11/19/2010

Ochi Etsujin

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Ochi Etsujin 越智越人 Juuzoo 十蔵 Juzo

(1655 - 1739) / (1656 - 1730) / (?1665 - ?)

His exact dates of birth and death is unclear.


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He was born in Northern Echigo, but later lived in Nagoya. He is supposed to have been very handsome. He was the center of the Basho discpiples in Owari.
"Etsujin" lit. means "man from Etsu" (provinces of Echigo and Echizen in Northern Japan).

His haiku name was Kinkaoo 槿花翁(きんかおう)
"old man rose of sharon"

His works include

fumyooja 不猫蛇(ふみょうじゃ)
inohayata 猪の早太(いのはやた)
shakubikan 鵲尾冠(しゃくびかん)

. niwakamado shuu 庭竈集 Niwakamado Collection .
Written in 1688 元禄元年, during the New Year, when Etsujin visited Basho in Edo. Etsujin stayed until two years later.



His grave is in Nagoya at temple Choen-Ji (Chooenji) 長円寺.
His grave stone has the inscription :

負山氏越人叟之墓


He was the companion of Matsuo Basho on the trip
. Sarashina Kiko 更科紀行 - 更級紀行 Sarashina Journal .

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尾張の十蔵、越人と号す。越後の人なればなり。粟飯・柴薪のたよりに市中に隠れ、二日勤めて二日  遊び、三日勤めて三日遊ぶ。性、酒を好み、酔和する時は平家を謡 ふ。
これ我が友なり.



source : blog.goo.ne.jp/mihogood08

- quote from Barnhill
Juso ofthe province of Owari is known as Etsujin, a name that comes from the place where he was born. Now he hides himself in the city, but only to supply himself with some food and fuel.
If he works two days, he plays the next two; if he works three days, he plays the next three. He loves his wine, and he sings from the Tales of the Heike when he’s drunk. A true friend
indeed.

二人見し雪は今年も降りけるか
futari mishi yuki wa kotoshi mo furikeru ka

that snow we saw:
this year also
has it fallen?

Tr. Barnhill

Written in the winter of 1688 元禄元年冬.

Later Etsujin used this as a hokku for the collection
Niwakamado 庭竈集
and wrote this

胸のしのぶも枯れよ草の戸


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He was one of the 10 great and most important disciples of Basho
(Basho jittetsu 芭蕉十哲 (ばしょうじってつ)

The other nine are:
Enomoto Kikaku 榎本其角、Hattori Ransetsu 服部嵐雪、Mukai Kyorai 向井去来、Morikawa Kyoroku 森川許六、Kagami Shikoo 名務支考、Naito Joso (Naitoo Joosoo) 内藤丈草、Shida Yaba 志田野坡 (1662-1740), Sugiyama Sanpuu 杉山杉風, Tachibana Hokushi 立花北枝.

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His death poem (jisei)

aki no kure hi ya tomosan to toi ni kuru

Autumn evening:
"Isn't it time," she comes and asks,
"to light the lantern?"

tr. by Yoel Hoffman
Japanese Death Poems:
Written by Zen Monks and Haiku Poets on the Verge of Death

This poem captures an entire "scene from a marriage".






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Discussing the translation

The Japanese has only one part of "direct speach",
hi ya tomosan, in line 3.
"lantern" or "lamp" is not mentioned in Japanese.

"shall we make light?"
There might be a better version for this, if a native speaker gets to it.
maybe
"shall we light the lamp?"
"shall I light the lamp?"
"Do you need some light?"


This is in the times when you had to light a candle or oil lamp with a flintstone in 1656.


autumn evening -
"shall we make light?"
she comes to ask
Tr. Gabi Greve


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Another haiku with a candle


蝋燭のひかりにくしやほとゝぎす
roosoku no hikari ni kushi ya hototogisu

the candlelight
draws my attention -
mountain cockoo

A cockoo was flying over and could be heared at night.
The poet wanted to concentrate on the sounds of the bird, but then he saw the candle light and his concentration changed.


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花にうづもれて夢より直に死んかな
hana ni uzumorete yume yori sugu ni shinan kana

covered with cherry blossoms
if I could die right now
in this dream of mine



This is written with respect to the famous death poem by Saigyo
西行の辞世 Saigyoo no jisei

願はくは花の下にて春死なむその如月の望月のころ

If I may
I wish to die
under the cherry blossoms in spring
just around the full moon
in April

. Saigyo and the Cherry Blossoms  


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行燈の煤けぞ寒き雪のくれ
andon no susuke zo samuki yuki no kure

the soot of the lantern
makes me feel the cold even more -
snow in the evening



Lanterns (andon) and haiku


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Some of his famous haiku
(quoted from weblio)


霧晴れて桟橋は目もふさがれず(『更科紀行採録』)

更科や三夜さの月見雲もなし(『更科紀行採録』)


from Spring Days (haru no hi)

山吹のあぶなき岨のくづれ哉(『春の日』)

みかへれば白壁いやし夕がすみ(『春の日』)

藤の花たゞうつぶいて別哉(『春の日』)

かつこ鳥板屋の背戸の一里塚(『春の日』)

夕がほに雑水あつき藁屋哉(『春の日』)

六月の汗ぬぐひ居る臺かな(『春の日』)

玉まつり桂にむかふ夕かな(『春の日』)

山寺に米つくほどの月夜哉(『春の日』)


from Desolate Fields (arano)

下々の下の客といはれん花の宿(『あら野』)

おもしろや理窟はなしに花の雲(『あら野』)

雨の月どこともなしの薄あかり(『あら野』)

名月は夜明るきはもなかりけり(『あら野』)

はつ雪を見てから顔を洗けり(『あら野』)

はつ春のめでたき名なり賢魚ゝ(『あら野』)

初夢や濱名の橋の今のさま(『あら野』)

若菜つむ跡は木を割畑哉(『あら野』)

むめの花もの氣にいらぬけしき哉(『あら野』)

何事もなしと過行柳哉(『あら野』)

つばきまで折そへらるゝさくらかな(『あら野』)

あかつきをむつかしさうに鳴蛙(『あら野』)

なら漬に親よぶ浦の汐干哉(『あら野』)

柿の木のいたり過たる若葉哉(『あら野』)

聲あらば鮎も鳴らん鵜飼舟(『あら野』)

撫子や蒔繪書人をうらむらん(『あら野』)

釣鐘草後に付たる名なるべし(『あら野』)

ちからなや麻刈あとの秋の風(『あら野』)

山路のきく野菊とも又ちがひけり(『あら野』)

かげろふの抱つけばわがころも哉(『あら野』)

はる風に帯ゆるみたる寐貌哉(『あら野』)

もの數寄やむかしの春の儘ならん(『あら野』)

花ながら植かへらるゝ牡丹かな(『あら野』)

よの木にもまぎれぬ冬の柳哉(『あら野』)

一方は梅さく桃の継木かな(『あら野』)

からながら師走の市にうるさヾい(『あら野』)

七夕よ物かすこともなきむかし(『あら野』)

夕月や杖に水なぶる角田川(『あら野』)

天龍でたゝかれたまへ雪の暮(『あら野』)

落ばかく身はつぶね共ならばやな(『あら野』)

行年や親にしらがをかくしけり(『あら野』)

妻の名のあらばけし給へ神送り(『あら野』)

散花の間はむかしばなし哉(『あら野』)

ほろほろと落るなみだやへびの玉(『あら野』)

たふとさの涙や直に氷るらん(『あら野』)

何とやらおがめば寒し梅の花(『あら野』)

君が代やみがくことなき玉つばき(『あら野』)

月に柄をさしたらばよき團哉(『あら野』)

雁がねもしづかに聞ばからびずや(『あら野』)


from Monkey's Straw Coat (sarumino)

うらやましおもひ切時猫の恋(『猿蓑』)

稗の穂の馬逃したる気色哉(『猿蓑』)

思ひきる時うらやまし猫の声(『猿蓑』)

ちやのはなやほるゝ人なき霊聖女(『猿蓑』)

ちるときの心やすさよ米嚢花(『猿蓑』)

君が代や筑摩祭も鍋一ツ(『猿蓑』)

啼やいとヾ塩にほこりのたまる迄(『猿蓑』)

稲づまや浮世をめぐる鈴鹿山(『續猿蓑』)




Reference : 春の日


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Matsuo Basho wrote about him

. yuki ya suna uma yori ochiyo sake no yoi .

Written in 貞亨4年, Basho age 44, Oi no Kobumi.


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Japanese Reference

. 越智越人


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Related words

. BASHO - - Names of Persons - Personen - .


. Direct speech in Haiku  


***** Introducing Japanese Haiku Poets 


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4 comments:

Gabi Greve - Darumapedia said...

神の留守狐の飛脚戻りけり
kami no rusu kitsune no hikyaku modorikeri

the gods are absent
and the fox messenger
comes back . . .



more about
Hikyakugitsune 飛脚狐 伝説 legends about fast fox messengers

Gabi Greve said...

a friend wrote on facebook:
Yoel Hoffman's book, "Japanese Death Poems," doesn't give a 'death poem' for Etsujin. Hoffman does quote a haiku by Etsujin, but it is in the Introduction, and it is given as an example of what a haiku can be. Hoffman is pointing out that haiku can be about more than what has been described as the "haiku moment." Here is how Hoffman introduces the Etsujin poem: "Finally, there are those who maintain that a poem as short as the haiku cannot convey the depth and complexity of our feelings. But hasn't Ochi Etsujin (b. 1656) captured, in the following poem, an entire "scene from a marriage"? "
Hoffman then gives the Etsujin poem:
aki no kure hi ya tomosan to toi ni kuru

Autumn evening:
"Isn't it time," she comes and asks,
"to light the lantern?"
.

Gabi Greve said...

and
I think that Etsujin's 'die-dream-cherry blossom' haiku could serve as his 'death poem'. Robin D. Gill, in his book "Cherry Blossom Epiphany," gives the romaji as: hana ni umarete yume yori sugu ni shinan kana. Asataroo Miyamori, in his book, "Classic Haiku: An Anthology of Poems by Bashoo and His Followers," points out that the first 'line' has seven 'syllables' rather than the usual five, and gives the following as the romaji:
hana ni umorete yume yori jiki ni shinan kana.

I like Miyamori's two-line translation/version the best:

I long to pass away, straight from sweet dreams,
Buried in the cherry-flowers.
.

Gabi Greve said...

and
Well, maybe I like this translation/version by Kenneth Yasuda, from his book, "Japanese Haiku" even better:

hana ni umarete yume yori sugu ni shinan kana

Covered with the flowers,
Instantly I'd like to die
In this dream of ours!
.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/326285114152188/permalink/1441874175926604/
.