01/10/2012

Yasukawa Rakugo

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- Yasukawa Rakugo 安川落梧 -

万屋助右衛門, 安川助右衛門 - Suke'emon
1652-1691

A rich cloth merchant from Gifu, 岐阜本町 with close connections to the dealers in Kyoto.

He invited Basho to stay at his villa in Inabayama 稲葉山 in the summer of 1688 貞亨5年夏 and cared for his haikai master. He even made it possible for Basho to watch the cormorant fishing.

His hokku are featured in the collection Uribata 瓜畠集.


When Basho visited him Rakugo had just lost his young child, so Basho wrote the following verse to express his condolences:


もろき人にたとへん花も夏野哉
moroki hito ni tatoen hana mo natsu no kana

I would compare them
to a delicate child: flowers
of a summer field

Tr. Barnhill

Basho would like to give some flowers as an offering to the dead child, but in the summer heat there are no flowers in the wild fields.
No flowers in the fields and no words of comfort and solace for the grieving family.


- - - - - Basho also wrote this during his stay :

Responding to an invitation from a certain Rakugo, I enjoy the cool under the pines of Mount Inaba, soothing the hardships of my journey

山陰や身を養はん瓜畠
yamakage ya mi o yashinawan uribatake

mountain cove—
I would nourish my body
with this field of melons

Tr. Barnhill

The villa of Rakugo was in the "mountain shadow" yamakage, of Mount Inabayama.

This hokku expresses his greatfulness for the host Rakugo, who made it possible for Basho to rest a while and become strong again to continue his journey.

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Juhachiro no ki 十八楼ノ記 Tower of Eighteen
. Basho at Mount Inabayama 稲葉山 .


. Cultural Keywords used by Basho .

. - KIGO used by Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - .


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