Basho memorial museum、芭蕉記念館

Basho Matsuo (1644～1694) was the most famous master of Haiku short poem who established his own style called “Shou-hu”.

 Making poems was popular even in the Edo period (1603～1868) among ordinary people.
 Farmers made a group for making poems and invited a poem master for scoring their works. They also offered their poems to the shrines and temples.(Farmers in the Edo period (2009) 4.(2)How farmers enjoyed culture)
 Meanwhile, in the Edo (old name of Tokyo), it was a bit of a gamble. Basho criticized the poet gamblers, then. (Kiyu-Shouran (Part 1))

His masterpiece was created here in Fukagawa, Edo.

“Furuike ya (Old pond)

Kawazu tobikomu (Frogs jumped in)

Mizu no oto (Sound of water)”

It is a simple and short poem, however we can imagine the calm scene and sound easily.

 By the way, he was born in Iga (western Japan) and served a samurai at first. When he was twenty-nine, he went to Edo to become a poem master.
 He became a master at thirty-five. He moved to Fukagawa here and lived for fourteen years. He traveled a lot and created a lot of great poems.

< Notation>
 1. This museum hosts Basho-an International English Haiku Competition-, so you can try. (https://www.kcf.or.jp/basho/touku/)
 2. I also introduce MOT museum which is near here in this article.

The museum was built at the district where Basho lived.

芭蕉が住んでいた辺りに立つ立派な記念館

Entrance of a Japanese garden in front of this museum

玄関前に庭園への入口がある

Basho’s studio、芭蕉庵

芭蕉翁絵詞伝（複製、部分）

It is said Basho like this stone frog which was discovered in 1917 after a storm tide.
芭蕉遺愛の石の蛙（伝）：1917年の高潮の後に、この像が発見された。

江戸時代、一般庶民も俳諧を楽しんでいた。農民も俳諧のサークル（連）を作り、句作を楽しんだ。詠んだ句は寺社に奉納したり、宗匠に採点してもらったりしたという。（百姓たちの江戸時代(2009)  4.(2)文化を楽しむ百姓たち）。
一方、賭け事としての詩作も大はやりで、芭蕉は、苦言を呈したという。（嬉遊笑覧 (Part 1)）。

代表作「古池や蛙飛びこむ水の音」は、ここ深川に住んでいた時に作られた。

ところで、芭蕉（1644-1694）は、伊賀で生まれ、武士に仕えた。俳諧の道を志し、29歳で江戸に出る。35歳で宗匠となり、37歳で深川の芭蕉庵に移って14年間住んだ。

＜注記＞

この記念館では、 芭蕉庵国際英語俳句大会など句会を開いている。

近くのMOT美術館もこの記事で合わせてご紹介します。

The picture below was drawn while he lived. He looked inaccessible.

芭蕉が生きていた時に書かれた芭蕉像（掛軸・芭蕉と柳図/部分）。ちょっと取っつきにくそうな人だ。

Basho and his ten superior disciples

掛軸・芭蕉と蕉門十哲図（部分）

He walked around central Japan.

芭蕉は旅を続けた俳人だ

Travel writing “Sarashina-kikou” & “Oku-no-hosomichi” area

中山道を旅した更科紀行、東北、北陸を旅した奥の細道の展示コーナー

Oku-no-hosomichi: he left Edo in March, 1689, when he was forty-six. He ended his trip at Oogaki in August, it was 2,400km trip on foot. He visited famous spots where poets in history such as Saigyo created poems. He was treated in each place and some people became his students, so he could strengthen his sect. 

Basho accompanied by his disciple “Sora”

芭蕉と曽良の奥の細道旅立ちの人形

　奥の細道は、1689年（元禄二年、芭蕉46歳）三月下旬に江戸を発ち、８月下旬に大垣に到着するまでの2,400kmの旅を記した紀行文である。西行など先人が詠んだ名所旧跡を訪ねる旅だ。各地で、多くの人に迎えられ、多くの門人を獲得し蕉風を確立した。

 The stone monument, which Basho watched in the picture below, was built in 762, and it still stands quietly in the small building (TohokuHistory Museum, Vestige of Taga Castle).  Saigyo created a poem here. 

People in the Edo period tended to think of the old times by monuments. They had a rich imagination, I think.

　芭蕉翁絵詞伝（複製）から:762年に作られた多賀城跡の「壺の碑（いしぶみ）」を見入る芭蕉。西行らがここで句を詠んだという。
　石碑は今もお堂の中にひっそりと立っている（東北歴史博物館、多賀城跡）。
　江戸時代は石碑を見て昔を偲ぶことが多かったようだ。映像がないせいか想像力が強かったのかも知れない。

 Thank you letter of Basho (copy, 1692): he appreciated the host and introduced his disciple who would travel to northern Japan.
 芭蕉が旅でお世話になったお礼を書き、これから奥羽に向かう弟子を紹介した書簡（写し、1692年）

 Published “Oku-no-hosomichi”; I have admiration for many readers who could read these difficult characters every time.
 出版された奥の細道。多くの人がこの崩し字をよく読めたものだといつもながら感心する。

Poems created during the trip: I learned several poems at school.
奥の細道の旅で作られた全五十句。夏草や・・・、閑さや・・・など教科書で習った句もある。

閑さや岩にしみ入る蝉の声 （Shizukesa-ya/ Iwani-shimiiru/ Semino-koe）
How still it is here. Stinging into the stones, The locust‘s trill. (translated by Donald L. Keene)

夏草や兵どもが夢の跡（Natsukusa-ya/ Tsuwamonodomoga/ Yumeno-ato）
The summer grass / It is all that’s left of ancient warrior‘s dreams. (translated by I.Nitobe, 新渡戸稲造訳）

Exhibition room at the 1^st floor、一階展示室

 Paper dolls of poets in Edo which were made by Yukiko Sakurai. Basho is at the upper rightmost. So good!
 桜井ユキ子氏のペーパークラフトの展示品。右上が芭蕉。欲しくなりますね。

You can become Basho or a frog here.

Neighborhood of the museum

記念館の周辺

There is a statue of Basho beside the Sumida River. The cityscape totally changed.
隅田川の小名木川合流地点付近の高台に立つ芭蕉像。風情は、無くなったかな。

Basho Inari Shrine: it is said Basho studio was here.
芭蕉稲荷神社の場所が、芭蕉庵があった場所と言われ史跡指定を受けている。

Confluence of Sumida River and Onagi River from Mannen Bridge
小名木川にかかる萬年橋から隅田川を望む

Walked along the Onagi River around fifteen minutes, and arrived at MOT museum.
小名木川に沿って１５分ほど歩いて東京都現代美術館（MOT)へ。この川は、千葉の農水産物を江戸の運ぶための重要な運河でした。

MOT (Museum Of Contemporary Art Tokyo)

東京都現代美術館

It’s huge. 巨大だ。

There is no relationship between the theme of my blog and this modern art museum. But, here is special.
ブログのテーマとは関係ないがチケット（グルッとパス）があったので見学。

I introduce five art products without comments.

作品を五つご紹介します

“Taking photo by phone” (K. Nakazono)

スマホで撮影（中園孔二作、2012）

Tasteful space. とってもいい感じ

Featuring a series of red digital counters by Miyajima
宮島達夫さんの有名な作品。1728個のLEDが、数字を淡々と表示していく。ここも十分な空間を確保している。



Three funs (楽fun) were found. Visited in September, 2019

Website: https://www.kcf.or.jp/basho/ (in Japanese), accessed in May, 2020


Previous post (Special Sumo exhibition and street performance at the museum which is 15 minute walk、横綱大鵬の展示と大道芸):

Fukagawa Edo museum(Part2) 江東区深川江戸資料館（その2）

Next post (Museum in the same area):

Nakagawa ship checkpoint museum  江東区中川船番所資料館