Bashō's Frog Song - The Backstory

Professor Hasegawa Kai is the author of over 20 books of haiku criticism ['hairon'] and is an award-winning poet. He currently holds a post at the Yomiuri Newspaper as a reviewer of haiku and other literary and cultural works. He frequently serves as a judge of national haiku contests.

Hasegawa claims to have discovered the true backstory to the most famous thing in Japan, produced by the most famous Japanese person who ever lived. It is, of course, Matsuo Bashō's frog leap haiku..

Shiko , one of Basho's disciples, in Kuzu no Matsubara, a collection of his critical essays, gives an account of circumstances surrounding Basho's writing his most famous poem:

old pond

a frog jumps in

the sound of water

[1686]

This poem was written by our master on a spring day. He was sitting in his riverside house in Edo, bending his ears to the soft cooing of a pigeon in the quiet rain. There was a mild wind in the air, and one or two petals of cherry blossoms were falling gently to the ground. It was the kind of day you often have in late March--so perfect that you want it to last forever. Now and then in the garden was heard the sound of frogs jumping into the water. Our master was deeply immersed in meditation, but finally he came out with the second half of the poem, "Frog jumps in/Splash!" [actually, 'sound of water' - see below] Our master thought for a while, but finally he decided on "Old pond." - Kagami Shiko

So, this astonishing haiku come into being, but why should it matter that we know?

SYNOPSIS

[see video link below]

First we learn that, by understanding how Matsuo composed his haiku, we can better appreciate the compositional techniques employed in 17th Century Japanese hokku composition and how these are in stark contrast to the Shiki (rationaliser and renamer of hokku to 'haiku') method of 'sketching from nature' ('shasai', influenced by Western Modernist aesthetics, itself a cultural response to Western 'scientific realism') Subsequent to Shiki's rationalization, modern haiku was amputated (sic) from its hokku origins. The professor dismisses this contemporary sense-orientated haiku method as: "Junk" ('garakuta' - in fact, Shiki himself softened his own hardline realism views later in his career, apparently).

We look to the frog haiku for an optional model to objective realism which, Hasegowa claims, has 'stagnated' the intentional haiku pond. Furthermore, the frog haiku composition was a watershed in the development of Bashō's own maturing original style known as 'shofu' ('the 'eye-opening' enlightenment' / 'in the Bashō manner'). Beyond the lovely, but simplistic, image there are, therefore, mysterious depths to be plumbed. Where is the eye-opening enlightenment to be found, though, and how do we access it? s this a new 'poetic cosmos'? It must have been significant to Matsuo because all of his subsequent product was influenced by it, the Professor insists.

It seems that Hasegawa read a book by Kagami Shiko (1665-1731) Bashō's disciple; The Pine Field of Kuzu (Kuzu no Batsumara) and found a partial record of the old pond ('furuike') haiku's genesis. But, can professor Kai trust this record, because the author (Shiko) only became a student ('disciple') after the composition and was not, therefore, present? The answer is yes. The reason given is that Bashō himself gave Shiko the title for the book that the incident was recorded in. Thus the assumption is, likely enough, that Matsuo would have been well aware of the book's content, including the frog poem's inspiration, thus validating the latter's authenticity.

"It was the traditional time of regret for the ending of spring [March, old lunar calander, April in new solar calander - see link below]. There were sounds of frogs jumping in the water at intervals. From this rather inarticulate atmosphere Bashō hit on the idea of the '7-5-on' ('on'/onji Japanese 'syllable' - see link below): 'kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto'.

ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto

a frog jumps in sound of water

Then, Kikaku (aka: Shinshi, a celebrated disciple) who was also in attendance, offered his suggestion of 'yamabuki ya' ('yamabuki': Kerria Japonica, Japanese yellow globeflower* for the capping (first line) metric of 5-on; however, Bashō rejected this suggestion, deciding on 'furuike ('old pond/pool')."

It seems there were "sounds of frogs, jumping at intervals" in the vicinity of Matsuo's hut - meaning that, in the distance Bashō could hear frogs jumping into water every so often. As a result of this he composed: 'kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto' [lit: 'frog(s) jump-in waters sound] :

- tobikomu: to jump in, to leap in, to plunge into, to dive
- mizu: water
- no: possessive particle; 'of'
- oto: water

But what to cap it with? What could the first line be? As we have seen, someone suggested a yellow flower 'kigo' ('season word' - see link) :

yellow globeflower

frog(s) jump-in

water's sound

But, as mentioned already, Matsuo rejected this (easy solution?) in favor of the 'old pond' ('furuike'). Here are the optional results (Japanese haiku are written written in one vertical line, shown horizontally here) :

furuike ya kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto

old pond frog(s) jump-in water's sound

old pond a frog jumps in the sound of water

old pond

frog(s) jump-in

water's sound

old pond

a frog jumps in

the sound of water

Having outlined the birth of the greatest haiku ever written, Professor Hasegawa Kai next considers what kind of information is contained in it.

First it is noted that the frogs were heard {not seen) by Bashō in his hermitage, Bashō-an (Fukagowa, Edo, now Tokyo). This was written down, but needed a start line, a 'cap'.

kawazu tobikomu mizu no oto

frog(s) jumps-in sound of water

Hasegawa reminds us that, although we read the haiku from start to finish it was actually composed with the cap last. So? In the making this ku (small poem) was not consequentially, as we read it. This is the 'reality' of its construction, the last two lines (in English format) came first. The 'old pond', second. The professor regards this as significant. Why? It indicates a 'break' in the ku. There are two levels So? 'Bashō neither saw an old pond, nor a frog', there is also this break between the first line and the last two. The conclusion drawn is this: 'The haijin (haiku writer) was listening to the frogs and then imagined the old pond'. As Matsuo listened to the frogs jumping into water (outside, in the distance, at intervals) he visioned an old pond, it 'arose in his mind'. (The professor leans back at this point, satisfied with his presentation. Now he can chat about the meaning of all this astute investigation.)

Deeper still, into the old pond.. If this classic haiku had been penned consecutively it would be a 'itchibutsujitate' (kireji -'cutting word'- exists and the two parts of the ku logically connect)'. But, this ku cannot be this as a result of its asymmetric construction (last lines first). 'The ku juxtaposes two different material dimensions (ie: toriawase - relation of two images)''.

Two images. The actually perceived (ie: 'real') water sounds (caused by the jumping frogs) and a completely different dimension, where the 'old pond' surfaced. Hasegawa emphasizes that this latter dimension is of the mind.

We might say that Bashō imagined the old pond (and speculate as to the reason why). Certainly the water sounds 'triggered' (catalyzed) the old pond in Bashō's mind, we are informed.

In this informally videoed presentation we now reach the summery:

On a late spring day (in the lunar calendar) Bashō was in his hermitage, listening to the sounds of frogs jumping into water and envisioned an old pond in his mind.' 'There exists a juxtaposition of two different dimensions of being.' 'Seen this way, the haiku is, first, not a scene where an object is viewed, but rather that of listening to sounds, and furthermore Basho has composed this haiku via his imaginative activity.' As a result of superficial interpretation. 'the haiku has been misunderstood for [over] 300 years'.

Video-2 of this absorbing dissertation develops into more subtle analysis of the frog ku and another haiku (by Bonchō, another disciple) referenced here :http://www.facebook.com/notes/haiku-crossroads/boncho/160034627368859

Will reserve my own take on all this until a synopsis of video-2 is complete - especially with regard to kireji. But, the previous link takes us partway there. It does seem we have a partial 'desk haiku' though - or, does it?

jp November 2010

NOTE

Globeflowers 'Excellent perennial waterside plants, doing well where others might not succeed. They make good cut flowers.' The old pond references winter and the frogs reference spring. The appearance of perennial globeflower blossoms (spring kigo - but perennial nuance?) could be coupled with the shape of a water splash. Perhaps this is the reasoning for the disciple's initial suggestion? Just a thought - it does make a pretty interesting juxtaposition.

Globeflower / as kigo