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Kobayashi Issa Japan (1763 - 1828) Timeline Buddhist : Zen / Chan Poems by Kobayashi Issa Books - Links |
Issa was born in Kashiwabara, in what is now part of the Nagano Prefecture in Japan. His father was a farmer. Issa's mother died when the boy was very young and his father soon remarried. Issa's stepmother mistreated him and, when he was fourteen, Issa was sent to Edo (Tokyo) where he studied haiku.
Although he gained some notoriety for his poetry early on, he struggled to get by financially and had to travel and work hard until he was in his fifties.
Though Issa's life was filled with struggles -- the death of his mother at an early age, the conflicts with his stepmother, his poverty, and the death of his own children -- his haiku tend to celebrate the serene joys and simple spiritual moments of life.
Poems by Kobayashi Issa
- Autumn wind
- Buddha Law
- by the light of graveside lanterns
- does the woodpecker
- Don't weep, insects
- even poorly planted
- First firefly
- From burweed
- In my hut
- into morning-glories
- Just by being
- Never forget
- now begins
- Reflected
- rice seedlings
- spring begins
- stillness
- swatting a fly
- the distant mountain's
- Where there are humans
- mountain temple
- blown to the big river
- spring day
- the dragonfly's tail, too
- serene and still
- without seeing sunlight
- Buddha's body
Recommended Books: Kobayashi Issa
Related Links
Kobayashi Issa
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/koba.htm
Brief biography on-line.
Haiku of Kobayashi Issa
http://haikuguy.com/issa/
An excellent website with a searchable archive of more than 7,000 of Issa's haiku translated by David Lanoue, daily haiku email, and more. Worth a visit!