Sora, Kawai Sora

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Sora, Kawai Sora 河合曾良

1649 - 1710
慶安2年（1649年） - 宝永7年5月22日（1710年6月18日））


He accompanied Matsuo Basho on the famous tour

Oku no Hosomichi　奥の細道.

©　More in the Japanese WIKIPEDIA !

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source :　www.bashouan.com


剃捨て黒髪山に衣更
sorisutete Kurokamiyama ni koromogae

I cut my hair
at Mount Kurokamiyama
and change robes

Written in 1689, when he cut his hair, put on a monk's robe and accompanied Matsuo Basho on the

. Oku no Hosomichi 奥の細道 .




source :　itoyo/basho

Kurohimeyama, Kurokamiyama seen from Nikko 黒髪山（日光男体山）
It is another name for Mount Nantaisan in Nikko.
黒髪山：男体山のこと


Basho wrote:
My companion's real name is Kawai Sogoro, Sora being his pen name.
He used to live in my neighborhood and help me with such chores as bringing water and firewood. He wanted to enjoy the views of Matsushima and Kisagata with me, and also to share with me the hardships of the wandering journey.

So he took to the road after taking the tonsure on the very morning of our departure, putting on the black robe of an itinerant priest, and even changing his name to Sogo, which means Religiously Enlightened. His poem, therefore, is not intended as a mere description of Mount Kurokami. The last determination to persist in his purpose.
source : www.oocities.org / Tr. Yuasa Nobuyuki


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Sora was born in Shinano no kuni (now Nagano, Suwa town) as the oldest son of Takano Shichibei 高野七兵衛, and his boyhood name was
Yosaemon 与左衛門.

His parents died soon and he was adopted by an aunt of his mother's side, taking the name of Iwanami Shooemon Masataka 岩波庄右衛門正字.
When he was 12 his aunt died too and he was taken in by relatives in Ise, Nagashima 伊勢国長島.

Around 1668 he became a servant of the local lord, Matsudaira Yasunao 松平康尚 and took the name of
Kawai Soogoroo 河合惣五郎 Kawai Sogoro.

In 1681 he went to Edo and worked for Yoshikawa Koretari 吉川惟足, a Shinto priest and scholar.
In 1689 he went on the tour to the North with Matsuo Basho, during this time he wrote the


source :　ja.wikipedia
Sora tabi nikki 曾良旅日記 Travel Diary of Sora

In 1709 he became an inspector for the Bakufu government 幕府の巡見使随員 and walked around Kyushu, especially Nagasaki and Iki no kuni 壱岐国.
He became ill on this trip and died at the age of 62.
His posthumous Buddhist name 賢翁宗臣居士.
His grave is at Okinoshima 壱岐島.

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・Graveyard Noman, Katsumotocho, Iki-shi, Nagasaki temple
・Grave with a tombstone 1, Okamura, Suwa-shi
source : www.city.suwa.lg.jp
福島県桑折町・朝日山法圓寺所蔵


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Was Basho a Ninja?
or was his companion Sora?
A TV series was quite effective in spreading this image.

Onmitsu : Oku no Hosomichi 隠密・奥の細道
1988年10月14日 - 1989年3月31日
TV Drama

. Onmitsu : Oku no Hosomichi .






Latest studies are pretty sure Sora made the trip to the North as a government inspector and Basho accompanied him to inspect the waterworks of the region.
Drinking water was always important for a town in case of war, and Basho had a background of waterworks construction since his time with Todo Shinshichiro 藤堂新七郎 (Toodoo Shinshichiroo) in Iga.
The Todo family had been involved in waterworks for a long time.

. Todo, Sengin 蝉吟 (1642 - 1666) .

Basho had also worked for the waterworks department of the Edo government to make a living.
. Basho and the Kanda River Waterworks 神田上水 .

mizu-bugyo　水奉行　the water "mayor" of Edo
source : edomatsu/josui


Sora was most probably busy checking out the various local lords for their loyalty to the Tokugawa government.
Soon after the trip with Basho ended, there was a collection of the Bakufu government with appreciations of the lords and other regional information, called

Dokai kooshooki 土芥寇讎記 Dokai Koshoki.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

Sora and Basho were especially to keep an eye on the domain of Sendai, with Matsushima and then up to Hiraizumi, to check on the waterworks.
The lord of Sendai was also commissioned with the construction of the Toshogu shrine in Nikko, in honor of Tokugawa Ieyasu.
This was a ploy of the Bakufu to make him spend a lot of money in the lavish decorations (and thus prevent him from plotting another war).

After their trip up to Sendai, it seems, their "official" purpose of the Oku no Hosomichi was ended and Basho could enjoy more time as a wandering haikai poet.

All this is still very much disputet, though.
I try to keep this updated as things clear up.




Ninja doll and Basho


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松島や鶴に身を借れほとゝぎす
Matsushima ya tsuru no mi o kare hototogisu

Oh Matsushima !
borrow the body of a crane,
dear hototogisu



It is said Basho wrote this haiku himself
and attributed it to Sora in gratitude.


source :　Nobuko 緒方のぶ子


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くまの路や分（わけ）つゝ入れば夏の海

卯の花に兼房見ゆる白毛（しらが）かな

春にわれ乞食やめても筑紫かな

湯殿山銭ふむ道の泪かな

行き行きてたふれ伏とも萩の原

かさねとは八重撫子の名成べし



Sora is often counted as one of the

10 most important disciples of Matsuo Basho
. Basho jittetsu 芭蕉十哲 .


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


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Sora and Basho
Painting by Kyoroku 森川許六 when they left Edo.


. Basho and Sora in Nikko　日光 .
二荒山神社 Futarasan Shrine, Nikko




Japanese Reference

河合曾良



『奥の細道』の書名の由来となった「おくのほそ道」は仙台藩領内にあった名所・旧跡の1つで、仙台を拠点していた俳諧師大淀三千風(Ooyodo Michikaze)が名付けたといわれています。大淀は「松島」の景観を全国に広める努力にも力を注ぎ、芭蕉が旅立つ7年前の天和2年(1682)に撰集『松島眺望集』を発表。芭蕉が「奥の細道」の旅に出るきっかけになったのもこの本の影響といわれています。
紀行文としても評価の高い『奥の細道』ですが、同行した曽良の旅日記と比べると食い違う点が多く、虚構性が指摘されています。日付だけでなく地名や門人の名前まで意図的に変えていることから、芭蕉が「奥の細道」を日記や記録の類としてではなく、文学作品として捉えていたことがわかります。
あくまで一人の俳諧師として生きた芭蕉は、この作品を出版しようとは思っていなかったらしく、門人の向井去来が所蔵していた清書本を元に芭蕉死後の元禄15年(1702)に京都の井筒屋から刊行され世に広まりました。
source : 謎解き！江戸のススメ


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Related words

***** Introducing Japanese Haiku Poets　



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


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