The haiga above is by Sakuo Nakamura, used with permission
The artistic quality and appeal of haiku
"In 1970, I was very interested in the wandering poets Santoka and Issa.
Although Issa is not usually considered a wandering poet, I was especially drawn to him. Even now I like him more than Basho, Buson, and Shiki. When I tried to see what drew me to him, I found an indescribable accessibility in his poetry.
I do not want to use the term "mass appeal," but his haiku are so easy to understand."
--Kaneko Tohta on Issa haiku
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Commentary on the Issa haiku: Skinny frog Don't give up! Issa is here
"He has been dead for 180 years, but Kobayashi Issa's haiku keep reminding us that the essence of Japan's culture lies in its intimate tie to nature. Humans are seen by him entirely as an element in nature, where ideally there is no artificial hierarchy...
"Kobayashi is one poet who epitomized this intimate tie. Taking a brief look at his legacy might help us all rededicate ourselves to what is our own century's greatest task: restoring the equilibrium between humankind and nature that we have systematically destroyed over the past two centuries.
"Japan, in other words, has the answer to our century's dilemma within its own tradition.
"The people in Kobayashi's haiku [shown below] wallow in their association with the elements, the animals and the plants, even when lazy or oblivious to what surrounds them. Here he himself is blissfully unaware . . .
Asleep on my back
Midsummer clouds
Over my knees
"And if this is good enough for him, it's good enough for the farmer who usually works himself to the bone . . .
The mower in the grass Asleep on his horse
In a storm of green
"The field is green, but the word "storm" leads us to believe that the mower, lost in it, will soon be awakened"
--ROGER PULVERS
[Quotes are from the World Kigo Database, used with permission]
