A Haiku should be a teaching moment, that is, it should make a point.

One day, when Bashō and his pupil, Takarai Kikaku (宝井其角, 1661–1707), were walking through the fields, they spotted dragonflies darting through the grass and flowers. Kikaku composed this haiku and looked to his master for approval.

Behold:

A red dragonfly!
remove its wings —
a pepper pod!

“The dragonfly is dead.” the Master replied, “Now this is how to create life?”

Red pepper pods!
Add wings,
Behold, dragonflies!

Rebirth

From this to that
And back again,
Oh, can it ever end?
— Keihatsu!

Bashō no yōna, 2021

Most translators attempting to explain the Kikaku/Basho exchange focus on Basho’s “positive” view, the red pepper becomes a dragonfly; scolding Kikaku’s “negative” view, taking life and not creating it.

We need not be one-sighted. This haiku also explains the Buddhist concept of Rebirth, 轉世.

A pepper becomes a dragonfly, a dragonfly becomes a pepper. So too, each of us enters as new existence after death, in an endless cycle called saṃsāra. This unsatisfactory cycle is considered to be dukkha, painful, and, hopefully, ends with enlightenment, keihatsu, 啓発.

Making my point

Basho: toogarashi hane o tsuketara akatonbo

It is a two-way street. Kyōiku wa sōhōkōdesu, 教育は双方向です. Our clues are found in the carefully chosen images. Tōgarashi, a red or chili pepper, also a spicy seasoning added to many Japanese dishes. Behold, a chef creates a spicy dish. Tsuketara meaning to turn on, light up, or switch on. Behold, on the one hand we have a chili pepper, now it switches to a dragonfly. Instead of using the single character 蜻, Qīng for butterfly, the transformative three character, akatonbo, 赤とん, is used, which means red dragonfly. These characters include the Japanese character と, which can best be understood in the context of “if and” or “when”.

Original Japanese

Kikaku:
赤とんぼ羽をとったら唐がらし
akatonbo hane o tottara toogarashi

Basho:
唐がらし羽をつけたら赤とんぼ
toogarashi hane o tsuketara akatonbo

Notes on Translation

In Japan, the dragonfly represents rebirth. To the samurai class it is a symbol of prosperity and good luck. To farmers, the reappearance of dragonflies in spring, signifies a good harvest. The dragonfly is Japan’s national symbol, which is why Japan is also known as the Island of the Dragonfly, Akitsushima. 

In Western philosophy, one often thinks of life as a one way street. One is born, lives, and dies. In Eastern philosophy, particularly Buddhist philosophy, death becomes passage to a new life. This is similar but different from Christian teaching about the Resurrection.

I am far too much of an amateur to explain the concept of Rebirth, 轉世.

Making a Living

After Matsuo Basho’s death, Kikaku gave us a lovely portrait of the poet, mentioning that his master was “a lonely man and very poor, but his virtues were infinite.” I too am poor and therefore, must make a living. If you wish, you can check out this Dragonfly Lamp, available online, shipping in the continental US.

See it now