tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820047071744679108.post2375713573842068527..comments2023-05-23T03:54:17.181-07:00Comments on Introducing Haiku Poets and Topics . . . . . WKD: Echigo - blind womanGabi Grevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16362456518166174106noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820047071744679108.post-86390168166362605802017-11-01T21:49:06.509-07:002017-11-01T21:49:06.509-07:00Legend from Gunma 沼田市 Numata city 利根町 Tone village...Legend from Gunma 沼田市 Numata city 利根町 Tone village <br />In Tone they make offerings to Juni Sama, because in former times a goze 瞽女 blind itinerant woman had been killed there and cursed the region. <br />.<br />https://japanshrinestemples.blogspot.jp/2017/10/yamanokami-juunisama.html<br />.<br />ゴゼ 30 legends to explore<br />.<br />Nichibun Yokai Database<br />.<br />Gabi Greve - Darumapediahttps://japanshrinestemples.blogspot.jp/2017/10/yamanokami-juunisama.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820047071744679108.post-85598254396229061932013-10-03T00:32:02.243-07:002013-10-03T00:32:02.243-07:00Kobayashi Issa
こがらしや隣と云もえちご山
kogarashi ya tonari ...Kobayashi Issa<br /><br />こがらしや隣と云もえちご山<br />kogarashi ya tonari to iu mo echigo yama<br /><br />biting winter wind --<br />the Echigo mountains<br />right next door<br /><br />This winter hokku was written sometime in the middle of the 12th lunar month (January) in 1820. The Echigo mountains here are probably what is called the Echigo mountain range (Echigo sammyaku), a series of high mountains running basically north-south along the spine of the island of Honshu, the main island of Japan. This long spine consists of various ranges, with some high plateaus in between. Issa's hometown is on one such plateau. The Echigo range begins about 60 miles north of Issa's hometown and extends for about a hundred miles to the north. There are three other ranges of high mountains that lie further north on Honshu island, so Issa probably doesn't consider this range to be the northern edge of Japan. In Issa's time Echigo was considered northerly but at the same time the northernmost inner province on the west coast of Honshu: farther north were the large outer provinces of the north country, Dewa and Mutsu, through which Basho travels in Oku no hosomichi. For Issa the Echigo range is the nearest range to the north and has some very high peaks. The Echigo mountains rise nearby, and winter blasts like the one that's now blowing make the mountains feel even closer than usual, as if the wind were a kind of tactile extension of the mountains. <br /> <br />The bitterly strong winter wind in the hokku is one of the dry winds that are said to literally "wither" trees and vegetation. They blow from late fall on into winter, so it's probably a dry day between days of snowstorms. These dry winter winds usually bring lower temperatures and foretell a deepening of winter, and in this hokku the north wind blowing down from the Echigo mountain range and must be very cold. The wind is on time, since the coldest time of the year is usually around January 20. At the same time, though cold winter winds (kogarashi) were hard to endure, they were not necessarily simply disliked. The coldest part of winter is beginning, but that means lunar New Year's is coming soon, and people in the village are no doubt warmed by all sorts of preparations they're doing for the lunar New Year's. Issa may also feel invigorated by the strong winds and feel proud that he lives close to such an impressive mountain range. He and other villagers may well regard the high mountains as old friends who send both bitter winds in winter and plentiful water for rice paddies in the spring and summer. When a cold wind blows, the mountains feel even closer than usual, making them more intimate even as they as hard to bear. <br /> <br />In two variants, one from 1821 and another from between 1822-25, Issa writes:<br /> <br />bitter winter wind --<br />the far side of the river<br />right next door<br /> <br />kogarashi ya tonari to iu mo kawa-mukou<br /> <br />withering winter wind --<br />the Echigo mountains<br />right behind the wall <br /> <br />kogarashi ya kabe no ushiro wa echigo-yama<br /> <br />On one level, at least, the hokku and its variants seem to be about the importance of companionship and intimacy between humans and nature in all seasons and under all conditions.<br /> <br />The above is a revision of my post of 9/15/2012.<br /> <br />Chris Drake<br />Gabi Greve - ISSAhttp://edoflourishing.blogspot.jp/2013/02/kobayashi-issa.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820047071744679108.post-49237137910983091852008-04-13T10:05:00.000-07:002008-04-13T10:05:00.000-07:00leading the blindto a bench..purple lilacHeike Gew...leading the blind<BR/>to a bench..<BR/>purple lilac<BR/><BR/>Heike GewiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-820047071744679108.post-14975520659018410282008-03-21T17:09:00.000-07:002008-03-21T17:09:00.000-07:00evening starswe may not yet see... blind singersEl...evening stars<BR/>we may not yet see<BR/>... blind singers<BR/><BR/>EllaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com