson, Kon Eizo, Konishi Jin’ichi, Kuriyama Riichi, Miyamoto Saburo, Nakamuni Shunjo, Namimoto Sawaichi, Ogata Tsutomu, Okazaki Yoshie, Otani Tokuzo, Ouchi Hatsuo, Yamaguchi Seishi, and Yamamoto Kenkichi (throughout this book Japanese names are given in the Japanese order, the surname coming before the per­ sonal name). I am equally grateful to Western scholars whose works are listed in the Selected Bibliography: I found most of their translations very conscientious—some of them superb, in­ deed—and it was only for the sake of stylistic uniformity that I translated all quotations from Basho myself. I have, however, borrowed from Nobuyuki Yuasa his English rendering of the titles of Basho’s travel journals. Mrs. Jan Goodman kindly read my manuscript and offered many helpful suggestions. My thanks are also due to those on the library staff at the University of Toronto, Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, for helping me locate materials during my research. Last but not least, I thank Professor Roy Teele for suggesting that I write this book. Toronto m. u. 1 m t I Chronology 1644 Matsuo Basho bom at or near Ueno in Iga Province. 1656 His father’s death. Probably by this time Basho had en­ tered the service of Tsdo Yoshitada, a young relative of the feudal lord ruling the area. 1662 Wrote his earliest verse extant today. 1666 Yoshitada’s death. Basho resigned and entered a long period of unsettled life. He may have gone to live in Kyoto for a time. 1672 Dedicated The Seashell Game to a shrine in Ueno. Later moved to Edo in search of a new career. 1676 Wrote a pair of hundred-verse renku with another poet in Edo. Paid a brief visit to Ueno in the summer. 1678 Wrote critical commentaries for Haiku Contests in Eighteen Rounds. 1680 Best Poems of Tosei’s Twenty Disciples published. Judged “The Rustic Haiku Contest” and “The Evergreen Haiku Contest.” Settled in the initial Bash(5 Hut.
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