nothing to do

Issa Original
長の日や沈香も焚かず屁もひらず
naga no hi ya tinkou mo takazu hemo hirazu

David’s English
a long day---
not incense
not a fart

Sakuo Renku
終日何もする事も無し
all day long
nothing to do

Happy and not Happy !

Issa Original
目出度さもちう位也おらが春
medetasa mo chu kurai nari oraga haru

David’s English
my “Happy new Year!”
about average…
my spring

Comment
We have such proverb.
目出度くもあり目出度くもなし
Also happily it is and also happily nothing

Geese and Amida Buddha

Issa Original
念仏をさずけてやらん帰る雁
nenbutu wo sazukete yaran kaeru kari

David’s English
teaching how to
praise Buddha…
the geese return

Sakuo Renku
念仏唱えて春にもどれや
praying to Amida Buddha
come back in spring

All leave it to the Buddha

Issa Original
それなりに成仏とげよかたつぶり
sore nari ni joubutsu toge yo katatuburi

David’s English
just as you are
become Buddha!
snail

Sakuo Renku
生きるも死ぬも仏にお任せ
also living also dying
all leaves to the Buddha

always New year's Day

Issa Original
あばら家や其身其まま明の春
abaraya ya sono mi sono mama ake no haru

David’s English
my tumble-down house
just as it is…
spring begins

Sakuo Renku
仏と共に何時も正月
with Buddha
always New year’s Day

The Founder smiling !

Issa Original
山寺や祖師のゆるしの猫の恋
yamadera ya sosi no yurusi no neko no koi

David’s English
mountain temple---
with the Founder’s blessing

Comment
The Founder is the Saint, Shinran.
The rule which says that a priest does not get married was broken and he got married those days.
He has proved personally that ordinary people were saved by the Buddha.

Relatives change to Enemy

Issa Original
米蒔くも罪ぞよ鶏がけあふぞよ
kome maku mo tsumi zoyo tori ga keau zoyo

David’s English
even tossing rice
is a sin…
cockfight!

Sakuo Renku
身内は敵に何時でも変わる
Relatives change to an enemy always.

winter seclusion !!

Issa Original
のふなしはつみも又なし冬ごもり
no nashi wa tsumi mo mata nashi fuyugomori

David’s English
no good deeds
but also no sins…
winter seclusion

Comment
The man who is low ability and less activity does not
good things as well as bad things.
In winter seclusion all living things become inactive.
Neither murder nor theft nor a quarrel occurs.

sakuo Renku
冬が終われば又大騒ぎ
winter finishes
great uproar will be again.

Bow and Pray through plum blossoms

Issa Original
おのずから頭が下る也梅の花
onozukara zu sagaru nari ume no hana

David’s English
by itself
the head bows…
plum blossoms!

Comment
There is the third existence in this haiku who is Buddha.
Issa bows and pray Buddha through the divine blossoms.

To be as it be

Issa Original
牛もうもうもうと霧から出たりけり
ushi mou mou mou to kiri kara detari keri

David’s English
moo, moo, moo
from the mist cows
emerge

Comment
the haiku is so simple that seems to be describing only
autumn mist.
But I think that, the mist is bewilderment of human being, and
cow is Issa himself or ourselves who move like cows slowly,
it means to be not clever.
Betrayed men can get enlightenment naturally, like as in this haiku
the cows emerge from the mist.
"To be as it be”

trusting in the Buddha

Issa Original
とにかくもあなた任せのとしの暮
tonikaku mo anata makase no tosi no kure

David’s English
come what may
trusting in the Buddha…
the year ends

Comment
The death of his wife and 4 children, divorce, inherit struggle,
painful life in Edo, early die of his mother, separation of dearest
grand mother and farther, 　etc…
Many tragedies have attacked him, but potentially he was keeping
a light heart.
Why he could do it?
He trusted in the Buddha.

empty babble

Issa Original
盥から盥にうつるちんぷんかん
tarai kara tarai ni uturu chinpunkan

David’s English
moving
from tub to tub…
empty babble

Cmment
This is said to be Issa’s last haiku.
[chinpunkan] is curious word. It means　
[not　understandable ] or [don’t know]
The first tub is a tub for baby that means birth.
The second tub is used for wash the body of the dead.
There is our whole life between two tubs.
He may wished to say
his whole life is not well understandable.　

soon Divorse

Issa　Original
へちまずる切って支舞ば他人哉
hetima zuru kitte simaeba tanin kana

David’s English
after cutting
the snake gourd vine…
strangers

Sakuo Comment.
He and his second wife did not like each other.
The Divorce has come soon after marriage

nagging companion gone

Issa　Original
小言いう相手もあらばけふの月
kogoto iu aite mo araba kyo no tuki

David’s English
if only my nagging
companion were here…
tonight’s moon!

Sakuo Comment
Issa lost the dearest wife Kiku, here he said that she was my
nagging companion, but he used a term of nagging companion
as loving her.

only Grieving

Issa Original
露の世は露の世ながらさりながら
tuyu no yo ha tuyu no nagara sari nagara

David’s English
this world
is dewdrop world
yes…but…

Sakuo Comment
At this time, Issa has lost two his children.
The first son died after 27 days of his birth. The first daughter, Sato,
died after a year and a month of her birth.
Issa prefaced　 only “Grieving “　at his haiku.

Red Gate !

On 04th November I visited Tone-mati where once
Issa frequently visited for haiku meeting.　
The town is along the Tone River.

There are many monument of Issa in the town.
One of them is Haiku memorial stone that stand
at the gate of the Temple　Raiken-Ji that was authorized to paint Red Color at gate.
Red color painted on gate was monopolized by the Great Tycoon.

Issa’s haiku at the red gate.

赤門やおめすおくせず時鳥
akamon ya omezu okusezu hototogisu

Sakuo’s English
the red gate---
not being nervous and afraid
cuckoo

After seeing the Issa’s haiku stone, I went up to the altar that is higer than the red gate.
I could look over wider view from the place.

Sakuo Original
秋夕日赤門越えて利根眺む
akino yuhi akamon koete tone　nagamu

Sakuo’s English
autumn sunset
over the Red gate
watching Tone river

burning man

Issa Original
時鳥火宅の人を笑らん
hototogisu kataku no hito wo warauran

David’s English
cuckoo---
laughing at the man
in the burning house?

Sakuo Comment
In this haiku, Issa was cuckoo and himself who
watch the man in the burning house who has lived
with all his effort.
The man lives with out knowing his future’s death
and desires all happiness on the earth.
Such a man is called “a man in burning house”

The man, Issa and cuckoo, they are all same to be die.
So only praying Amida can help them forever.

Toad Cream

Issa Original
雲を吐く口つきしたり引蟇
kumo wo haku kuti tuki shitari hikigaeru

Sakuo’s English
pucker his mouth
to blow cloud
the Toad

Comment
Last night we have stayed in the hotel on the mountain Tukuba.
that is famous as old battle field.
As well as it is famous as topical cream that applied to wound
occurred in battle field.
The cream had been called “Toad cream” just like “Tiger Balm” in Singapore.
Visiting here, Issa made this Toad haiku on the mountain Tukuba.

Summery of NHK tour visiting Issa.

It has extended my experience on Haiku making.
And I could have confidence in my way of feeling Issa’s image.

4 common points of Issa visited towns

Issa Original
散るおちばとせいねんぶつ通りゆく
tiru　otiba tosei nenbutu touri yuku

sakuo’s English
falling leaves
gamblers and pilgrims
passing by

the haiku made at Shimofusa-cho near Tone-river.

Discovery of Common points of Issa visited Town.
1 big river side
2 once ferry boat station
3 connecting to main road
4 town office and temple exist

Today we have visited three Towns provided upper 4 elements
They are Shimofusa-chou
Tone-mati
Sakura- chou.

If you wish to find Issa’s visiting town, you should search above 4points in common.

Visiting Autumn

Preface
　Character of the tour
(1) tour organizer
N H K ‘s (Nippon Broad-casting Association)
Culture school, haiku section.
(2) purpose
Haiku excise and Ku-kai =haiku meeting
(3) Member, 26
N H K student 20 plus temporary participant 1 (it’s me) total 21
Haiku teacher and assistant 2
Supporter 3

Visited place
Nokogiri-yama (Saw mountain),
Nihon-ji (Japanese Temple)
There are 1553 stone Buddha and the highest Buddha 31 meters.

Hard training Day.
In day time we had to walk broad and up, down Temple by foot.
All members average age is 74 years old, so it was hard work.
In night we had two hours haiku excise by teacher of NHK Culuture School.

Then haiga and haiku were born as the above.

Issa's Autumn tip

I will travel to the satellite towns of Edo ( now Tokyo)
on 3, 4, 5,of November.
where young Issa had been to.

Characteristic of Issa visiting course
(1) Along big river side
At his era all transportation has depended upon river.
People and Load were carried by big river.
So many manufactures and markets were gathered at
near the river.
In this case, they are Tone, Edo River and Futtsu by sea.

(2) Core, sponsors.
At main point there were cores that were Issa’s sponsors,
who has helped to stay him and to supply rewards.
They had become haiku playing cores that acted as the center
where Haiku lovers gathered

(3) Active area was within 50 kilo-meters centering at Edo (Tokyo)
There was main route that was called Mito- kaidou.
Mito was 150 kilos far from Edo where Great Tycoon lived.
And satellite city to defense the northern enemy.

Sakuo starting Haiku
秋の旅一茶と弟子の待つ町へ
aki no hi ya itsusa to desi no matu mati he

Autumn trip
visiting the towns
Issa and his friends waiting me

sakuo

listen well !

Issa Original
無常鐘蝿虫めらもよっくきけ
mujyou-kane hae mushimera mo yokku kike

David’s English
the bell of life passing---
oh flies and worms
listen well !

Sakuo Renku
今日も暮れ行く時は帰らじ

today ending too
time never come back