Bashō 5/29/2016

In our study of classical Japanese literature, we inevitably have studied, at least a small amount, the art of haiku. Haiku is the most widely known form of Japanese poetry, extending beyond the realm of Japanese literature, becoming a well-respected form of poetry throughout the entire world (321). Artists who dabbled in writing haiku (hereafter referred to as haikai) were skilled in creating short pieces of art that combined pieces of the past and present in thought-provoking (and often, very humorous) ways (321).

One of the most famous haikai masters was Matsuo Basho, though he wasn't a very prominent social figure during his life. A YouTube video was created featuring many of his haikai, nestled between images of classical Japanese paintings. The poems and paintings often seem to go hand-in-hand with the imagery, whether real (from viewing the paintings) or perceived (in reading the poems).

Below is a sampling of the haikai as well as descriptions of the paintings that were seemingly paired with them:


"Wrapping rice dumplings in bamboo leaves/with one hand she fingers/the hair over her forehead"

The pictures proceeding the poetry are of a woman brushing her hair, a beautiful tree, and people at work near the water. I believe that the pictures were grouped with this poem because they show different elements of everyday Japanese life during this era. Making dumplings is a deep-rooted activity in the Japanese culture, as are the actions and objects viewed in the paintings.


"With the air of a century past/the fallen leaves on the garden"

Pictures depicting different seasons are shown before this haikai. I believe that the poem suggests that the leaves will always inevitably fall on the ground, just as they always have and always will.


"That soon they will die/is unknown/to the chirping cicadas"

The picture of the tree and the heron (or some other water fowl) goes hand-in-hand because the cicadas live on trees and the birds feast on them, though the singing does not stop until the moment of their deaths.


"In the fish shop/the gums of the sea bream/are cold"

Paintings of boats are shown before this poem. Fishing was (and still is) a prominent job in Japan. The poem suggests that the fishermen have made a good haul and are now just waiting for their fish to be bought.


"Watching the cormorant fishing boats/in time/I was full of sorrow"

A picture of a boat on water near snow-covered trees precedes this poem. In my opinion, the snow suggests sadness, as the seasons begin to change.



"The sweet spring night/of cherry blossom viewing/has ended"

The two paintings that are paired with this poem are of hardworking lower-class people, and a view of a valley with trees of various colors. To me, this is suggestive of the fact that pleasures in life come and go, just as the seasons do. We can celebrate something momentous but life goes on the way it has.


I believe that the maker of the video paired the paintings and the poetry in this manner to make the viewer think about the subject matter. Had he just had the paintings, it would have just been a random collection of artwork. Beautiful, but random, nonetheless. Had he just shown the poetry, it would've been a nice collection of poetry, but nothing too wildly entertaining. By including both, the viewer is able to put a picture to a message that they might not have been able to visualize, otherwise. As our reading states, haikai was more than just another form of poetry: "it became an expression of modern life" (321). The poetry and the pictures both reflect life during the Classical Japanese era of literature.



Puncher, Martin. "The Norton Anthology of World Literature." The World of Haiku. New York, 2013. 321-339.

Classics of Poetry 5/21/2016

The Classic of Poetry, a collection of 305 poems that is also referred to as Book of Songs or Book of Odes, is the oldest compilation of East Asian poetry (756). It covers a broad spectrum of subjects important to early Chinese society, reflecting upon such issues as proper governance, marriage and love, life and death, and agriculture (756). Tradition states that Confucius, famed Chinese philosopher credited with the school of thought known as Confucianism, compiled the poetry, himself, in order to record lessons on the rhetoric, morals, and virtues celebrated in China.

Worth noting is the fact that poetry was a celebrated art form in Medieval China, giving voice to peasants and kings, alike (757). It was even used in many aspects of education, a usage for poetry that even Plato would have admonished against religiously (Plato). The fact that it was used as a code of ethics and continues to be viewed in such light is not unusual, even if other cultures would have viewed it as strange.

The Norton Anthology of World Literature only provides a sampling of the poetry found in the Classics of Poetry, but it allows the reader to have a decent glimpse into the lessons chosen by Confucius to preserve the moral code of early China. For example, the poem “Fishhawk” discusses the extreme longing felt by a young man for a maiden, though it is was not chosen to show romanticism; rather, it praises the wife of a King for not becoming jealous when he chose to give affection to another woman, a behavioral quality found in the most desirable of women (758).

The Classics of Poetry speak of more than just romanticism. “Huge Rat” is written from the viewpoint of a fieldworker, continuously paying the lord of the area but receiving no gratitude in return. After years of mistreatment, the worker swears to stop allowing the lord to use him, threatening to move to a “happier place” should he continue (764).

Though only two are discussed here, I am safely able to conclude that many of the poems found in the Classics should only be viewed  as indicative of the desired morals in the time that they were written. Of course, I say that as a child of the 1980s, and definitely not of Chinese descent. That is not to say that I do not appreciate the poetry found in the classics-- on the contrary, I find it to be beautiful and worthy of the highest praise. I just cannot see how praising women for smiling at their husband’s infidelity is a good lesson for the 21st century. “Huge Rat,” of course, can be used today in many nations around the globe; it is, in essence, timeless.

Education-wise, the poetry does not provide strong rhetoric on values, though it can provide mental fodder for poetry-buffs and those wanting to study the lifestyle and virtues of Medieval China.

Plato. "Book X." The Republic. Trans. Robin Waterfield. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1994. 244-363. Print

Puchner, Martin, ed. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton, 2013. Print.

Somadeva 5/15/2016

Though women living during the Vedic Era in Ancient India held a decidedly more elevated social status than many of their non-Hindu counterparts, they still used disguises in order to carry out tasks that otherwise would be impossible. Somadeva, an eleventh century brahmana and courtier, wrote a large collection of stories called the Kathāsaritsāgara to entertain his patron, Queen Sūryamati (1272).

In "The Red Lotus of Chastity," one of the stories found in the compilation, Devasmitā, the heroine, wears several masks to carry out a task that might otherwise not work. Her husband Guhasena, a man for whom she relocated a great distance, plans to travel to the island of Cathay for business. They both fear that the other will be unfaithful, so they appeal to the god Śiva to aid them in maintaining their fidelity to one another. The god creates two magical lotus flowers that will remain alive as long as the other is faithful. With the reassurance of the lotus in place, the husband left for business, leaving Devasmitā in their home in Tāmraliptī with her handmaidens.

Four merchant’s sons on Cathay took notice of the lotus that Guhasena kept on his person at all times, and, having a keen interest for its origin, gave Guhasena too much to drink in order to derive the secret of the flower. Upon hearing its use, the four set sail for Tāmraliptī with the goal of corrupting Devasmitā from her goal of fidelity.

Upon arriving, they meet with a Buddhist nun, Yogakaraṇdikā, who promises that she will get them a meeting with Devasmitā.In this instance, we see the first mask used by a female in The Red Lotus of Chastity. A Buddhist nun is supposed to hold up the ideals of the just and virtuous life. Instead, she is seduced by the idea of being helpful to four young men. Of course, her ideals are already skewed, as she describes in detail how she came to have thieving pupil whom she is immensely proud of (1275). She hides behind her false mask of a religious and morally-upright character to gain entrance into the chambers of Devasmitā, urging her to explore her sensuality as to not lose her youth, as well as to avoid frustrations and vexations of the soul (1277).

Devasmitā puts on her first mask at this point, playing along with the plot of the nun so as to turn her own plot. Had she remained firm in her resolve, calling Yogakaraṇdikā out on her plan, she could not have been more cunning than the nun. She asks a handmaiden to pose as her, essentially wearing the mask of  Devasmitā, to invite the young men in, one by one, getting them drunk and useless with a drug, before stripping them, branding their foreheads with a dog’s paw, and dropping them in the streets (1277). Each man denied any wrongdoing to their person, covering the stamp, and went home to Cathay, embarrassed that they had been outdone by a woman.

Devasmitā, concerned that the men would kill her husband out of revenge, followed them, disguising herself as a merchant as to gain entrance onto a ship. Upon arriving in Cathay, she bade the king to assemble the people so that she might find her four servants… who bear the mark of the dog’s paw on their forehead (1279).
In wearing several masks, Devasmitā was about to seek lasting revenge on the men who would defile her chastity and protect her chastity all at once.

The idea of a woman donning a facade is found in literature from antiquity to modern times. It is typically a method employed by a woman to seek an elevated status or to be given the same consideration as her male counterpart, but in the case of Devasmitā, a woman who is powerful without the aid of a mask, every facade is used to trick the wicked into a life of servitude for their transgressions. As far as the Buddhist nun goes, her mask was used to be seen as useful to the four merchant’s sons. Lastly, the handmaiden dressing as Devasmitā was a tactic used to protect Devasmitā’s identity when disguising herself as a merchant for the trip to Cathay, as well as ensuring that nothing bad came back on her for her treatment of the four men, should her plan not work out in the end.  

The Norton Anthology of World Literature: Shorter Third Edition, Two- Volume Set. W.W. Norton. Ed. M Puchner. 2013. 1272-79. Print.