Bashō Haiku 芭蕉句碑ばしょうくひ

Bashō Haiku

Throughout Mt. Kōya there are more than 120 stone monuments engraved with poems by well-known poets. Arguably the best known of these poets (both in and outside Japan) is the great master of the 17-syllable haiku, Matsuo Bashō (1605-1633). Although his Oku-no-hosomichi (Narrow Road to the Deep North; 1689) is his most famous travel account, Bashō recorded poems and reflections on other journeys as well. One of these is Oi no kobumi (Jottings from my Knapsack; 1709), which chronicles a visit made to this area in the year 1687.

The poem engraved on the monument was composed while Bashō was visiting Oku-no-in. It reads:

ちゝはゝのしきりにこひし雉きじの声こえ

chichi haha no | shikirini koishi | kiji no koe

with intense longing for father and mother – the voice of a pheasant

The charm of this poem is in the mild surprise created by the final image.

The first two lines prepare us to expect a human mourning the loss of his parents, but the reference to the pheasant reminds us that grief is universal and can be shared by humans and beasts alike. Bashō's haiku, which alludes to an earlier poem composed by the poet-priest Gyōki (行基, 668 - 749), is also based on the belief that birds could serve as messenger from the dead.

The English translation fails to capture the effect produced by the consonantal k and vocalic i sounds, which combine in the original Japanese to evoke the sorrowful cries of the pheasant.

Bashō's Account of his Visit

Bashō described his visit to Mt. Kōya in a separate prose passage which is translated below:

Traveling deep into the mountains of Kōya, I discover a place refulgent with the miraculous powers of the gods and buddhas, where the light of the dharma is never extinguished. The temple residences spread out along the plateau while the rooves of the towers vie with one another as they reach into the sky. I pose my hands in a mudra, and the flowers of spring burst into bloom. It is as though heaven and earth were awakening to enlightenment. The fragrance mounts into the silent haze.

To the heart-rending cries of a monkey and the call of the birds, I behold with deepest reverence the mausoleum of the great priest and teacher. I contemplate the nearby ossuary where the remains and relics of so many are enshrined. From the locks of distant ancestors to the white bones of those we once knew – they are all gathered here in sorrow. For the longest time, my sleeves cannot stop my tears which flow copiously. At last, I hold them back to recite:

with intense longing for father and mother – the voice of a pheasant

KoyaQuest

KoyaQuest

KoyaQuest

Bashō Haiku

KoyaQuest

Bashō Haiku

Bashō Haiku 芭蕉句碑ばしょうくひ

Bashō Haiku

ちゝはゝのしきりにこひし雉きじの声こえ

chichi haha no | shikirini koishi | kiji no koe

Bashō's Account of his Visit