Glossary of Terms, Names, Places, and People
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Bashō (芭蕉). “Banana plant.” In Japan, a tropical-looking tree with large oblong leaves that easily tear in wind and rain. The plant rarely bears fruit, and so the plant symbol of both uselessness and impermanence. Matuso adopted this term as his pen name (formerly he was Tosei, meaning “unripe peach”) after moving from Edo’s central district to the rural Fukagawa Distict.
Bashō-an (芭蕉庵). The name given to Basho’s hut in Fukagawa. This hut was destroyed several times and rebuilt. A banana tree, the gift of a disciple, grew beside the hut.
Fukagawa. A rural district of Edo (Tokyo), south of the Sumida River. The poet moved here late in 1680 and took up residence in a simple cottage that would become known as Bashō-an.
Haiku (俳句). A short three line poetic form popularized by Matsuo Basho. As a general rule, it consists of three interconnected phrases, in a 5, 7, 5 pattern. There is often a kigo, or seasonal reference, but this is not absolutely necessary. Haiku were sometimes combined in sequences in what is called a Renga.
Iga Province. Matsuo Basho was born Matsuo Kinsaku, (松尾 金作) in Ueno, Iga province, in 1644. It is said that his father was a minor samurai, who took up farming at the time the Tokugawa Shogunate was established.
Matsuo Bashō. (松尾 芭蕉, 1644-1694). Lived towards the beginning of Japan’s Tokugawa period. Celebrated Japanese haiku poet and author. Born Matsuo Kinsaku (松尾 金作), then Matsuo Chūemon Munefusa (松尾 忠右衛門 宗房). He adopted several pen names including Tōsēi (桃青), before becoming Matsuo Basho, the name by which he is best known. Basho was a prolific writer of Haiku, and adapted its poetic form for use in travelogues such as Oku no Hosomichi. He died in Osaka, 1694. His ethereal death poem recalls the Noh plays he used to attend in Edo.
Nihonbashi (日本橋). The bustling commercial district of Edo, the capital, where Tosei (pre-Basho) lived, worked, and played in his early years in Edo (ca. 1675-1680).
Noh play. A classical Japanese dance-drama first developed in the 14th century. The plots often featured ghosts and supernatural beings.
Oku no Hosomichi (奥の細道). Basho’s best known travelogue, Journey to the Northern Interior, published posthumously in 1702. The travelers were Basho and Sora. The journey included Japan’s eastern and western coastlines, as well as the interior. It began in the spring of 1689, ending in the fall of that year.
Renga (連歌). Linked verse of varying length (30 to 100 lines was typical). One poet begins, writing the first stanza, followed by others in no necessary order. Matsuo Basho participated in many of these with his disciples and with other poets.
Saigyō. Saigyō Hōshi (西行法師), a 12th century Buddhist monk and Japanese poet often mentioned by Basho.
Sora. Kawai Sora (河合曾良), Basho’s neighbor in Fukagawa and his traveling companion on the Oku no Hosomichi. Sora wrote his own companion diary of the journey.
Tokugawa. Tokugawa period. A time in Japan’s history marked by shogunate rule from Edo. Generally considered to be a time of peace and internal political stability. It was marked by the expulsion of Christian missionaries and the exclusion of foreign travelers.
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旅に病んで夢は枯野をかけ廻る
Matsuo Basho, Death poem, 1694
tabi ni yande / yume wa kareno wo / kake meguru
sick on my journey / a withering dream / in a field of dried grass
Note. Tabi ni yande. Sick on a journey. Kareno. a winter field where frost has killed and withered the plants. Kake megura. In Noh, plays, the impression is of being transported to another world.
matsuo-basho-haiku 