Arisoumi coast

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Arisoumi coast, Ariso-Umi, Ariso no Umi

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Non-seasonal Topic
***** Category: Earth

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Explanation

Ariso Umi 有磯海, ありそうみ

"the rough sea on the beach"

This is a general name for the rough coastline of the Etchu Hokuriku coast of Northern Japan. It has been used by waka poets since olden times as "utamakura", a place word. The poem by Otomo Iemochi about the death of his younger brother is especially famous.

The protruding island-cliffs reminded people of the Gods of the Nether World, where the dead would recide.



Where Basho walked there, it is now the area around Toyama Bay and the harbour of Fukishi .

More about UTAMAKURA

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Worldwide use


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Things found on the way


Haiku Publication by Roka (Rooka) 浪化,
a disciple Matsuo Basho
『Ariso umi 有磯海』 and Saint Roka
Roka Memorial Day, a KIGO


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HAIKU


. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .


わせの香や分入右は 有磯海
wase no ka ya wakeiru migi wa Arisoumi

Fragrance of early rice–
pushing through the fields, on the right
Roky Coast Sea
Tr. Haruo Shirane



fragrance of rice
wading into it
on my right the Rough Sea
Tr. Ad Blankestijn



Sweet-smelling rice fields!
To our right as we push through,
The Ariso Sea
source : 　the zen frog


Through fragrant fields
Of early rice we went, beside
The wild Ariso Sea.
Tr. Dorothy Britton


early rice fragrance
pushing thru to right
the "Rough Sea"
Tr. Cid Corman


Scent of ripening ears:
to the right as I push through,
surf crashing onto rocks.
Tr. Helen Craig McCullough


The ripening grain,
Walking in the fragrance while on the right
The rocky shore of the sea.
Tr. Earl Miner


Ariso umi was originally written with the words ara iso meaning rough coast, a coast where the waves are rough. We see this reference in a poem by Otomo Iemochi in the Manyoshu and it has often been used as a pillow word for the Etchu coast. There are many large rocks off the coast here which make the waves turbulent. Because Basho wanted to see places of poetic inspiration, he wanted to visit this place. Iemochi's poem is a lament on the death of his younger brother. Perhaps Basho is preparing us here for the death of his disciple Issho as he recounts it in the next passage on Kanazawa.
source : 　Station 34 - Ichiburi / www.uoregon.edu


Memorial Stone of this haiku




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Related words

***** WKD ... Place Names used in Haiku

***** Oku no Hosomichi, Basho 2007


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