30 haiku out of 9486
year unknown
.御地蔵の膝にすわってなく蛙
o-jizô no hiza ni suwatte naku kawazu
in holy Jizo's lap
squatting, croaking
frog
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
year unknown
.花の世は地蔵ぼさつも親子哉
hana no yo wa jizô bosatsu mo oyako kana
world of blossoms--
even the holy Jizos
parents and children
"Blossoms" (hana) can denote cherry blossoms in the shorthand of haiku. Just as families stroll and picnic among the blooming cherry trees, Issa imagines that the big and small statues of Jizô are families too.
This is a revision of a haiku of 1818, in which the middle phrase reads: "even among the Buddhas" (hotoke ni mo sae).
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
year unknown
.なでしこや地蔵菩薩の跡先に
nadeshiko ya jizô bosatsu no ato saki ni
blooming pinks
behind and in front
of holy Jizo
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
year unknown
.御地蔵の玉にもち添ふ李哉
o-jizô no tama ni mochi-sou sumomo kana
added to
holy Jizo's jewel...
a plum
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
Most statues of Jizo hold a jewel in the left hand. This one also holds a plum.
1788
.苔の花小疵に咲や石地蔵
koke no hana ko kizu ni saku ya ishi jizô
moss blossoms bloom
in a little crack...
stone Jizo
Or: "in little cracks." Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children. This haiku has the prescript, "Ôiso." Ôiso was one of the fifty-three post towns on the Tôkaidô highway from Edo (today's Tokyo) to Kyoto. This haiku appears in the anthology, Fifty-Three Post Towns; Makoto Ueda, Dew on the Grass: The Life and Poetry of Kobayashi Issa (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2004) 14.
1805
.人かげや地蔵の塔も冬枯るる
hitokage ya jizô no tô mo fuyugaruru
a man's shadow--
even on St. Jizo's monument
winter withering
Tô can mean pagoda, obelisk, or monument. Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children. As Gabi Greve notes, Jizô is not a "saint" in the strictest sense, since saints are human beings. On the other hand, Jizô certainly is a supernatural helper of humans. It is because of this aspect of saintliness that I add "Saint" to the name in my translation: to let Western readers who might not know who Jizô is understand at least that he is a helpful religious figure.
1807
.地蔵さへとしよるやうに木の葉哉
jizô sae toshiyoru yô ni ko[no]ha kana
even holy Jizo
is looking older...
fallen leaves
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
1811
.御地蔵のひざよ袂よ鳴千鳥
o-jizô no hiza yo tamoto yo naku chidori
on holy Jizo's lap!
in his sleeves!
plovers singing
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children. Here, he offers his divine protection to the little birds.
1812
.御地蔵や花なでしこの真中に
o-jizô ya hana nadeshiko no man naka ni
holy Jizo
in the blooming pinks...
dead center
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
1813
.鳥べのの地蔵菩薩の蕨哉
tori be no no jizô bosatsu no warabi kana
for Toribe Field's
holy Jizo...
bracken
Bracken is a fern with tough stems that sprouts in springtime.
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
Toribe Field (Toribe no no) is a place near Tokyo's Tôyama's Shimizu Temple; Issa zenshû (Nagano: Shinano Mainichi Shimbunsha, 1976-79) 3.224, note 1.
In this haiku, the gentle saint accepts an offering of the hardy plant: either someone has cut it and left it at his feet, or it is growing rampant around him. I prefer to picture the latter.
1813
.川がりや地蔵のひざの小脇差
kawagari ya jizô no niza no ko wakazashi
night fishing--
on St. Jizo's lap
a short sword
The fisherman, a samurai, has left his short sword on the lap of Jizô, creating an odd and poignant juxtaposition: weapon of war, bodhisattva of mercy. Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
1813
.御地蔵と日向ぼこして鳴千鳥
o-jizô to hinata bokoshite naku chidori
basking in the sun
with holy Jizo...
a plover sings
Or: "plovers sing." Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
1814
.春風や地蔵の口の御飯粒
haru kaze ya jizô no kuchi no o-meshi tsubu
spring breeze--
on holy Jizo's lips
a grain of rice
The rice has been left as an offering. A grain of it seems to have blown into the statue's mouth, as if he is eating.
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
1814
.ぼた餅や地蔵のひざも春の風
botamochi ya jizô no hiza mo haru no kaze
rice cake with bean paste
on holy Jizo's lap
the spring breeze
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children. Issa later revises this haiku twice: subsituting tsuji no hotoke ("crossroads Buddha") and yabu no hotoke ("Buddha in the thicket") for Jizô.
1814
.雀の子地蔵の袖にかくれけり
suzume no ko jizô no sode ni kakure keri
baby sparrow
safe in holy Jizo's
sleeve
Or: "baby sparrows."
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children. Gabi Greve notes, "In Japanese mythology the story goes that between life and death there flows a river. This river is called Sai no Kawara. Translated it means 'Children's Limbo'; Limbo means a region on the border of hell or heaven, serving as the abode after death of unbaptized infants; Kawara is 'riverside.' According to old Japanese belief, children do not go to heaven or hell, but the souls of the dead babies play on the banks of this river, Sai no Kawara. And one of the things they have to do as their Duty (penance) there, is to stack up pebbles, and build little towers. However, while doing so, a naughty, horrible devil usually appears who disturbs their playing, breaks their towers up, and scares them. And, it is here where the long sleeves of Jizo's robe comes in handy, because Jizo is the god who protects children, and he does not fail to protect them there on the banks of the Sai no Kawara. So when scared by this devil, they all jump into the sleeve of Jizo's robe, where they hide and feel safe and warm."
Gabi's story adds a deeper meaning to the baby sparrow nestled in the statue's sleeve. Issa underscores the Buddhist belief that salvation is for all beings, not just humans.
This haiku is one of the "essential" 188 picked by the translator. back next
1815
.御地蔵の手に居へ給ふ蛙かな
o-jizô no te ni sue tamau kawazu kana
in holy Jizo's hand
squatting
frog
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
1818
.蜂の巣や地蔵菩薩の御肱に
hachi no su [ya] jizô bosatsu no on-hiji [ni]
beehive--
safe on holy Jizo's
elbow
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
1818
.子地蔵よ御手出し給へ梅の花
ko jizô yo o-te dashi tamae ume no hana
holy Jizo
stretch forth your hand!
plum blossoms
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children. In this haiku, Issa refers to him as ko jizô ("child Jizo"). Perhaps he is referring to a statue of Jizo protectively holding a child.
1819
.御地蔵の御首にかける飾り哉
o-jizô no o-kubi ni kakeru kazari kana
hanging from
St. Jizo's neck...
a New Year's decoration
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children. As Gabi Greve notes, Jizô is not a "saint" in the strictest sense, since saints are human beings. On the other hand, Jizô certainly is a supernatural helper of humans. It is because of this aspect of saintliness that I add "Saint" to the name in my translation: to let Western readers who might not know who Jizô is understand at least that he is a helpful religious figure.
1820
.御地蔵のお首にかけるちまき哉
o-jizô no o-kubi ni kakeru chimaki kana
from holy Jizo's
holy neck it hangs...
rice dumpling
Rice dumplings (chimaki) are wrapped in bamboo grass (sasa). Here, someone has left one as an offering to Jizo, the beloved guardian deity of children.
1821
.御地蔵の膝も眼鼻も苔の花
o-jizô [no] hiza mo mehana mo koke no hana
in holy Jizo's
lap, eyes, nose...
blooming moss
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
1821
.筍の番してござる地蔵哉
takenoko no ban shite gozaru jizô kana
kindly guarding
the bamboo shoots...
holy Jizo
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children. Here, he extends his protection even to the baby bamboo.
1821
.御地蔵も人をばかすぞ秋の暮
o-jizô mo hito wo bakasu zo aki no kure
even holy Jizo
bewitches people...
autumn dusk
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
In this strange haiku, Issa claims that kindly Jizô, too, can bewitch, enchant, confuse or delude people...like a fox spirit.
1821
.雪掃や地蔵菩薩のつもり迄
yuki haku ya jizô bosatsu no tsumori made
sweeping snow--
even off the head
of holy Jizo
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
Shinji Ogawa notes that tsumori in this haiku denotes tsumuri, "head."
1822
.身代の地蔵菩薩や雪礫
migawari no jizô bosatsu ya yukitsubute
holy Jizo
is my scapegoat...
snowballs
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
1823
.見物に地蔵も並ぶおどり哉
kenbutsu ni jizô mo narabu odori kana
looking on, holy Jizo
lines up too...
dance for the dead
The "dance for the dead" pertains to the autumn Bon Festival. The Bon Festival of the Dead takes place in Eighth Month in the old lunar calendar. At this time, people light lanterns to guide their ancestors' spirits back home. In this haiku a statue of Jizô, the beloved guardian deity of children, seems to line up with the dancers.
1823
.雪打や地蔵菩薩の横面へ
yuki utsu ya jizô bosatsu no yokotsura e
a snowball hit!
holy Jizo's
cheek
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
1824
.草餅や地蔵の膝においてくふ
kusamochi ya jizô no hiza ni oite kuu
the herb cakes
I put on holy Jizo's lap
then eat
An herb cake (kusamochi) has been left as an offering in the lap of a stone (or wood) Jizô. In this haiku, Shinji Ogawa explains, Issa is using Jizô's lap as a dining table. He adds, "Jizô might be disappointed." Before the last word of the haiku, kuu ("eat"), the scene seems to be conventionally pious: someone is placing an offering cake in Jizô's lap. Issa, however, comically replaces piety with gluttony.
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
1824
.昼過や地蔵の膝になく蛙
hiru sugi ya jizô no hiza ni naku kawazu
midday passes--
on holy Jizo's lap
a croaking frog
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
1824
.花咲や道の曲りに立地蔵
hana saku ya michi no magari ni tatsu jizô
cherry blossoms--
'round a bend in the road
holy Jizo stands
Jizô is the beloved guardian deity of children.
In the shorthand of haiku, "blossoms" (hana) can mean "cherry blossoms."