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 5. Dew on the Summit of Mount Emei Handscroll, Important Cultural Property TOREK Collection |
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Looking towards Bashō Around the mid-eighteenth century, when Buson was active, interest in the poet Bashō (1644–1694) was being revived. This “return to Bashō” eventually became a major literary movement that was widespread in haiku circles. Though Buson did not follow this trend, he too was powerfully inspired and influenced by Bashō. In the third month of Meiwa 7 (1770), Buson inherited Yahantei (“Midnight Pavilion”), the residence and title of his teacher Sōa in Kyoto and came to work primarily in the old capital. Later, he devoted much effort in paying tribute to Bashō through various activities such as acquainting himself closely to many haiku poets from different traditions, such as Katō Kyōtai (1732–1792) in Nagoya, and producing an illustrated version of Bashō’s travel journal Oku no hosomichi (Narrow Road to the Provinces). |
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 6. Taigi with Equestrian Lantern Carrier Hanging scroll Aizu Museum, Waseda University Tomioka Collection The man holding the inverted umbrella is Taigi. The other figure holding a lantern in his right hand and a partially opened umbrella in his left is Buson. This work gives insight into the close friendship of the two men and their personalities. |
 7. Letter to Unknown Recipient Hanging scroll Publicly exhibited for the first time, this letter by
Buson is his earliest known correspondence. The small
mallet illustrated here as well as the text itself suggest
that Buson’s paintings of Daikoku, the god of wealth,
were very popular at the time. |
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On the Wings of Art The writer and scholar Ueda Akinari (1734–1809) called his friend Buson, who was well verse in both Chinese poetry and classical Japanese literature, “a Chinese poet who wrote in the Japanese kana syllabary.” With his imagination, Buson freely traversed between China and Japan and excelled at creating verses that incorporated the spirit of Chinese poetry with Japanese motifs in his comic linked verses. He also painted Chinese and Japanese themes and created works that fused the aesthetics of both countries. In his haiga (paintings that accompany haikus), he elaborately harmonized painting and verse, and did not simply use painting to illustrate his haikus. |
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8. Enjoying the Cool (with accompanying poem) Hanging scroll A rabbit in a blue happi coat pounds rice cakes.
The long text records fond memories of Buson’s
trip to the northern Kanto region.
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9. Tapestry for the Hōkaboko Float (detail) Dated An’ei 8 (1779) Hōkaboko Float Preservation Association Buson created the preliminary drawings for this shita-mizuhiki tapestry, which will be
exhibited here for the first time. This tapestry, which decorated the Hōkaboko Float in
Kyoto’s famous Gion Festival, was actually used in the parades until just ten years ago. |