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The Making of Modern Japan

that made use of ordinary vocabulary and great brevity. The poet Matsuo (1644 1694), born the second son of an impecunious samurai, grew Basho up on the fringes of the upper class without its benets or income. Friendship with one of superior rank helped him for a time; when that ended, he moved to Edo and took a minor position in the water department. In 1680 he moved ) tree to a modest cottage; a disciple planted an ornamental banana (basho outside his door; the house, and then its resident, became named for it, as . In Basho s early days there was lively debate he changed his name to Basho and competition among different schools of poetry. Together with his friends he relished the challenge of linked-verse (renga) competitions in which two and three line offerings were pieced together in a somewhat meandering but meaningful progression. Gradually he settled on the three-line segment, of ve, seven, and ve syllables, using it as a single statement. Within this extraordinarily brief compass, the polysyllabic Japanese language could do little more than sketch a scene and suggest an emotion. It was thus all the more frequently did, a Zen-like ash of universal remarkable to produce, as Basho signicance in the presence of the daily and the ordinary. Accompanying this was a striking simplicity of vocabulary and setting. The sound of a frog leaping into an old pond, the sight of a crow on a naked branch, or summers grasses on a legendary battleeld could provide the setting in which the reader or listeners emotions did the rest. Often there was a transference of the senses, as emotion was reinforced by sight and sound. began a series of ve journeys, each of which resulted in a In 1684 Basho poetic narrative. For months at a time he wandered through distant parts of Japan, describing the setting and producing compelling verses telling of his loneliness and dread or sadness and serenity. He moved on foot and on horseback and took no supplies. He accepted no students for pay, something that was commonly done, though he occasionally sold examples of his calligraphy. Nevertheless by now his fame preceded him. Everywhere he went he was welcomed by leading local residents who outdid themselves to honor their distinguished guest. Evenings were usually devoted to the exchange of verses as the s. One locals did their best to match their more modest skills against Basho might have expected this in an urban, middle- or upper-class setting; that it took place in remote mountain villages tells a great deal about the accomplishments of the local elite and channels of information. s is Poetry has always held a central place in Japanese culture, and Basho of course one chapter in a great tradition. He himself expressed it well in a , famous passage; one and the same thing runs through the waka of Saigyo gi, the paintings of Sesshu , the tea ceremony of Rikyu . What the renga of So is common to all these arts is that they follow nature and make a friend of