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.