Oku no Hosomichi by Yosa Buson
Yosa Buson’s Oku no Hosomichi scroll depicts events in the haiku master Matsuo Bashō’s poetic journal of the same name. This particular scene depicts the departure of Bashō and his traveling companion Sora. Bashō, whom Buson greatly admired, is regarded as the first and best master of haiku as a form of poetic expression, and Buson painted several handscrolls like this one.
Oku no Hosomichi is one of the classics of Japanese literature, and it is Bashō’s most well known poetic journal. The title Oku no Hosomichi refers to the area he traveled to: the Tohoku region, the northernmost provinces on Honshu, the main island. “Oku” means “interior” in Japanese, and the people of the Edo period saw these areas as backwards, much removed from the vibrant popular culture of Edo, the capital. Thus, the northern regions were less crowded and more traditional, and Bashō’s journey in the year 1689 is comparable to the efforts of modern people to “get back to nature”. Thus, Bashō’s title also suggests a rejuvenating spiritual journey into the soul.
Bashō is credited with almost single-handedly elevating the composition of haiku into a respected poetic genre. Haiku was originally the first three verses of a five-verse waka poem, and it was called hokku, or “opening verse”. Thus, haiga, or art based on haiku poetry retained the aesthetic of incompleteness that permeated haiku itself. This influence can be seen in the flowing, spontaneous quality of Buson’s lines, as contrasted with the dramatic blank space in the middle of the groups of figures. Buson understood the aesthetics of haiku well, as he was also one of Japan’s greatest haiku poets, as well as one of its greatest bunjinga, or literati style painters. Dappling in both art forms such as this was not rare; this was regarded as the mark of a true literatus. Buson, however, is regarded as a true master in both art forms.