1. Grand Inspiritors: Matsuo Basho Links to a variety of sites on Matsuo basho in English and in Japanese. http://www.globaldialog.com/~thefko/tom/gi_basho.html

Opening Links Books Matsuo Basho On high narrow road old traveler clears wide swath, tiny scythe glinting. Internet Resources Basho's World offers 44 very nicely illustrated and annotated excerpts, with choice of four English translators, for The Narrow Road to the Deep North (Oku no Hosomichi) . Also available here is The Master Haiku Poet Matsuo Basho by Makoto Ueda, a fine short biography, and a Basho Chronology . These resources have been provided by Prof. Stephen Kohl of the Dept. of East Asian Languages and Literatures, University of Oregon. http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~kohl/basho/ "Poems on Tanzaku paper" three hanging scrolls at the Permanent Collection of the Yamagata Museum of Art http://www.yamagata-art-museum.or.jp/EN/J-COLLEC/02.HTM Download the complete texts of Oku no Hosomichi and Oi no kobumi , provided (in Japanese) by the Japanese Text Initiative http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/japanese/texts.html Pine Valley : 17 poems by Basho translated to English. http://users.erols.com/kmdavis/basho.html Basho Haiku Demo - a little interaction!

2. Basho's Life A brief, accurate biography of Matsuo basho (16441694). Part of a much larger site at the department of history at Hong Kong University, with extensive information about Tokugawa Japan and particularly the highway system which basho used. http://hkuhist2.hku.hk/Nakasendo/basho.htm

Basho's Life Scattered along the Nakasendo, at Shinchaya, Shimo-suwa, and Karuizawa, are rocks on which are inscribed poems . Composed by Basho, the poems evoke the local landscape at a particular time of year and are much appreciated by local residents who have erected the stone memorials to the poet. Basho was a master poet who developed poetry, especially what has come to be known as the haiku poem with a 5-7-5 syllable format, to a high level. He brought to haiku wit, brevity, and a degree of bawdiness which popularized the form among serious poets as well as those seeking entertainment while drinking or eating. Basho is also famous for the many long journeys which he immortalized in a series of travelogues combining poetry and prose. These were also great achievements in their genre. He was born Matsuo Kinsaku in 1644 near Osaka , taking his poetic name years later after the banana tree which grew near his home in Edo . He was of a samurai family and took employment as a samurai until his master died. In 1666, he went to Kyoto, establishing a good reputation as a teacher of poetry, until he moved to Edo in 1672. Edo remained his home until his death in 1694 on one of his long travels. His first trip took him in 1684 to Nagoya , Kyoto and Osaka on a voyage of personal discovery. At the time, traveling for its own sake was just gaining popularity. Basho's diary helped firmly establish it as popular activity. He worked hard to discover and define a perception of himself and of poetry which linked the beauty and simplicity of the countryside together with his art. He recognized that the city was a corrupting influence and sought the ultimate in nature and man far removed from the urban setting. Given that urban culture was well into the excesses of consumption and frivolous extravagance that marked the Genroku era, his view struck a resonant chord in is own time and even in the city.

3. Biography Of Basho 200 Best Haiku of Japanese Literature basho. basho (bahshoh), pseudonym of Matsuo Munefusa (1644-94), Japanese poet, considered the finest writer of Japanese http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Island/5022/bashobio.html

INTRODUCTION  BASHO  biography  haiku haibun BUSON  biography haiku ISSA  biography  haiku OTHER POETS  Any comments or suggestions would be most welcomed. Please feel free to send me an e-mail With metta,   rèi fú    Sign Guestbook View Guestbook BASHO       Basho (bah-shoh), pseudonym of Matsuo Munefusa (1644-94), Japanese poet, considered the finest writer of Japanese haiku during the formative years of the genre. Born into a samurai family prominent among nobility, Basho rejected that world and became a wanderer, studying Zen, history, and classical Chinese poetry, living in apparently blissful poverty under a modest patronage and from donations by his many students. From 1667 he lived in Edo (now Tokyo), where he began to compose haiku.       The structure of his haiku reflects the simplicity of his meditative life. When he felt the need for solitude, he withdrew to his basho-an , a hut made of plantain leaves ( basho )-hence his pseudonym. Basho infused a mystical quality into much of his verse and attempted to express universal themes through simple natural images, from the harvest moon to the fleas in his cottage. Basho brought to haiku "the Way of Elegance" ( fuga-no-michi ), deepened its Zen influence, and approached poetry itself as a way of life (

4. History Of Haiku Haiku by 10 classical and modern masters, with brief biographiesCategory Arts Literature Poetry Forms Haiku and Related Forms......Written by Ryu Yotsuya in Tokyo, Japon. History from basho Matsuo to Koi Nagata. Writtenby Ryu Yotsuya. Index. Before basho (The 1516th centuries). http://www.big.or.jp/~loupe/links/ehisto/ehisinx.shtml

HISTORY OF HAIKU 10 haikuists and their works From Basho to Koi Written by Ryu Yotsuya Index Before Basho The 15-16th centuries Basho Matsuo Buson Yosa Shiki Masaoka Kyoshi Takahama ... Japanese e-mail to Ryu Yotsuya and Niji Fuyuno loupe@big.or.jp

5. Basho The Poetry of basho, Waking in the night; the lamp is low, the oil freezing.It has rained enough to turn the stubble on the field black. http://members.aol.com/markabird/basho.html

The Poetry of Basho Waking in the night; the lamp is low, the oil freezing. It has rained enough to turn the stubble on the field black. Winter rain falls on the cow-shed; a cock crows. The leeks newly washed white,- how cold it is! The sea darkens; the voices of the wild ducks are faintly white. Ill on a journey; my dreams wander over a withered moor. Return to Haiku Masters Image courtesy of Digital Arts and Sciences

6. Basho A haiku is the expression of a temporary enlightenment, in which we see into the life of things. Whether temporary or not, basho gives in his seventeen syllables a significant intuition into Reality. http://www.poetrystore.com/commenta.html

Home E-mail including comments by the venerated DT Suzuki From Zen and Japanese Culture , by D T Suzuki, Bollingen Foundation Inc NY, Pantheon Books, NY pp 228-229 To quote Dr. R. H. Blyth, an authority on the 'study of haiku: "A haiku is the expression of a temporary enlightenment, in which we see into the life of things." Whether "temporary" or not, Basho gives in his seventeen syllables a significant intuition into Reality. Dr. Blyth continues: "Each thing is preaching the law [Dharma] incessantly, but this law is not something different from the thing itself. Haiku is the revealing of this preaching by presenting us with the thing devoid of all our mental twisting and emotional discolouration; or rather, it shows the thing as it exists at one and the same time outside and inside the mind, perfectly subjective, ourselves undivided from the object, the object in its original unity with ourselves.... It is a way of returning to nature, to our moon nature, our cherry-blossom nature, our falling leaf nature, in short, to our Buddha nature. It is a way in which the cold winter rain, the swallows of evening, even the very day in its hotness and the length of the night become truly alive, share in our humanity, speak their own silent and expressive language." * What Dr. Blyth calls the moon nature, the cherry-blossom nature, etc., are no more than the suchness of things. In Christian terms, it is to see God in an angel as angel, to see God in a flea as flea. Basho discovered this in the sound of the water as a frog jumped into the old pond. This sound coming out of the old pond was heard by Basho as filling the entire universe. Not only was the totality of the environment absorbed in the sound and vanished into it, but Basho himself was altogether effaced from his consciousness. Both the subject and the object

7. Blue Moment Arts, Home Of Steffen Basho-Junghans & Robbie Basho Archives, Main-i Website of guitarist, composer Steffen bashoJunghans - archives, biography, discography, reviews, and listening room. http://www.bluemomentarts.de/

Blue Moment Arts Steffen Basho-Junghans Robbie Basho Archives (frames) -ENGLISH- (noframes) (frames) -DEUTSCH- (noframes) Steffen Basho-Junghans ...go outside and open Your mind!

8. Basho's Pond Zen Buddhists, The Orchard Sangha, offer a spiritual site for interfaith dialogue and teachings. Poetry, newsletter, meditations, books, and links featured. http://www.prajnaparamita.com/

Interfaith Dialogue AN OASIS FOR HOPE UNDERSTANDING AND WELL-BEING A location to discover authentic presence OLD POND FROG JUMPS IN THE SOUND OF WATER ... - Basho Resources to transform how we experience Continuation I have learned through bitter experience the one supreme lesson to conserve my anger, and as heat conserved is transmuted into energy, even so our anger controlled can be transmuted into a power that can move the world. Mahatma Gandhi Basho's Pond is a spiritual web-site that provides interfaith dialogue and teachings from all world wisdom traditions. We also provide links to other non-violent spiritually engaged websites in the tradition of M.K. Gandhi. Basho's Pond is a source of reliable information about retreat locations throughout the world. We are listed on the Community of Mindful living Sangha page: http://www.iamhome.org/plum_directory.html#Maine This site is dedicated to the loving memory of one of the great voices of world mysticism in the twentieth century , Eknath Easwaran. Sri Easwaran spent his life bringing the message of world inter-faith dialogue to people in a common sense practical method . His books and tapes are featured on his page listed in the contents section. The Dharma talks of our sangha's teacher, The Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, are a permanent feature of this site and will be on going and updated for your information and transformation. Please check for new Dharma talks each month!!

9. ”mÔibashoDBj å¹´è¡¨ã€å¥é›†ã€é–¢ä¿‚è€ ãªã©ã‚’åŽéŒ²ã—ãŸãƒ‡ãƒ¼ã‚¿ãƒ™ãƒ¼ã‚¹ã€‚ http://www.ese.yamanashi.ac.jp/~itoyo/basho/basho.htm

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10. Minnesota Zen Center History of Zen monk, basho's, creation of Zen haiku. http://www.mnzenctr.com/sangha/matsuo.html

Sangha Our community. Matsuo Basho and Zen Haiku Although Zen, from its beginnings, has not been "dependent on words or letters," there has developed over the centuries a body of what might be called "Zen literature," composed of collections of koans, Zen dialogues, anecdotes, sermons and biographies and autobiographies of Zen masters, all of which are treasured by students and teachers of Zen as repositories of Zen wisdom. Since the writing of haiku poetry has been a popular pastime in Japan since the 17th century, it is hardly possible to call the whole body of haiku "Zen literature." Nevertheless, Zen thought and experience have had a pervasive influence upon the practice of this art. Matsuo Basho (1644-1694) was the poet who lifted the 17-syllable haiku out of the earlierand longerforms of waka and renga poetry to make of it a genre in its own right. During his lifetime several poets, principally Kikaku, Ransetsu, Kyorai, Joso, Kyoroku, Shiko, Sampu, Yaha and Hokushi, became his devoted students, embodying in their own poetry the aesthetic principles Basho had taught them. Thus a poetic tradition was established, and was passed on through the generations. It is generally believed that Basho was trained as a Buddhist monk at Kinpukuji in Kyoto during the years 1666-1671, where his studies included Japanese and Chinese classics and calligraphy. In 1672 he moved to Edo (Tokyo), where he became actively engaged in writing poetry. Throughout the years of his residence in this city (1673-1684) he also practiced Zen meditation under the guidance of Buchho, a priest residing at Chokeiji Temple.

11. Basho Matsuo Previous Page. Chapter 2 basho Matsuo (1644 ~ 1694). basho Matsuo is knownas the first great poet in the history of haikai (and haiku). basho. http://www.big.or.jp/~loupe/links/ehisto/ebasho.shtml

HISTORY OF HAIKU 10 haikuists and their works Previous Page Chapter 2 Basho Matsuo Basho Matsuo is known as the first great poet in the history of haikai (and haiku). He too, wrote poems using jokes and plays upon words in his early stages, as they were in fashion, but began to attach importance to the role of thought in haikai (especially in hokku) from around 1680. The thought of Tchouang-tseu, philosopher in the 4th century B.C., influenced greatly Basho, and he often quoted the texts of "The Book of master Tchouang" in his hokkus. The thinker Tchouang-tseu denied the artificiality and the utilitarianism, seeing value of intellect low. He asserted that things seemingly useless had the real value, and that it was the right way of life not to go against the natural law. To a leg of a heron Adding a long shank Of a pheasant. Basho This poem parodied the following text in "The Book of master Tchouang": "When you see a long object, you don't have to think that it is too long if being long is the property given by the nature. It is proved by the fact that a duckling, having short legs, will cry if you try to draw them out by force, and that a crane, having long legs, will protest you with tears if you try to cut them with a knife." By playing on purpose in this haiku an act "jointing legs of birds by force" which Tchouang denied, he showed the absurdity of this act and emphasized the powerlessness of the human being's intelligence humorously.

12. Basho-ki bashoki 1998 November 25 is basho-ki, basho's Day. basho is the founderof haikai and haiku as we know them today. He wrote the famous haiku http://members.aol.com/brephoenix/basho.htm

basho-ki 1998 November 25 is basho-ki, Basho's Day . Basho is the founder of haikai and haiku as we know them today. He wrote the famous haiku: furuiki ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto old pond... a frog leaps in water's sound basho-ki is the anniverary of his death and this holiday honors his memory, and in response to that I asked my poet friends to write and send me a frog related haiku. Date: 98-11-25 I have something to be very THANKFUL for this Thanksgiving Day. I have been so very surprised by the response I have recieved, in just two days I have recieved TWENTY NINE haiku from TWENTY ONE poets with a few promises for future haikus. The submissions have ranged from the silly to the sublime, and I love them all. I have left all of the haiku forms as they were sent to me, whether they were centered, staggered or left hand flush. I have kept original puctuation and titles as well. I tried to leave signatures as they were sent to me. I appreciate the enthusiasm everyone has shown and the honor you all have bestowed in Basho's memory. I will gratefully accept future frog haiku

13. Haiku Poet's Hut Haiku by Soji, aka Gary Barnes, haiku by the masters, basho, Buson, Issa, and by a number of contemporary practitioners of the art in English. http://www.haikupoetshut.com

14. Basho's Life The master haiku Poet Matsuo basho by Makoto Ueda, Twayne Publishers, Inc.,1970. basho's Life. Yet basho's career began in an ordinary enough way. http://www.uoregon.edu/~kohl/basho/life.html

The master haiku Poet Matsuo Basho by Makoto Ueda, Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1970. Basho's Life One day in the spring of 1681 a banana tree was being planted alongside a modest hut in a rustic area of Edo, a city now known as Tokyo. It was a gift from a local resident to his teacher of poetry, who had moved into the hut several months earlier. The teacher, a man of thirty-six years of age, was delighted with the gift. He loved the banana plant because it was somewhat like him in the way it stood there. Its large leaves were soft and sensitive and were easily torn when gusty winds blew from the sea. Its flowers were small and unobtrusive; they looked lonesome, as if they knew they could bear no fruit in the cool climate of Japan. Its stalks were long and fresh- looking, yet they were of no practical use. The teacher lived all alone in the hut. On nights when he had no visitor, he would sit quietly and listen to the wind blowing through the banana leaves. The lonely atmosphere would deepen on rainy nights. Rainwater leaking through the roof dripped intermittently into a basin. To the ears of the poet sitting in the dimly lighted room, the sound made a strange harmony with the rustling of the banana leaves outside. Basho nowaki shite A banana plant in the autumn gale - Tarai ni ame o I listen to the dripping of rain Kiku yo kana Into a basin at night.

15. Topics Page Matsuo basho and Zen Haiku influence upon the practice of this art. Matsuo basho (16441694) was the poet who lifted the 17-syllable haiku out http://www.columbia.edu/itc/eacp/asiasite/topics?topic=Haiku+subtopic=Intro

16. Basho's Chronology basho's Chronology. 1644 Matsuo basho born at or near Ueno in Iga Province. 1656His father's death. 1644 Matsuo basho born at or near Ueno in Iga Province. http://www.uoregon.edu/~kohl/basho/chronology.html

Basho's Chronology Matsuo Basho born at or near Ueno in Iga Province. His father's death. Probably by this time Basho had entered the service of Todo Yoshitada, a young relative of the feudal lord ruling the area. Wrote his earliest verse extant today. Matsuo Basho born at or near Ueno in Iga Province. Yoshitada's death. Basho resigned and entered a long period of unsettled life. He may have gone to live in Kyoto for a time. Dedicated The Seashell Game to the shrine in Ueno. Later moved to Edo in search of a new career. Wrote a pair of hundred-verse renku with another poet in Edo. Paid a brief visit to Ueno in the summer. Wrote critical commentaries for Haiku Contests in Eighteen Rounds. Best Poems of Tosei's Twenty Disciples published. Judged "The Rustic Haiku Contest" and "The Evergreen Haiku Contest." Settled in the initial Basho Hut. The Basho Hut destroyed by fire. He took refuge in Kai Province for a few months. Shriveled Chestnuts compiled. His mother died in Ueno. New Basho Hut built.

17. Buddhism And Poetry Short essays about basho, Zen Buddhism and poetry. Selections from R. H. Blyth. A section of the Poetry Store Archive. http://www.poetrystore.com/secthing.html

Home Page E-mail Click below to go to these pages Buddhism Commentary on Basho and Haiku Zen in English Literature and Oriental Classics

18. Basho basho, pseudonym of Matsuo Munefusa (164494), is considered the master of the haiku form. In his youth basho was a samurai, but after 1666 he devoted his life to writing poetry. http://www.randomviolins.com/~dwap/literati/renga/basho.htm

Basho Basho, pseudonym of Matsuo Munefusa (1644-94), is considered the master of the haiku form. In his youth Basho was a samurai, but after 1666 he devoted his life to writing poetry. The structure of his haiku reflects the simplicity of his meditative life. When he felt the need for solitude, he withdrew to his basho-an, a hut made of plantain leaves (basho) hence his pseudonym. Influenced by Zen Buddhism, Basho infused a mystical quality into much of his verse and attempted to express universal themes through simple natural images from the harvest moon to the fleas in his cottage. He is revered as the greatest of Japanese poets for his sensitivity and profundity and is particularly noted for his book, Oku-no-hosomichi (Narrow Road to the Interior). Links to More About Basho Excerpts from Narrow Road to the Interior Basho's Life Basho Here and Now ... Site Index

19. Some Haiku By The Masters Small selection of haiku by basho, Buson, Issa and Shiki in English translation. http://home1.pacific.net.sg/~loudon/favs.htm

Some of my favourite Haiku by the Masters (extracted from Haiku Volumes 1 and 3 - edited by R.H.Blyth, 1952. Published by Hokuseido Press) Basho (1644-1694) Along this road Goes no one, This autumn eve. The autumn full moon: All night long I paced round the lake. Winter seclusion: Once again I will lean against This post. First winter rain: The monkey also seems To want a small straw cloak. Buson (1716-1783) The voice of mosquitoes, Whenever the flower of the honeysuckle Falls. Azaleas are blooming; In this remote mountain village The boiled rice is white. Happiness, At the white face of the child In the mosquito net. The young leaves Drenched in the lights Of the tall tower. Issa (1763-1827) For you fleas too, The night must be long, It must be lonely. Striking the fly, I hit also A flowering plant. The autumn storm; A prostitute shack, At 24 cents a time. Shiki (1866-1902) By the ruined mansion, Fowls roaming Among the hibiscus The dead body Of a trodden-on crab, This autumn morning Fallen leaves Come flying from elsewhere: Autumn is ending.

20. Histoire Du Haïku L'histoire du ha¯ku du XVe au XXe si¨cle au travers de dix auteurs de basho   nos jours. Courtes biographies et s©lection de quelques oeuvres. http://www.big.or.jp/~loupe/links/fhisto/fhisinx.shtml

Ryu Yotsuya Avant Basho Basho Matsuo Buson Yosa Shiki Masaoka ... loupe@big.or.jp

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