204 haiku out of 9486
year unknown
.元日にかわいや遍路門に立
ganjitsu ni kawai ya henro kado ni tatsu
on New Year's Day
a cute little pilgrim
at the gate
This is an early haiku written in the 1790s.
year unknown
.元日や日本ばかりの花の娑婆
ganjitsu ya nihon bakari no hana no shaba
New Year's Day
this world of Japan's
blossoms
This is a revision of a haiku of 1821:
ganjitsu ya dochira muite mo hana no shaba
on New Year's Day
everywhere, a corrupt world's
blossoms
The word shaba refers to the Buddhist notion of a fallen age, the "Latter Days of Dharma."
year unknown
.元日の日向ぼこする屑家かな
ganjitsu no hinata bokosuru kuzuya kana
basking
in the New Year's sun...
my trashy hut
year unknown
.元日や上々吉の浅黄空
ganjitsu ya jôjôkichi no asagi-zora
on New Year's Day
lucky! lucky!
a pale blue sky
New Year's Day was the first day of spring in the old Japanese calendar.
year unknown
.昼頃に元日になる庵かな
hiru-goro ni ganjitsu ni naru iori kana
around noon
New Year's Day begins...
little hut
Issa flaunts his laziness, even on this most auspicious day of the year.
year unknown
.人並の正月もせぬしだら哉
hito nami no shôgatsu mo senu shidara kana
no run-of-the-mill
New Year's Day
for the slob
This is a revision of an 1813 haiku:
yoso nami no shôgatsu mo senu shidara kana:
no customary
New Year's Day
for the slob
Issa refuses to observe all the niceties of seasonal conventions, such as sweeping the house or putting a pine-and-bamboo decoration on his gate. His New Year's Day is not "like anybody else's" (hito nami ni).
Shidara, which means slovenly or disorderly in modern Japanese, in earlier times stood for any condition or course of events; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 773. Shinji Ogawa points out that by the time of Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653-1724) the negative meaning of shidara was well established.
year unknown
.大原や恵方に出し杖の穴
ôhara ya ehô ni ideshi tsue no ana
big field--
my New Year's walk
follows holes made by canes
This haiku refers to the New Year's custom of visiting a shrine or temple located in a lucky direction. Issa wrote two other versions of this haiku, both dated 1818. In one, he begins with oku saga ya ("deep in Saga"); in the other, he begins with hata heri ya ("edge of a field").
year unknown
.とし神やことしも御世話下さるる
toshi-gami ya kotoshi mo o-sewa kudasaruru
oh New Year's god
this year too
send help!
year unknown
.かま獅子があごではらひぬ門の松
kamashishi ga ago de harainu kado no matsu
pruned by the antelope's
jaws...
New Year's pine
This haiku refers to the New Year's pine-and-bamboo decoration. The animal in question is a Japanese serow, a goatlike antelope that lives deep in the mountains.
The verb harau is being used in its sense of "to prune" as in eda wo harau ("prune a branch"). The -inu ending forms the perfect tense ("has pruned").
year unknown
.ひよいひよいと藪にかけるや余り注連
hiyo[i] hiyo[i] to yabu ni kakeru ya amari shime
here and there
hanging in the thicket...
New Year's ropes
This haiku is similar to one written in 1819 that begins, "two or three/ hang in the thicket�" (futa[tsu] mi[tsu] yabu ni kakeru ya). Shime refers to ceremonial ropes with tufts of straw. Here, they are being used as New Year's decorations. The "excess" (amari) are hung in the thicket.
year unknown
.影法師もまめ息災で御慶かな
kageboshi mo mame sokusai de gyokei kana
my shadow too
in good health...
"Happy New Year!"
This haiku has the prescript, "Traveling alone." Shinji Ogawa notes that mame signifies "healthy" when used as an adjective. For this reason, I translate mame sokusai as "in good health." In an earlier version, I had it "fit and trim," but Issa doesn't appear "trim" in his portraits. Sokusai is a word with special resonance for Buddhists, signifying a sense of tranquility in the knowledge that the merits of Buddhism can overcome the misfortunes of this world; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 927.
In modern Japanese the "o" in kagebôshi is lengthened to two on ("sound units"); Issa writes it with just one.
Issa ends an 1817 version of this haiku with the phrase, "dawn of spring" (kesa no haru).
year unknown
.つぶれ家の其身其まま御慶哉
tsubure ya no sono mi sono mama gyokei kana
my ramshackle hut
just as it is...
"Happy New Year!"
The "my" doesn't appear in the original, but the dilapidated structure is certainly Issa's--based on countless similar allusions to the poet's home. The "just-as-it-is" state of the house reflects the poet's Jôdoshinshû Buddhism. The sect founder of Jôdoshinshû, Shinran, advocated a similar attitude concerning one's salvation and future rebirth in the Pure Land.
year unknown
.いく廻り目だぞとし玉扇又もどる
iku meguri me da zo toshidama ôgi mata modoru
how many times
a New Year's gift?
the fan returns
This undated haiku is similar to one written in 1824:
meguri-meguri to toru toshidama ôgi kana
making the rounds
as a New Year's gift...
paper fan
year unknown
.草の戸やけさのとし玉とりに来る
kusa no to ya kesa no toshidama tori ni kuru
my humble hut--
all morning they come
for New Year's gifts
This undated haiku is a revision of one written in 1814:
waga io ya kesa no toshidama tori ni kuru
my hut--
all morning they come by
for New Year's gifts
Shinji Ogawa has pointed out to me that kusa no to is not to be read literally as "grass door," but figuratively as "my hut."
year unknown
.とし玉茶どこを廻って又もどる
toshidama cha doko wo megutte mata modoru
New Year's gift of tea--
where did you go
on your journey back to me?
Normally, I avoid rhyme in haiku, but the rhyme in this translation "just happened," so I've left it in. A haiku about regifting.
year unknown
.人の世は此山陰も若湯哉
hito no yo wa kono yama kage mo waka yu kana
world of man--
even in mountain shade
New Year's water
This haiku refers to the first water boiled on New Year's Day (waka yu). Issa honors this ritual even on his secluded mountain.
year unknown
.かたむべき歯は一本もなかりけり
katamubeki ha wa ippon mo nakari keri
teeth to harden
this New Year's meal...
not even one
year unknown
.歯固は猫に勝れて笑ひけり
hagatame wa neko ni katarete warai keri
New Year's tooth-hardening
meal...the cat wins
and laughs
This haiku refers to a special tooth-hardening meal eaten in the New Year's season. The cat, with better and harder teeth, seems to be laughing at poor Issa.
1794
.桃咲やおくれ年始のとまり客
momo saku ya okure nenshi no tomari kyaku
peach blossoms--
a belated "Happy New Year!"
for the inn's guests
1795
.元日やさらに旅宿とおもほへず
ganjitsu ya sara ni ryoshuku to omohoezu
New Year's Day--
that I'm still on this journey
unbelievable
This haiku is the lead poem in Issa's 1795 travel journal, Saigoku kikô ("Western Provinces Travelogue"); Issa zenshû (Nagano: Shinano Mainichi Shimbunsha, 1976-79) 5.35.
Shinji Ogawa explains that ryoshuku ("inn"), in this context, signifies "journey." Shinji notes that Issa started off on the 25th day of Third Month, 1792, and when this haiku was composed on New Year痴 Day of 1795, he was still on the same journey. Sara ni signifies "once more," or "over again." In this situation, it means, "still." Issa is still on his great journey--a fact that seems, suddenly, incredible to him.
1795
.召仕新しき哉小正月
meshi tsukai atarashiki kana ko shôgatsu
the servants
all are new...
Little New Year's
Little New Year's is celebrated on the 15th and 16th days of First Month. Meshi tsukau is an old expression for a nobleman sending for a person to come and render a service; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 1612. Shinji Ogawa notes that in Issa's time, this phrase could signify any one of a wide range of employees, from samurai to maids.
1795
.吾恵方参は正月ざくら哉
waga ehô mairi wa shôgatsu-zakura kana
my New Year's
lucky direction walk...
to cherry blossoms
This haiku refers to the New Year's custom of visiting a shrine or temple located in a lucky direction. It appears in Issa's 1795 travel journal, Saigoku kikô ("Western Provinces Travelogue").
Robin D. Gill (author of Cherry Blossom Epiphany) writes, "Plum blossoms rather than cherry blossoms are normal for the New Year season. Issa was delighted to find he could head in the lucky direction for that year and visit a temple with a specific cherry tree famous for blooming every year on the sixteenth day of the month. That is the day that the moon starts to wane, which gives the blossoms a slightly Buddhist bent, providing a subtle complement for the largely Shinto New Year. Since the lucky direction trip was a New Year-related, young Issa was a bit heavy-handed with his haiku. Had he written it twenty years later, it might have read something like this: "How lucky! / My lucky way takes me / to cherry blossoms."
1795
.凧青葉を出つ入つ哉
ikanobori aoba wo idetsu iritsu kana
New Year's kite--
out of green leaves
then back in
This early haiku appears in Issa's 1795 travel journal, Saigoku kikô ("Western Provinces Travelogue").
1797
.正月の子供に成て見たき哉
shôgatsu no kodomo ni natte mitaki kana
turning into a child
on New Year's Day...
I'd like that!
Although the editors of Issa zenshû Vol 1 do not specify a date for this haiku, other than labeling it mid-Kansei (1790s); Shinji Ogawa notes that Issa wrote it in First Month of 1797 at Matsuyama City in Shikoku. It appears at the beginning of a renga (linked verses written at a poem party) made by Issa and Chodô. See Kaneko Tohta, Kobayashi Issa (Tokyo: Kodansha, 1980) 58. Issa's decision to become a child again isn't completely absurd, for it is his mission as a haiku poet to see the world with open, nonjudgmental, child-like eyes. Too many adults, in their daily rush, hurry past Nature's treasures without paying attention to them, without really seeing them. This year, Issa vows to do otherwise.
1798
.とそ酌もわらじながらの夜明哉
toso kumu mo waraji nagara no yoake kana
my New Year's toast
with straw sandals on...
dawn
Spiced sake (toso) is a New Year's drink.
Makoto ueda observes the poet's "hurried state of mind" in this haiku. Even while toasting the new year, he has his traveling shoes on, eager to begin his journey; Dew on the Grass: The Life and Poetry of Kobayashi Issa (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2004) 37.
1800
.きのふ迄毎日見しを若菜かな
kinou made mainichi mishi wo wakana kana
up to yesterday
I saw you every day...
New Year's herbs
Wakana (young greens or herbs) are picked on the sixth day of First Month--a traditional New Year's observance. In this haiku, the herbs that Issa was used to seeing have all been picked.
1802
.門松やひとりし聞は夜の雨
kadomatsu ya hitorishi kiku wa yoru no ame
New Year's pine--
alone, listening
to the night rain
Kaneko Tohta attributes the sorrow of this first haiku of the year 1802 to the death of Issa's father the year before. The New Year's pine-and-bamboo decoration on his gate seems a hollow symbol, a reminder of the poet's isolation in the world as he listens to the dreary pitter-patter of the evening rain; Issa kushû (Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 1983; rpt. 1984) 116-17.
1803
.竹かごにすこしあるこそわかな哉
take kago ni sukoshi aru koso wakana kana
in the bamboo basket
only a bit, of course...
New Year's herbs
Wakana (young greens or herbs) are picked on the sixth day of First Month--a traditional New Year's observance.
1803
.わか菜摘袂の下や角田川
wakana tsumu tamoto no shita ya sumida-gawa
into my sleeve
fresh-picked New Year's herbs...
Sumida River
Or: "his sleeve/ as he picks..." or "her sleeve/ as she picks..." Wakana (young greens or herbs) are picked on the sixth day of First Month--a traditional New Year's observance.
Literally, Issa writes, "under my sleeve" (tamoto no shita), but this seems to have the same meaning as "in my sleeve"--based on the way that he uses this expression in other haiku. He seems to be stowing the herbs in his sleeve.
1804
.元日の寝聳る程は曇る也
ganjitsu no nesoberu hodo wa kumoru nari
on New Year's Day
tall as a sleeping man...
the clouds
Shinji Ogawa explains that the phrase, nesoberu hodo wa, means "as much as a lying down person."
1804
.門の松おろしや夷の魂消べし
kado no matsu oroshi ya ebisu no tamage-beshi
down comes my New Year's pine--
let the God of Wealth
be shocked!
The traditional pine-and-bamboo decoration ensures prosperity for the new year. Issa takes it down, imagining how shocking this must be to the god of wealth (ebisu).
1804
.ちる雪に立合せけり門の松
chiru yuki ni tachiawase keri kado no matsu
keeping the falling
snow company...
New Year's pine
This haiku refers to the traditional New Year's pine-and-bamboo decoration on the gate.
1804
.こてこてと鍋かけし若菜哉
kote-kote to nabe kakeshi wakana kana
the kettle's lid
rattle, rattle...
New Year's herbs
This haiku has an unusual structure of 5-5-5 on ("sound units"). Wakana (young greens or herbs) are picked on the sixth day of First Month--a traditional New Year's observance. Shinji Ogawa assisted with this translation by pointing out that kote-kote may mean koto-koto: an onomatopoetic expression for the "rattling sounds made by a wooden lid when a kettle is on the boil."
1804
.あの藪に人の住めばぞ薺打
ano yabu ni hito no sumeba zo nazuna utsu
in every thicket
where people live...
pounding New Year's herbs
Nazuna (shepherd's purse) is one of the seven herbs of health that are eaten in a gruel on the seventh day of First Month, Mankind's Day.
1805
.鳥なくや野老畳もお正月
tori naku ya norôtatami mo o-shôgatsu
birds singing--
on a tatami mat in a field, too
happy New Year
I assume that norô is the same as noro, an old word for nora, field; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 1302.
1805
.霞む日も寝正月かよ山の家
kasumu hi mo neshôgatsu ka yo yama no ie
on this misty day
sleeping through New Year's?
mountain home
The seasonal reference in this haiku is to neshôgatsu (formerly pronounced, neshôgwatsu), which refers to staying in bed for leisurely sleeping during the New Year's holiday. This can be due to a sickness or simply for relaxation's sake; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 1280.
1806
.へら鷺も万才聞か君が春
herasagi mo manzai kiku ka kimi ga haru
does the spoonbill too
hear the season's singers?
"Happy New Year!"
Shinji Ogawa explains that manzai refers to a New Year entertainer, or entertainers, visiting door to door on New Year's Day, chanting lucky or happy words, for which they hope to receive tips. Kimi can signify "you," "my friend," or "the emperor." Kimi ga haru could therefore mean: "Happy New Year to you" or "Happy New Year to the emperor."
1806
.正月を寝てしまひけり山の家
shôgatsu wo nete shimai keri yama no ie
sleeping through
the New Year's celebration...
mountain home
The seasonal reference in this haiku is to neshôgatsu (formerly pronounced, neshôgwatsu), which refers to staying in bed for leisurely sleeping during the New Year's holiday. This can be due to a sickness or simply for relaxation's sake; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 1280.
1807
.元日もここらは江戸の田舎哉
ganjitsu mo kokora wa edo no inaka kana
even on New Year's Day
around here Edo
is countrified
Maruyama Kazuhiko notes that kokora ("around here") refers to Issa's home at the time, in the Aioi suburb of the Honjo district of Edo, today's Tokyo; Issa haiku shû (Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 1990; rpt. 1993) 101, note 473. Even on New Year's Day, Issa's neighborhood feels more like a backwater village than part of a great city.
1807
.猿引は猿に持せて凧
saru hiki wa saru ni motasete ikanobori
the trainer lets
his monkey hold it...
New Year's kite
1807
.機音は竹にかくれて凧
hata oto wa take ni kakurete ikanobori
sound of a loom--
hidden in bamboo
a New Year's kite
1807
.正月を寝て見る梅でありしょな
shôgatsu wo nete miru ume de arishôna
sleeping through New Year's
dreaming of plum blossoms
probably
The seasonal reference in this haiku is to neshôgatsu (formerly pronounced, neshôgwatsu), which refers to staying in bed for leisurely sleeping during the New Year's holiday. This can be due to a sickness or simply for relaxation's sake; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 1280.
1808
.喰つみも子隅の春と成にけり
kuitsumi mo ko sumi no haru to nari ni keri
stockpiling rice
for Little New Year's...
little nook of spring
This haiku refers to the rice used in a rice-and-bean gruel that is eaten on Little New Year's: First Month, 15th day.
1808
.門松の陰にはづるる我家哉
kadomatsu no kage ni hazururu waga ya kana
out of place
with the New Year's pine...
my house
This haiku refers to the traditional New Year's pine-and-bamboo decoration on the gate. This fancy touch looks out of place next to Issa's sloppy, "just-as-it-is" (kono mama) abode.
1808
.きそ始山の梟笑ふらん
kiso hajime yama no fukurô warauran
putting on my
New Year's clothes...
the mountain owl laughs
Issa's original haiku is speculative: the owl "may be laughing" (warauran). Issa doesn't often dress in fancy clothes.
1808
.わか水のよしなき人に汲れけり
wakamizu no yoshi naki hito ni kumare keri
New Year's water--
an unfortunate soul
ladles it
Originally I translated yoshi naki hito as "an unlucky soul." Shinji Ogawa suggests that yoshi in this context could mean "reason," not "luck." The expression might signify that a person with no reason to do so is ladling the New Year's water. Masafumi Kobayashi, in Issa to onnatachi ("Issa and Women"), has a different theory. He writes that yoshi naki hito refers to an unfortunate soul: a prostitute who, when she was alive, ladled the water at a certain well. "I don't know why she died, but it's surely a sad story," he adds (Tokyo: Sanwa 2004) 42-43.
1809
.礎や元日しまの巣なし鳥
ishizue ya ganjitsu shima no su nashi tori
cornerstone--
on New Year's morning
a bird without a nest
A fire swept through Edo (old Tokyo) that New Year's Day, destroying Issa's house.
1809
.元日や我のみならぬ巣なし鳥
ganjitsu ya ware nominaranu su nashi tori
on New Year's Day
I have company
bird without a nest
Kikuko J. Hill suggests that my first translation--in which Issa asks the bird, "copying me?"--sets the wrong tone. The feeling, she says, is "I am not alone" or "I am not the only one." She notes that nominaranu is a compound word that signifies, "not only." I have revised accordingly.
A fire swept through Edo (old Tokyo) that New Year's Day, destroying Issa's house. When he wrote this haiku he was literally homeless. Shinji Ogawa believes that "birds" should be plural. He suggests this as a translation: "New Year's Day:/ birds, you are homeless, too?"
Makoto Ueda visualizes a single bird in his translation; Dew on the Grass: The Life and Poetry of Kobayashi Issa (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2004) 64.
1809
.元日に曲眠りする美人哉
ganjitsu ni kyoku nemuri suru bijin kana
on New Year's Day
a balancing act in her sleep...
pretty woman
Originally, I translated kyoku nemuri suru as "singing in her sleep." Shinji Ogawa doubts that this is what Issa had in mind. He suggested that kyoku nemuri might be related to kyokuba and kyokunori, which signify performing acrobatic stunts on horseback, and to kyokunomi: performing acrobatic stunts while drinking sake. Analogously, kyoku nemuri would denote an acrobatic stunt performed while sleeping. Shinji explains, "I think the pretty woman is nodding off to sleep, keeping herself in balance. It is Issa痴 humor, I think, to say, in an exaggerated way, 'acrobatic sleep' instead of 'nodding off to sleep'." See Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 472.
1809
.雑巾のほしどころ也門の松
zôkin no hoshi-dokoro nari kado no matsu
in the mop's
drying place...
my New Year's pine
This haiku refers to the traditional pine-and-bamboo New Year's decoration.
1809
.雪解や門は雀の御一日
yuki-doke ya kado wa suzume no o-ichi nichi
snow melting--
at the gate the sparrows'
New Year's bash!
1810
.牛馬も元日顔の山家哉
ushi uma mo ganjitsu kao no yamaga kana
even cows and horses
with New Year's faces...
mountain home
1810
.古郷や馬も元日いたす顔
furusato ya uma mo ganjitsu itasu kao
my home village--
even the horse
wears a New Year's face
1810
.あばら家も年徳神の御宿哉
abaraya mo toshi tokujin no o-yado kana
even my ramshackle
hut, home
to the New Year's god
Or: "the ramshackle hut." Issa doesn't say that it's his hut, but this can be inferred.
1810
.朔日や一文凧も江戸の空
tuitachi ya ichi mon-dako mo edo no sora
New Year's Day--
a one-penny kite, too
in Edo's sky
The sky and wind are free for all to enjoy. Expensive kites soar in the New Year's sky, but so does a one-penny kite--just as happily.
This haiku is one of the "essential" 188 picked by the translator. back next
1810
.なでしこの正月いたせ郭公
nadeshiko no shôgatsu itase hototogisu
it's New Year's
for the blooming pinks...
"Cuckoo!"
The excitement of summer's beginning, with its blooming pinks and singing cuckoo, is like that of New Year's month.
1811
.例の通り梅の元日いたしけり
rei no tô[ri] ume no ganjitsu itashi keri
a typical New Year's Day
spent viewing
plum blossoms
Originally, I believed that the topic of this haiku is a plum blossom tree (ume): one that has probably not blomed depite the fact that the first day of spring has arrived. Shinji Ogawa is confident that Issa is referring to plum blossoms when he writes ume, specifically, to plum blossom-viewing on New Year's Day, "just like other years."
1811
.初空を拵へているけぶり哉
hatsuzora wo koshiraete iru keburi kana
it's forming
the New Year's sky...
Smoke
1811
.だまっても行ぬやけさの遅烏
damatte mo yukanu ya kesa no oso karasu
not shutting up
New Year morning's late riser...
the crow
1812
.小一尺それも門松にて候
ko isshaku sore mo kadomatsu nite sôrô
just a foot long
but it'll do...
New Year's pine
Issa refers to a traditional New Year's pine-and-bamboo decoration.
1812
.がやがやと鵜も正月を致す哉
gaya-gaya to u mo shôgatsu wo itasu kana
clamorous cormorants
see in the New Year
too
Japanese fishermen use cormorants. Tied to a tether, these sea birds dive for fish that they are forced to disgorge. Even though the action of the haiku takes place in the New Year's season ("First Month" = shôgatsu), the editors of Issa zenshû include it in the cormorant section: a summer season word (Nagano: Shinano Mainichi Shimbunsha, 1976-79, 1.291).
1813
.よ所並の正月もせぬしだら哉
yoso nami no shôgatsu mo senu shidara kana
no customary
New Year's Day
for the slob
The "slob" is Issa, who refuses to tidy up the house or add seasonal pine-and-bamboo decorations.
Shidara, which means slovenly or disorderly in modern Japanese, in earlier times stood for any condition or course of events; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 773. Shinji Ogawa points out that by the time of Chikamatsu Monzaemon (1653-1724) the negative meaning of shidara was well established.
This haiku is an example of Issa's comic, ironic self-portraiture. Others are sprucing up and decorating their homes for the New Year's season; slothful Issa does nothing.
1813
.門の春雀が先へ御慶哉
kado no haru suzume ga saki e gyokei kana
spring at my gate--
the first New Year's greeting
from sparrows
In traditional Japan the first day of the year was also the first day of spring. Shinji Ogawa assisted with this translation.
1813
.乞食の春駒などもかすみ哉
konjiki no haru koma nado mo kasumi kana
a beggar's New Year's song
too
in the mist
The "spring colt" (haru koma) is a performer who makes the rounds on New Year's Day, singing songs at people's gates.
The word kotsujiki is the old pronunciation of the word "beggar" in this haiku. However, Sakuo Nakamura writes that "Issa usually didn't like to use such a snobby word. He liked to use local accent to form his characteristic haiku style." Sakuo grew up in the same language area as Issa and feels confident that Issa would have pronounced the word, konjiki.
1813
.鶯に一葉とらするわかな哉
uguisu ni hito ha torasuru wakana kana
one leaf
for the nightingale...
New Year's herbs
Wakana (young greens or herbs) are picked on the sixth day of First Month--a traditional New Year's observance.
1813
.垢爪やなずなの前もはづかしき
akazume ya nazuna no mae mo hazukashiki
dirty nails
facing my New Year's dish
ashamed
This haiku has the prescript, "Day of Mankind," referring to the seventh day of First Month. R. H. Blyth points out that, on this day, the seven herbs of health are boiled with rice gruel. Nazuna (shepherd's purse) is one of these herbs. See Haiku (Tokyo: Hokuseido, 1949-1952; rpt. 1981-1982/reset paperback edition) 2.635. Robin D. Gill points out that this New Year's dish is not, as I had previously translated it, a "soup."
Shinji Ogawa adds, "Tradition says that, if you cut your nails after soaking them in the seven-herbs gruel, it will expel evil spirits; Maruyama Kazuhiko, Issa haiku shû (Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 1990; rpt. 1993) 174, note 883.
1814
.あれ小雪さあ元日ぞ元日ぞ
are ko yuki saa ganjitsu zo ganjitsu zo
hey little snow
it's New Year's Day!
New Year's Day!
Issa playfully scolds the snow. New Year's Day, the most auspicious day of the year, should be clear.
1814
.かれらにも元日させん鳩すずめ
karera ni mo ganjitsu-sasen hato suzume
for them too
a New Year's feast...
pigeons, sparrows
Shinji Ogawa helped me to see that Issa is feeding the birds, so I have changed my translation from "a New Year's celebration" to "a New Year's feast." The verbal ending, sasen, means "will make," as in, "I will make them do it." Shinji's translation of this haiku:
Let me help them
to celebrate the New Year's Day
Pigeons and sparrows!
1814
.よわ足を又年神の御せわ哉
yowa ashi wo mata toshi-gami no o-sewa kana
praying the New Year's god
will heal my weak foot...
again
Or: "my weak leg."
1814
.ちさいのはおれが在所のどんど哉
chisai no wa ore ga zaisho no dondo kana
it's tiny
at my farmhouse...
New Year's bonfire
The phrase, don do indicates that this haiku refers to the "Little New Year," i.e. the day occurring on the year's first full moon: First Month, 15th day. At this time the New Year's decorations of pine-and-bamboo and sacred Shinto rope are burned. Shinji Ogawa translates this haiku:
The smaller bonfire
of New Year's decoration
is mine
He comments, "Issa is comparing his bonfire with those of his neighbors." The implication is that he has much less to burn, not being one to put up loads of fancy decorations for the season.
1814
.はやされよ庵の飾のけぶり様
hayasare yo io no kazari no keburi-sama
with a cheer
my hut's New Year's decorations
up in smoke
Or: "the hut's." Issa doesn't specify that it is his, though this might be inferred. On Little New Year's, the day of the year's first full moon ( First Month, 15th day), New Year's decorations of pine-and-bamboo and sacred Shinto rope are burned.
1814
.山添やはやしてもなきどんどやき
yamazoi ya hayashite [mo] naki dondo yaki
foot of the mountain--
without a cheer
my New Year's bonfire
Or: "the New Year's bonfire." Issa doesn't specify that it is his, though this might be inferred. On Little New Year's, the day of the year's first full moon ( First Month, 15th day), New Year's decorations of pine-and-bamboo and sacred Shinto rope are burned.
1814
.わか草よわか松さまよ門の松
waka-gusa yo waka matsu-sama yo kado no matsu
young grasses
young pine...
my New Year's decoration
Or: "the New Year's decoration." Issa is referring to a traditional New Year's pine-and-bamboo decoration on a gate, most likely his own gate.
1814
.玉も玉御とし玉ぞまめな顔
tama mo tama o-toshi-dama zo mamena kao
a present, a present
a New Year's present!
her pink cheeks
Originally, I translated the last phrase, "her tiny face," since Issa writes, literally, "bean-sized face" (mamena kao). Commenting on a similar haiku, Shinji Ogawa informed me that mame signifies "healthy" when it is used as an adjective. He adds that "bean-sized face is, however, not totally impossible but less likely."
1814
.我庵やけさのとし玉とりに来る
waga io ya kesa no toshidama tori ni kuru
my hut--
all morning they come by
for New Year's gifts
1814
.負た子が先へ指さすわかな哉
outta ko ga saki e yubi [sa]su wakana kana
the child on her back
points them out first...
New Year's herbs
Wakana (young greens or herbs) are picked on the sixth day of First Month--a traditional New Year's observance.
1815
.年神や又も御世話に成りまする
toshi-gami ya mata mo o-sewa ni nari masuru
New Year's god--
once again I rely
on your help
According to Shinji Ogawa, nari masuru means "will be" or "become."
1816
.小かざりや焼るる夜にはやさるる
ko kazari ya yakeruru yo ni hayasaruru
New Year's decorations--
the night I burn them
I cheer
On Little New Year's, the day of the year's first full moon ( First Month, 15th day), New Year's decorations of pine-and-bamboo and sacred Shinto rope are burned.
1816
.御祝儀に雪も降也どんどやき
o-shûgi ni yuki mo furu nari dondo yaki
snow falls
on the celebration...
New Year's bonfire
On Little New Year's, the day of the year's first full moon ( First Month, 15th day), New Year's decorations of pine-and-bamboo and sacred Shinto rope are burned.
1816
.下手もへはおれがかざりぞかざりぞよ
heta moe wa ore ga kazari zo kazari zoyo
they make a pitiful fire...
my New Year's
decorations
This haiku refers to the "Little New Year," i.e. the day occurring on the year's first full moon: First Month, 15th day. At this time the New Year's decorations of pine-and-bamboo and sacred Shinto rope are burned. Issa's modest decorations don't make for a poor fire.
1816
.春駒の歌でとかすや門の雪
haru koma no uta de tokasu ya kado no yuki
melting to the tune
of the New Year's singer...
snow at the gate
The "spring colt" (haru koma) is a performer who makes the rounds on New Year's Day, singing songs at people's gates.
1816
.としよりの目の正月ぞさくら花
toshiyori no me [no] shôgatsu zo sakura hana
it's New Year's Day
to these old eyes...
cherry blossoms
Seeing the cherry blossoms, Issa feels the buoyant joy of the New Year's season. Robin D. Gill observes that "'New Year's Day for the eyes' is an idiom meaning that something is a real treat."
1817
.元日をするや揃ふて小田の雁
ganjitsu wo suru ya sorou[te] oda no kari
celebrating New Year's
en masse...
rice field geese
1817
.小菜畠元日さへをしたりけり
ko na-batake ganjitsu sae wo shitari keri
little farm field--
even here
it's New Year's Day
1817
.鑓にやり大元日の通り哉
yari ni yari ôganjitsu no tôri kana
spear after spear
on New Year's Day
they pass
Issa is describing a New Year's parade.
1817
.我門は昼過からが元日ぞ
waga kado wa hiru sugi kara ga ganjitsu zo
at my gate
New Year's starts
at noon
Issa flaunts his laziness, even on this most auspicious day of the year.
1817
.うらの戸や北より三が明の方
ura no to ya kita yori san ga aki no hô
back door facing south--
three directions
for my New Year's walk
This haiku refers to the New Year's custom of visiting a shrine or temple located in a lucky direction. Literally, Issa is starting "from the north" (kita kara), which leaves him with east, south, or west for his walk.
1817
.我庵や元日も来る雑煮売
waga io ya ganjitsu mo kuru zôni uri
to my hut too
New Year's arrives...
the zoni vendor
Zôni, glutinous rice cakes with vegetables, is enjoyed in the New Year's season. This haiku has the prescript, "In Hatsuchôbori Beggar Quarter, I greet the spring." Hatsuchôbori was a district of old Edo (today's Tokyo). See Maruyama Kazuhiko, Issa haiku shû (Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 1990; rpt. 1993) 261, note 1394. Shinji Ogawa offers this translation:
To my hut
even on the New Year's Day
zoni vendors come
He notes that it is a Japanese custom not to work during the first three days of the year, but in the big city of Edo, zoni vendors were busy as bees.
1818
.足の向く村が我らが恵方哉
ashi no muku mura ga warera ga ehô kana
we follow our feet
to the village...
our New Year's walk
This haiku refers to the New Year's custom of visiting a shrine or temple located in a lucky direction. Ironically, Issa and his cohorts are heading for a village � and (I assume) its tavern.
1818
.鶯や折戸半分明の方
uguisu ya orido hambun ake no hô
nightingale--
through a half-folded folding door
my New Year's walk
This haiku refers to the New Year's custom of visiting a shrine or temple located in a lucky direction.
1818
.おくさがや恵方に出し杖の穴
oku saga ya ehô ni ideshi tsue no ana
deep in Saga--
my New Year's walk
follows holes made by canes
This haiku refers to the New Year's custom of visiting a shrine or temple located in a lucky direction. Saga is a place near Kyoto.
1818
.畠縁や恵方に出し杖の穴
hata heri ya ehô ni ideshi tsue no ana
edge of a field--
my New Year's walk
follows holes made by canes
This haiku refers to the New Year's custom of visiting a shrine or temple located in a lucky direction.
1818
.とし棚の灯に鍬の後光哉
toshi-dana no tomoshi ni kuwa no gokô kana
lit by the New Year's
shelf...
the hoe's halo
Setting up a toshi-dana (New Year's shelf) with offerings to the god of the new year is a Shinto custom.
1818
.とし棚や闇い方より福鼠
toshi-dana ya kurai hô yori fuku nezumi
New Year's shelf--
from a dark nook
a lucky mouse
Setting up a toshi-dana (New Year's shelf) with offerings to the god of the new year is a Shinto custom.
1818
.吾庵や曲たなりに恵方棚
waga io ya magatta nari ni ehô tana
my hut--
it's a crooked path
to the New Year's shelf
This haiku refers to the New Year's custom of visiting a shrine or temple located in a lucky direction. Here, Issa's pilgrimage winds through the clutter to his own house to the toshi-dana (New Year's shelf), where offerings have been placed.
1818
.左義長に月は上らせ給ひけり
sagichô ni tsuki wa noborase tamai keri
Little New Year's--
and the moon has deigned
to rise!
This haiku refers to the "Little New Year," i.e. the day occurring on the year's first full moon: First Month, 15th day. At this time the New Year's decorations of pine-and-bamboo and sacred Shinto rope are burned.
1818
.左義長や其上月の十五日
sagichô ya sono jôgatsu no jû go nichi
Little New Year's
on the First Month's
15th day
There's not much to this poem: merely an event with its date written in haiku form. On Little New Year's, the day of the year's first full moon ( First Month, 15th day), New Year's decorations of pine-and-bamboo and sacred Shinto rope are burned.
1818
.どんど焼どんどと雪の降りにけり
dondo yaku dondo to yuki no furi ni keri
New Year's bonfire
and a New Year's snow
coming down
Issa repeats and puns with the word, dondo, which refers to a Little New Year's bonfire and also describes the faling of the snow: "rapidly." In my translation, I try to match this effect with the repetition of "New Year's." On Little New Year's, the day of the year's first full moon ( First Month, 15th day), New Year's decorations of pine-and-bamboo and sacred Shinto rope are burned.
1818
.犬の子やかくれんぼする門の松
inu no ko ya kakurenbo suru kado [no] matsu
the puppy plays
hide and seek...
New Year's pine
The puppy is hiding behind the pine-and-bamboo New Year's decoration.
1818
.から崎や門松からも夜の雨
karasaki ya kadomatsu kara mo yoru no ame
Karasaki--
even from the New Year's pine
evening rain
Issa refers to a traditional New Year's pine-and-bamboo decoration. Karasaki was famous for its evening rain; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 414.
1818
.赤馬の口はとどかずかざり縄
aka uma no kuchi wa todokazu kazari nawa
beyond the reach
of the red horse's mouth...
New Year's rope
This haiku refers to a sacred Shinto rope decoration. Oblivious to its religious purpose, the horse would love to taste it.
1818
.輪飾や辻の仏の御首へ
wakazari ya tsuji no hotoke no o-kashira e
a New Year's wreath
for the crossroads Buddha's
head
1818
.大御代やからたち垣も御慶帳
ômiyo ya karatachi kaki mo gyokei kana
imperial Japan--
even from the quince hedge
"Happy New Year!"
New Year's Day signals the beginning of a new imperial year. Karatachi is a fruit tree (Bengal quince). Shinji Ogawa notes that karatachi ("quince") "is a thorny bush suited for hedge."
1818
.かつしかや川むかふから御慶いふ
katsushika ya kawamukau kara gyokei iu
Katsushika--
from across the river
"Happy New Year!"
Katsushika is an area of land east of Sumida River--a riverside suburb of Edo (today's Tokyo); see Maruyama Kazuhiko, Issa haiku shû (Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 1990; rpt. 1993) 33, note 109.
1818
.ざぶざぶと泥わらんじの御慶哉
zabu-zabu to doro waraji no gyokei kana
splish-splash
with muddy straw sandals...
"Happy New Year!"
1818
.武家丁やからたち藪も年始帳
buke machi ya karatachi yabu mo nenshijô
samurai street--
even from the quince thicket
"Happy New Year!"
Karatachi is a fruit tree (Bengal quince). Shinji Ogawa notes that karatachi ("quince") "is a thorny bush suited for hedge."
1818
.楽な世やからたち藪の年始帳
rakuna yo ya karatachi yabu no nenshijô
a good world--
even from the quince thicket
"Happy New Year!"
Karatachi is a fruit tree (Bengal quince). Shinji Ogawa notes that karatachi ("quince") "is a thorny bush suited for hedge."
1818
.名代のわか水浴びる雀哉
myôdai ni wakamizu abiru suzume kana
bathing in the
New Year's water...
my proxy the sparrow
1818
.目出度といふも二人の雑煮哉
medetai to iu mo futari no zôni kana
though we say
"Happy New Year!"
zoni for only two
Zôni, glutinous rice cakes with vegetables, is enjoyed in the New Year's season
This enigmatic haiku seems biographical. Shinji Ogawa notes that it is an established understanding in Japan that "this haiku alludes to the sadness of his son's death two years before...then they were three, now they are two." Lewis Mackenzie, in contrast, thinks that this haiku merely alludes to Issa's marriage to Kiku, which would suggest a happy mood; The Autumn Wind: A Selection from the Poems of Issa (London: John Murray, 1957; rpt. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1984), 39.
According to Shinji, the particle mo signifies "although" in this situation. Issa is groaning, "Although we say 'Happy New Year' there's an empty place at the table." Issa and Kiku's first child, Sentarô, died in 1816, Fifth Month. This haiku was written in Second Month, 1818. At the time Kiku was pregnant with their second child, Sato, who would be born that Fifth Month.
1818
.朝不二やとそのてうしの口の先
asa fuji ya toso no chôshi no kuchi no saki
Mount Fuji dawn--
a New Year's sake toast
at my lips
Or: "at his lips" or "at her lips."
Spiced sake (toso) is a New Year's drink.
1818
.御関やとその銚子の不二へむく
onkan ya toso no chôshi no fuji e muku
barrier gate--
a New Year's sake toast
while facing Mount Fuji
Spiced sake (toso) is a New Year's drink.
1818
.月代にとそぬり付て出たりけり
sakayaki ni toso nuritsukete detari keri
a New Year's toast
on his shaved head...
he goes forth
Or: "on my shaved head/ I go forth."
Spiced sake (toso) is a New Year's drink.
1819
.目出度さもちう位也おらが春
medetasa mo chû kurai nari oraga haru
my "Happy New Year!"
about average
my spring
With deadpan humor Issa describes his joy of the New Year's season as "about average" (chû kurai).
Shinji Ogawa comments: "It is very natural for the majority of Japanese to do soul-searching on New Year's Day. Issa assessed his happiness as average. It was the plateau at which Issa arrived after his bitter childhood, his apprenticeship, his struggles in the haiku circle, his bitter inheritance dispute, the death of his child, etc. The plateau may not be very high but far from average. In his unique way, Issa states a positive assessment about his life, therefore, about life in general and about the world. I believe this is one of the reasons for Issa's popularity."
This haiku is one of the "essential" 188 picked by the translator. back next
1819
.雪降や夜盗も鼻を明の方
yuki furu ya yatô mo hana wo ake no hô
with snow falling
the night thief must follow his nose too...
New Year's walk
This haiku refers, ironically, to the New Year's custom of visiting a shrine or temple located in a lucky direction.
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.
1819
.二つ三つ藪にかけるやあまり七五三
futa[tsu] mi[tsu] yabu ni kakeru ya amari shime
two or three
hang in the thicket...
New Year's ropes
Or: "the extra New Year's ropes." Shime refers to ceremonial ropes with tufts of straw. Here, they are being used as New Year's decorations. The "excess" (amari) are hung in the thicket.
1819
.又ことし七五三かける也顔の皺
mata kotoshi shime kake[ru] nari kao no shiwa
another year
hanging the New Year's rope...
wrinkled face
Shime refers to ceremonial ropes with tufts of straw. Here, they are being used as New Year's decorations.
1819
.年頭に孫の笑ふをみやげ哉
nentô ni mago no wara[u] wo miyage kana
for laughing grandchildren
on New Year's Day...
presents!
Or: "for the laughing grandchild/ on New Year's Day�/ a present!"
1819
.白髪の天窓をふり立て御慶哉
haku hatsu no atama wo furitate gyokei kana
his head of white hair
perks up...
"Happy New Year!"
Or: "her head�"
1819
.かくれ家や猫にも一ッ御年玉
kakurega ya neko [ni] mo hitotsu o-toshidama
secluded house--
even for the cat
a New Year's gift
1819
.番丁や窓から投る御年玉
banchô ya mado kara hôru o-toshidama
night watchman--
from his window he hurls
New Year's gifts
1819
.小坊主が棒を引ても吉書始
ko bôzu ga bô wo hikite mo kissho hajime
the little boy
uses a cane...
New Year's first writing
This haiku refers to the year's first calligraphy. But instead of using a brush, the little priest draws a character on a larger scale--in mud or snow.
Just as the expression kozô ("little priest") can be taken literally or to mean any little boy, the "little priest" (ko bôzu) in this haiku might signify not only a Buddhist acolyte but any small, smooth-headed boy.
1819
.わんぱくや先掌に筆はじめ
wanpaku ya mazu tenohira ni fude hajime
in the naughty child's
palm first, a brush...
New Year's writing
Shinji Ogawa notes, "It is a Japanese custom to write with a writing brush on the second day of the year." This haiku was written in Twelfth Month, 1819, several months after the death of Issa's daughter, Sato, which means, if the poem is about her, it's a memory piece.
1819
.名代のわか水浴びる烏哉
myôdai ni wakamizu abiru karasu kana
bathing in the
New Year's water...
my proxy the crow
1819
.三文が若水あまる庵哉
san mon ga wakamizu amaru iori kana
three pennies of New Year's
water is enough...
little hut
1819
.葉固の歯一枚もなかりけり
hagatame no ha ichi mai mo nakari keri
New Year's tooth-hardening
meal...
yet toothless!
1819
.竃の門に置するわかな哉
hettsui no kado ni okasuru wakana kana
laid out
at the hearth's door...
New Year's herbs
Wakana (young greens or herbs) are picked on the sixth day of First Month--a traditional New Year's observance.
1820
.初雨や北国本のお正月
hatsu ame ya kita-guni hon no o-shôgatsu
first rain--
a typical north country
New Year's
1820
.大雨や元日早々に降り給ふ
ôame ya ganjitsu haya-haya ni furi tamau
a big rain--
early New Year's Day
it falls
1820
.深川や川向ふにて御慶いふ
fukugawa ya kawa muka[u] nite gyokei iu
at Fukugawa
yelling across the river...
"Happy New Year!"
In Issa's poem, the word "yelling" doesn't appear, but it is implied. "Facing the river" (kawa muaku), Issa exchanges New Year's greetings with someone on the other bank. Fukagawa is a neighborhood in Edo (today's Tokyo) on Sumida River's east bank. The great haiku poet Bashô lived there in his Bashô-an ("Banana-leaf hermitage").
1821
.元日も立のままなる屑家哉
ganjitsu mo tatsu no mama naru kuzuya kana
on New Year's Day, too
standing "as is"...
trashy house
1821
.元日も別条のなき屑屋哉
ganjitsu mo betsujô no naki kuzuya kana
New Year's Day
nothing to report...
trashy house
On the first day of the year and the beginning of spring, the poet's house is "just as it is" (mama) with "no accidents or mishaps" (betsujô no naki), nothing out of the ordinary.
1821
.元日やどちらむいても花の娑婆
ganjitsu ya dochira muite mo hana no shaba
on New Year's Day
everywhere, a corrupt world's
blossoms
The word shaba refers to the Buddhist notion of a fallen age, the "Latter Days of Dharma." In Pure Land Buddhist belief, the present age of mappô is the third and worst of three ages that followed the historical Buddha's entrance into nirvana. First came the age of Right Dharma (shôbô) during which Buddhist teaching, practice, and enlightenment all existed. According to Shinran, this golden age lasted five hundred years. Next came a millennium of Imitative Dharma (zôbô), when only teaching and practice were possible, not enlightenment. The present, third age of mappô, the Latter Days of Dharma, comprises a ten thousand year period of corruption in which only Buddhist teaching survives; practice and enlightenment are unattainable through ego-corrupted self-power (jiriki). In our depraved age, Shinran insists, only the Other Power (tariki) of Amida Buddha can bring about enlightenment.
1821
.すすけても年徳神の御宿哉
susukete mo toshi tokujin no o-yado kana
it's sooty too--
the New Year god's
home
Issa comments on the state of his house, filled with winter soot. Even the toshi-dana (New Year's shelf), where offerings to the New Year's god have been placed, is sooty.
1821
.年神に御任せ申す五体哉
toshigami ni o-makase mô[su] gotai kana
entrusting all
to the New Year's god...
head to toe
Issa entrusts to the New Year's god gotai, literally, his five appendages (head, two arms, two legs). In other words, his whole body.
1821
.とぶ工夫猫のしてけり恵方棚
tobu kufû neko no shite mo ehôdana
thinking about jumping
the cat's a pilgrim too...
New Year's god shelf
This comic haiku refers to the New Year's custom of visiting a shrine or temple located in a lucky direction. The cat takes aim at the toshi-dana (New Year's shelf), where offerings to the god have been placed.
Kufû is an old word that has the modern equivalent, shian: a thought or a plan; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 518.
1821
.呑連の常恵方也上かん屋
nomi-zure no jôehô nari jôkanya
for drinking buddies
the usual New Year's pilgrimage...
sake shop
This haiku refers to a New Year's pilgrimage, in a lucky direction, to a shrine or temple. In this case the destination is a shop that serves high-quality hot sake (jôkanya).
1821
.主ありや野雪隠にも門の松
nushi ari ya no setchin ni mo kado no matsu
even for the man
pooping in the field...
New Year's pine
French translator Jean Cholley interprets no setchin ("field outhouse") as a person doing his business in an open field; En village de miséreux: Choix de poèmes de Kobayashi Issa (Paris: Gallimard, 1996) 167. My Japanese advisor, Shinji Ogawa, concurs. I had assumed that no setchin is an outhouse in a field, but Shinji notes that an outhouse is called setchin, not no setchin. The phrase, kado no matsu ("gate's pine") refers to a traditional New Year's decoration made of pine and bamboo. Shinji believes that Issa's use of it in this context is humorous. Instead of a decoration, Issa means an actual pine tree. Shinji writes, "I think that someone is doing his business behind a pine tree, so that the tree is at the moment occupied." The "outhouse" is imaginary.
1821
.御年初を申し入れけり狐穴
o-nensho wo môshi-ire keri kitsune ana
sending a "Happy
New Year!"
down the fox's hole
1821
.御年初の返事をするや二階から
o-nensho no henji wo suru ya ni kai kara
my New Year's greeting
is answered...
second floor
1821
.堅人や一山越てから御慶
katajin ya hito yama koshite kara gyokei
a good man--
crossing a mountain to say
"Happy New Year!"
Katajin is an honest, steady, upright, reliable person.
1821
.門礼や片側づつは草履道
kado rei ya kata kawa-zutsu wa zôri michi
New Year's gate greetings--
on each side of the road
tracks of sandals
Shinji Ogawa notes that zôri are expensive sandals--appropriate footwear for this auspicious day. Though Issa doesn't literally mention "snow," Shinji pictures sandal-shaped footprints in the snow on each side of the road. Though at first I imagined the phrase "sandal road" (zôri michi) refers to the clomping sound of sandals, Shinji points out that zôri, made of soft materials, don't clomp. Since this is a New Year's haiku situated in the mountains of Issa's home province of Shinano (today's Nagano Prefecture), it is more likely that "sandal road" refers to footprints in snow.
1821
.門礼や猫にとし玉打つける
kadorei ya neko ni toshidama uchi tsukeru
"Happy New Year!"
at the gate, tossing the cat
a present
1821
.米値段許り見る也年初状
kome nedan bakari miru nari nenshojô
reading it to discover
the price of rice...
New Year's greeting letter
Shinji Ogawa explains that nenshojô means "New Year痴 greeting letters." In this particular one, a reference to that year's price of rice is "the eye catcher," suggesting that the letter's recipient is a practical-minded farmer, perhaps Issa.
1821
.武士やいひわけ云てから御慶
samurai ya iiwake iute kara gyokei
a samurai--
after an apology
a "Happy New Year!"
When I first read this haiku, I assumed that a person of inferior social station was meeting his superior, a samurai. Shinji Ogawa explains that in fact it is the samurai who is issuing the apology. In this way, Issa teases samurai society with their exaggerated formalism. Instead of just saying, "Happy New Year," the samurai adds an apologetic statement, perhaps for neglecting seasonal greetings or something of this sort. Shinji adds, "It is still very common to begin a greeting with this sort of apology."
1821
.年玉を貰ひに出る御慶かな
toshidama wo morai ni izuru gyokei kana
going out to collect
my presents...
making my New Year's rounds
1821
.年礼や下駄道あちは草履道
nenrei ya geta michi achi wa zôri michi
making their New Year's rounds
tracks of clogs
tracks of sandals
The New Year's well-wishers walk about in wooden clogs (geta) and straw sandals (zôri). In another haiku in which Issa uses the phrase, "sandal road" (zôri michi), Shinji Ogawa believes that this refers to footprints in snow. That particular haiku is also situated in the New Year's season, and so it is natural to assume a snowy scene, especially in the mountains of Issa's home province of Shinano (today's Nagano Prefecture).
1821
.途中にて取替にする御慶哉
tochû nite torikae ni suru gyokei kana
meeting enroute
a quick exchange...
"Happy New Year!"
Shinji Ogawa sees this as a comical scene in which two persons, most likely neighbors, bump into each other on their ways to give New Year's greetings. Because they meet enroute, they "exchange their greetings on the spot."
1821
.武士村やからたち垣の年始状
bushi mura ya karatachi kaki no nenshijô
samurai street--
over the quince hedge
"Happy New Year!"
Karatachi is a fruit tree (Bengal quince). Shinji Ogawa notes that karatachi ("quince") "is a thorny bush suited for hedge."
1821
.坊主天窓をふり立て御慶哉
bôzu atama wo furitate gyokei kana
the priest's shaved head
perks up...
"Happy New Year!"
Or: "the shaved-bald head�" The person in the haiku might be a Buddhist priest or else a man whose head is shaved, like such a priest.
1821
.も一ッ狐の穴へ御慶かな
mo hitotsu kitsune no ana e gyokei kana
down one more
fox's hole...
"Happy New Year!"
1821
.一番のとし玉ぞ其豆な顔
ichi ban no toshi-dama zo sono mamena kao
the best New Year's
present!
her pink cheeks
Or: "his." Literally Originally, I translated the last phrase, "her tiny face," since Issa writes, literally, "bean-sized face" (mamena kao). Commenting on a similar haiku, Shinji Ogawa informed me that mame signifies "healthy" when it is used as an adjective. He adds that "bean-sized face is, however, not totally impossible but less likely." The words ichi ban ("number one") can mean first or best. An alternate reading, then, would be "the first New Year's present..."
1821
.江戸衆や庵の犬にも御年玉
edo shû ya io no inu ni mo o-toshidama
people of Edo
even for the hut's dog
a New Year's gift
Or: "for my hut's dog."
1821
.年玉を配る世わなき庵哉
toshi-dama wo kubaru sewa naki iori kana
no one to give
New Year's presents to...
little hut
Shinji Ogawa comments, "It is Japanese custom to give children New Year's presents and to exchange gifts with the neighbors. However, Issa was rather an outsider who quarreled with his stepmother [and half brother] for the inheritance from his father. Accordingly, Issa had rather cold relations with his neighbors."
1821
.とし玉を二人前とる小僧哉
toshidama wo futari mae toru kozô kana
taking two helpings
of New Year's gifts...
little boy
"Little priest" (kozô) can mean any little boy. Shinji Ogawa explains that the phrase, futari mae toru, means "to take something twofold." The child greedily helps himself to a second gift.
1821
.とし玉に見せ申す也豆な顔
toshidama ni mise mô[su} nari mamena kao
now show us
your New Year's gifts...
pink cheeks
Or: "his New Year's gifts." Shinji Ogawa notes mame signifies "healthy" when it is used as an adjective. Commenting on a different haiku by Issa that uses the expression, mamena kao, he writes that "bean-sized face is � not totally impossible but less likely."
1821
.とし玉の上にも猫のぐる寝哉
toshidama no ue ni mo neko no gurune kana
on top
of the New Year's gifts...
cat curled asleep
1821
.とし玉や留主の窓からほふりこみ
toshidama ya rusu no mado kara hôrikomi
New Year's gift--
tossed in the window
while I was out
Or: "while he was out." Issa leaves up to the reader's imagination the identity of the person.
1821
.台所の爺に歯固勝れけり
daidoko no jiji ni hagatame katare keri
old man in the kitchen--
his New Year's tooth-hardening
beats mine
This haiku refers to a special tooth-hardening meal eaten in the New Year's season. The sorry state of Issa's teeth is magnified by the fact that an old man has a more complete set.
1821
.皺面にとそぬり付るわらひ哉
shiwa-zura ni toso nuritsukeru warai kana
a New Year's toast
for his wrinkled face...
laughter
Spiced sake (toso) is a New Year's drink.
1821
.鶏に一葉ふるまふわかな哉
niwatori ni hito ha furumau wakana kana
the chicken is treated
to one...
New Year's herbs
Wakana (young greens or herbs) are picked on the sixth day of First Month--a traditional New Year's observance.
1822
.後の々は正月ぞともいはぬ也
nochi-nochi wa shôgatsu zo to mo iwanu nari
in a few days
no one talks about it...
New Year's
We know from the haiku index in Issa zenshû that its editors read the opening phrase of this haiku, ato no no wa. It consists of the kanji meaning "after" and which can be pronounced as either ato or nochi, followed by the hiragana no, a repetition mark, and then the hiragana ha (pronounced "wa" in this context). To Shinji Ogawa's ears, reading the phrase as ato no no wa is "very strange Japanese." He suspects that the correct reading might be nochi nochi wa: "after few days." Thus, the first kanji would be pronounced nochi, and the hiragana no would be Issa's shorthand for the beginning of the second nochi; the repetition mark would signify the chi of the second nochi. Shinji concludes, "I'm almost certain that Issa is saying, 'After few days, no one mentions the New Year any longer'."
The immediately preceding haiku in Issa's journal supports Shinji's theory (Issa zenshû, Nagano: Shinano Mainichi Shimbunsha, 1976-79, 4.335):
shôgatsu mo futatsu wa hito no akiru nari
the second "New Year" comes--
people already
sick of it
Shinji paraphrases: "People are getting a little tired of the two New Years." The second New Year is the 15th day of First Month, called "Little New Year."
1822
.正月も二ッは人のあきる也
shôgatsu mo futatsu wa hito no akiru nari
the second "New Year" comes--
people already
sick of it
A sardonic look at the New Year's season--the most revered of Japanese holidays. Shinji Ogawa paraphrases: "People are getting a little tired of the two New Years." The second New Year is the 15th day of First Month, called "Little New Year."
1822
.二ッあれば又三ッほしやお正月
futatsu areba mata mitsu hoshi ya o-shôgatsu
the second one comes
already longing for the third...
"New Year's"
Shinji Ogawa explains that Issa is joking on the three "New Year's" celebrations: the first day of First Month, the 15th day (called "Little New Year's") and the 20th day (called "20th Day New Year's"). He implies that celebrating the new year so many times is a bit much.
1822
.二つでもつかひではなしお正月
futatsu demo tsukai dewa nashi o-shôgatsu
the second one
is redundant...
New Year's celebrations
Shinji Ogawa paraphrases: "Though there is the second New Year, it is not so useful." Issa is referring to the "Little New Year's," celebrated on the 15th day of First Month. In this haiku, Issa appears not to think highly of this holiday.
1822
.二つでも欲には足らずお正月
futatsu demo yoku ni wa tarazu o-shôgatsu
the second one
doesn't satisfy their greed...
New Year's celebrations
This haiku is a same-year rewrite of poem that has the middle phrase, "is redundant" (tsukai dewa nashi). As Shinji Ogawa points out, Issa is referring in both poems to the "Little New Year's," celebrated on the 15th day of First Month.
1822
.拙者儀も異議なく候君が春
sesshagi mo igi naku sôrô kimi ga haru
even I
have no objection
"Happy New Year!"
Kimi can signify "you," "my friend," or "the emperor." Kimi ga haru could therefore mean: "Happy New Year to you" or "Happy New Year to the emperor."
1822
.転んでも目出度いふ也わかなつみ
koronde mo medeta iu nari wakana tsumi
even while falling down
"Happy New Year!"
picking herbs
Wakana (young greens or herbs) are picked on the sixth day of First Month--a traditional New Year's observance.
1823
.正月や店をかざれる番太郎
shôgatsu ya mise wo kazareru bantarô
for New Year's
he's decorated his little shop...
gatekeeper
Even the gatekeeper's shop has a New Year's pine-and-bamboo decoration. Bantarô has two meanings, according to the Kogo daijiten; here, the second one seems to apply: "The person who guarded the city gates of Edo (today's Tokyo). He lived in a little shack next to the gate and sold sundries (aramono) and cheap sweets (dagashi)"; (Shogakukan 1983) 1368. Shiinji Ogawa adds, "Edo was divided into many sections. And each section had a gate with a gatekeeper. The gate was opened at six o'clock in the morning and closed at ten in the evening. As the gatekeeper's wage was so low, he had to sell small things like candles and candies as his side business."
1823
.三寸の胸ですむ也店おろし
san-zun no mune de sumu nari tana oroshi
there's so little
I do it in my head...
New Year's inventory
Tana oroshi is a beginning-of-the-year inventory, where merchants examine their stock on hand and enter its value into the account book; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 1013. Here, Issa mentions a "heart" (mune) at a size of 3 sun (1 sun = approximately 1.2 inches, therefore 3 sun = around 3.6 inches). Shinji Ogawa notes that sanzun no mune ("three-inch heart") isn't an anatomical heart, but rather the heart of mental activities; in this case, the English word, "mental" of "mental arithmetic." He paraphrases Issa: "Since there are not so many things, my inventory is done mentally."
1823
.不士山もかぞへ込けり店おろし
fuji-san mo kazoe-komi keri tana oroshi
even Mount Fuji
makes the list...
New Year's inventory
Tana oroshi is a beginning-of-the-year inventory, where merchants examine their stock on hand and enter its value into the account book; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 1013. Here, Issa includes Mount Fuji in his New Year's inventory.
1823
.物陰に笑ふ鼠や店おろし
monokage ni warau nezumi ya tana oroshi
hidden in shadows
a laughing mouse...
New Year's inventory
Or: "laughing mice." Tana oroshi is a beginning-of-the-year inventory, where merchants examine their stock on hand and enter its value into the account book; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 1013.
1823
.とし玉を天窓におくやちいさい子
toshi-dama wo atama ni oku ya chiisai ko
her New Year's present
laid on her head...
little child
Or: "his."
1823
.とし玉のさいそくに来る孫子哉
toshidama no saisoku ni kuru magoko kana
clamoring for New Year's
gifts, children
and grandchildren
1823
.一はなに猫がいねつむ座敷哉
hito hana ni neko ga ine tsumu zashiki kana
the cat steals
a New Year's nap...
sitting room
Literally, the cat "plucks a rice blossom" (hito hane ni...ine tsumu). Because rice (ine) and sleep (ine) are homonyms, plucking a rice blossom became a poetic expression for a New Year's sleep--as the editors of Issa zenshû explain (Nagano: Shinano Mainichi Shimbunsha, 1976-79, 1.42).
1824
.元日や目出度さ尽し旅の宿
ganjitsu ya medetai zukushi tabi no yado
a full round
of New Year's greetings
at the inn
1824
.紙張りの狗も口を明の方
kamihari no enoko mo kuchi wo ake no hô
toward the mouth
of the paper dog too...
my New Year's walk
This haiku refers to the New Year's custom of visiting a shrine or temple located in a lucky direction. Issa is going on a "pilgrimage" toward the toshi-dana (New Year's shelf) in his own house, where an inu hariko, a papier maché dog), is sitting.
1824
.下駄はいて畠歩くや兄方詣
geta haite hatake aruku ya ehô mairi
with wooden clogs
a walk through the field...
New Year's pilgrimage
This haiku refers to a New Year's pilgrimage, in a lucky direction, to a shrine or temple.
1824
.線香を雪につつさす兄方哉
senkô wo yuki ni tsutsusasu ehô kana
sticking incense sticks
in the snow...
New Year's lucky direction
This haiku refers to the New Year's custom of visiting a shrine or temple located in a lucky direction. Shinji Ogawa notes that tsutsusasu means "to put into," or "to stick." Issa is sticking incense sticks into the snow toward the new year's lucky direction.
1824
.かげ法師に御慶を申すわらじ哉
kageboshi ni gyokei wo [môsu] waraji kana
in shadows
a "Happy New Year!"
walking in straw sandals
1824
.むく起の小便ながら御慶哉
muku oki [no] shôben nagara gyokei kana
while taking
my morning piss...
"Happy New Year!"
Or: "while taking his�" The identity of the person isn't specified, though it is probably the irreverent poet, always happy to poke fun at social conventions. Muku oki is an old expression that conveys the idea of suddenly waking and getting up; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 1589.
1824
.年玉を犬にも投げる御寺哉
toshidama wo inu ni mo nageru o-tera kana
even for the dog
they toss a New Year's gift...
temple
1824
.年玉をおくやいなりの穴の口
toshidama wo oku ya inari no ana no kuchi
leaving a New Year's gift
for the fox god Inari...
hole in the ground
Inari is the Shinto god of cereal grains, also known as the Fox God. Here, a gift is left at a foxhole.
1824
.年玉を落して行くや留主の家
toshidama wo otoshite yuku ya rusu no ie
dropping off New Year's gifts
as I go...
no one's home
1824
.年玉やかたり猫にぞ打つける
toshidama ya katari neko ni [zo] uchitsukeru
New Year's gifts--
I toss one to the swindler
cat
1824
.年玉や懐の子も手々をして
toshi-dama ya futokoro no ko mo te-te wo shite
New Year's present--
the nursing baby reaches
with little hands
Issa's expression, te-te ("hand-hand") is an endearing example of child's language in his poetry.
1824
.ばか猫や年玉入れの箕に眠る
baka neko ya toshidama ire no mi ni nemuru
fool cat
on the New Year's gift winnow
sound asleep
1824
.巡り々ととる年玉扇哉
meguri-meguri to toru toshidama ôgi kana
making the rounds
as a New Year's gift...
paper fan
A haiku about regifting.
1824
.大雪をかぶって立や福寿草
ôyuki wo kabutte tatsu ya fukuju kusa
covered by the big snow
yet standing...
New Year's flower
Fukuju kusa is, literally, "prosperity grass" or "longevity grass"--a New Year's season word. Shinji Ogawa explains that this is the plant, pheasant's eye, which blooms in early spring. Since pheasant's eye blooms around New Year's Day in the old Japanese calendar, its other name is New Year's Grass. In my translation, I render it, "New Year's flower," so that the English-speaking reader might picture a blooming plant in the New Year's season.
1824
.二月に元日草の咲にけり
kisaragi ni ganjitsu kusa no saki ni keri
in Second Month
the New Year's grass
at last
1825
.元日や庵の玄関の仕拵へ
ganjitsu ya io no genkwan no shigoshirae
New Year's Day--
my hut's front door
all ready
For a change, Issa seems to have adorned his hut with a pine-and-bamboo decoration. Genkwan is the entrance door that adjoins the raised floor entryway in Japanese residential architecture; Kogo dai jiten (Shogakukan 1983) 575.
1825
.元日や闇いうちから猫の恋
ganjitsu ya kurai uchi kara neko no koi
New Year's Day--
in the dark before dawn
the lover cat
Shinji Ogawa notes that uchi in this context means not inside of a space (as I believed in my original translation) but inside of time. Kurai uchi thus signifies 澱efore dawn� or 妬t is still dark in the morning.� He suggests "the cats make love" as a translation of the third phrase, but I prefer "lover cat" because here and in many cases I believe that Issa is referring to a single cat yowling for a mate--and keeping the poor poet awake. I've heard such cats outside my own window in New Orleans at night; their weird bawling sounding like that of human babies. Unlike tolerant Issa, I would usually throw something at them.
1825
.元朝に十念仏のゆきき哉
ganchô ni jû nembutsu no yukiki kana
on New Year's morning
the prayers to Buddha
come and go
This haiku refers to the nembutsu (namu amida butsu): a prayer of thanksgiving for, and praise of, Amida Buddha's saving grace. Eons ago, Amida promised that all who rely on his saving power will be reborn in the Pure Land (the Western Paradise). According to Shinji Ogawa, the word jû nembutsu refers to a Buddhist scripture of that name. I assume that it refers to a recitation of namu amida butsu ten times in a row. In any case, I took "ten" out of my translation, because this doesn't add much significance for the English speaking reader: "ten prayers to Buddha" is now "the prayers to Buddha."
1825
.苦にやんだ元日するや人並に
ku ni yanda ganjitsu suru ya hito nami ni
I struggled though
my New Year's Day...
like everyone
Issa repeats this haiku in another text with the prescript, "Traveling." Has the day with its many ceremonies been even more of a challenge, on the road? Shinji Ogawa translates ku ni yanda: "I struggled through."
1825
.とし棚やこんな家にも式作法
toshi-dana ya konna ie ni mo shikisahô
New Year's shelf--
even in this dump
etiquette
Literally, Issa says, "even in this kind of house" (konna ie ni mo). Based on what he says about his house in other haiku, I have added the word "dump" to make his meaning clearer. Setting up a toshi-dana (New Year's shelf) with offerings to the god of the new year is a Shinto custom.
1825
.あばら家や曲った形に門飾
abaraya ya magatta nari ni kado kazari
ramshackle hut--
my New Year's decorations
on crooked
Or: "the New Year's decorations." Issa doesn't state that it's his house and his decorations, but this is implied.
1825
.吹ばとぶ家の世並や〆かざり
fukeba tobu ie no yonami ya shime kazari
blown away as usual
my house's
New Year's rope
A more literal translation: "When the wind blows, it flies away; that's the custom at this house � rope decoration." Shime refers to ceremonial ropes with tufts of straw. Here, they are being used as New Year's decorations.
1825
.親里の山へ向って御慶哉
oyazato no yama e muitte gyokei kana
facing the mountain
of my home village...
"Happy New Year!"
1825
.供部屋がさはぎ勝也年始酒
tomobeya ga sawagi katsu nari nenshi sake
the uproar in the servants' room
wins out...
New Year's toasts
The servants are celebrating the new year in their room; their master and his friends are in another room. Judging by the noise level, the servants are having more fun.
1825
.百旦那ころりころころ御慶哉
hyaku danna korori koro-koro gyokei kana
tight-fisted donors
rolling along...
"Happy New Year!"
Or: "a tight-fisted donor/ rolls along." I originally translated hyaku danna ("hundred-penny men") as "big donors at the temple." However, Shinji Ogawa notes that Issa's meaning is exactly the opposite: they are stingy donors who give nothing more than a mere hundred pennies. He adds that the "rolling" is being done by the men as they stumble along (drunk?).
1825
.両方に小便しながら御慶哉
ryôhô ni shôben shi nagara gyokei kana
on both sides
while they and I piss...
"Happy New Year!"
It would be hard to imagine another haiku poet of Japanese tradition depicting this scene of three neighbors relieving themselves on New Year's Day, standing in a row. The earthy humor and, deeper down, feeling of human connection make it recognizably the work of Issa.
This haiku is one of the "essential" 188 picked by the translator. back next
1825
.百福の始るふいご始哉
hyakufuku no hajimeru fuigo hajime kana
starting the New Year's luck
first stoke
of the fire
Issa doesn't overtly mention New Year's in this haiku, but fuigo hajime ("first bellows") is a New Year's seasonal expression. His first act of the morning, puffing air into the hearth's fire, is humble and ordinary, but it will, he hopes, begin the process of "a hundred blessings" (hyakufuku) showering down upon him in the year ahead.
This haiku is engraved on a stone in Issa's hometown; see Issa to kuhi (Tokyo: Kankohkai 2003) 34.
1825
.神国や草も元日きっと咲
shinkoku ya kusa mo ganjitsu kitto saku
O blessed land--
on New Year's Day
the grasses also bloom!
Lewis Mackenzie notes: "a strange observation for snowbound Shinano, but perhaps [Issa] was thinking of some cherished pot-plant." See The Autumn Wind: A Selection from the Poems of Issa (London: John Murray, 1957; rpt. Tokyo: Kodansha International, 1984), 45. Literally, the opening phrase is "land of the gods" (kami-guni ya). Issa is referring to fukuju kusa: "prosperity grass" or "longevity grass" ... a New Year's season word. Shinji Ogawa explains that this is the plant, pheasant's eye, which blooms in early spring. Since pheasant's eye blooms around New Year's Day in the old Japanese calendar, its other name is New Year's Grass.
1827
.元日や我らぐるめに花の娑婆
ganjitsu ya warera gurume ni hana no shaba
New Year's Day--
all of us in a corrupt world's
blossoms
Makoto Ueda notes that Issa used this haiku as the first verse (hokku) of a kasen (verse sequence) composed on New Year's Day, 1827, at the home of Baijin, one of his students; Dew on the Grass: The Life and Poetry of Kobayashi Issa (Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2004) 162. It is a revision of a haiku of 1821:
ganjitsu ya dochira muite mo hana no shaba
on New Year's Day
everywhere, a corrupt world's
blossoms
The word shaba refers to the Buddhist notion of a fallen age, the "Latter Days of Dharma."