型染

Shiki (1867-1902) has critical comments towards Basho’s poetry,
doesn’t he?
Besides Shiki, we have some other critics who don’t appreciate
Basho as saint haijin.
Akutagawa Ryunosuke (1892-1927) the novelist calls Basho the villain.
Before I came across the view to see Basho as villain, I found those who
study Japanese Classics at university also making critical comments on
“The Narrow Road to the Deep North,” when their university teacher
asked what they thought about the travelogue. They say they can’t
appreciate Basho’s poetry devices, like utamakura/poetic topos,
mitate/regarding something as something else. Doesn’t this suggest
that the professor should have started with explaining about utamakura
and mitate? As for utamakura, the Medieval poems offer utamakura
examples as many as one can quote. As for mitate, ukiyo-e prints are
full of them. For example this print of Suzuki Harunobu.
In this print, we read a poem by Fujiwara no Kanesuke
Listening to my father-in-law playng the koto (string musical instrument)
mijikayono
fukeyuku mamani
takasago no
mino no matsukaze
fukukatozo kiku
summer nights are getting shorter
in the stillnes of the hours
the notes are sounding deeper
like the wind through the pine trees
on the peaks of Takasago
Takasago was well known for its fine pine trees.
Takasago is utamakura, as you can guess.
In this print we see no koto the musical instrument,
but Harunobu provides us with the pine needles
on the fusuma the sliding door.
Incidentally, the voices of those students or the results
of the questionnaires were compiled by the professor and published by
the Iwanami; I’ve read the booklet at my library. The Iwanami has been esteemed, but on and off it has been spilling pieces of misinformation.
I always feel and think one should not idolize so-called academics.
Even Homer sometimes nods, doesn’t he? Don’t we study to see clearly,
not following the blind leading the blind?
I’d like to introduce the views which might defy the view that Basho is
the saint haijinm which I've found in Arashiyama
Kozaburo's book. This is his second book I've read after
reading the Daemonic Basho(ita.).
Comments
Dennis Gobou
Thanks for the insights.
· Reply · 2 y
Mariko Shimizu
I used to take a look at dyeing pattern designs.
Chiyogami used to be genuine and they did print or dye on the paper direct, not copying the patterns. The former may have smudges; the latter no smudges. Even greeting cards with ukiyo-e prints were real ones; I don't see them any more. Degital copy and prints are convenient but have no graceful touch.


I used to take a look at dyeing pattern designs.
Chiyogami used to be genuine and they did print or dye on the paper direct, not copying the patterns. The former may have smudges; the latter no smudges. Even greeting cards with ukiyo-e prints were real ones; I don't see them any more. Degital copy and prints are convenient but have no graceful touch.