WHF2002 Basho Journey - Rogetsu

WHF2002 - Ishii Rogetsu

The World Haiku Festival 2002
Basho Journey: PRELUDE (3)

Ishii Rogetsu (1873-1928) 2
Susumu Takiguchi
Oxford, Engand

Let us study some of the haiku poems written by Rogetsu. How R. H. Blyth thought of Rogetsu might be a good starting point. We have already seen the Nowaki (autumn tempest) haiku by him, with English translation by Blyth:

Nowaki fukedo ugokazaru kumo takashi

Rogetsu

The autumn tempest rages,
But high in the sky
The clouds are motionless.

tr. by R. H. Blyth

That Blyth selected this haiku is in a sense a tribute to Blyth himself. This is because the Nowaki haiku is typical of Rogetsu’s style and tells a great deal of this man.

First of all, Rogetsu was a “manly” man and liked masculine subjects. Strong-looking clouds, violent wind and storm are some of his most favourite themes. Here, “tempest” may not be an ideal word and, together with another dramatic word “rages”, seem to reflect Blyth’s penchant for Shakespeare.

Nowaki basically refers to wind. It is the strong and violent wind which blows in nihyaku-tohka or nihyaku-hatsuka time and the simplest way to describe it is that it is a typhoon. Though ,of course, often accompanied by heavy rain, Nowaki is normally talking about wind, while a tempest connotes a violent storm with rain or snow or whatever else. In this haiku, it is clear from the word fukedo ([though it] blows) that Rogetsu is talking about wind, which is also evidenced by the fact that high up in the sky one can see the (motionless) clouds (i.e. it’s not raining). That said, the fist line in Blyth’s translation does illuminate very clearly the strong inner emotion of Rogetsu.

Secondly, Rogetsu had a romantic streak, and his own version of idealism was strong in his thought. It took the shape of philosophical or metaphysical tendency in him. Though he did not blatantly use conceptual or abstract words, this tendency was apparent in his poetry. This is the point of departure for Rogetsu from Shiki. The Japanese in the Meiji era did not hesitate to speak up their mind. Debating was encouraged. Differences of opinion were more voiced than hidden. So it was with Rogetsu. Even if he was Shiki’s student, he raised criticism about some of his teacher’s fundamental teachings. This included his qualified opposition to shasei, and then, to Buson who inspired Shiki into developing this principle he had derived from his study of painting.

Returning to the haiku under review, everything is ostensibly following the shasei principle. However, on second look one realises that beneath that surface layer a metaphor is hidden, or indeed thinly veiled, and is naturally transported to the inner thought of Rogetsu. Rogetsu is in praise of the clouds which are stable and steadfast, transcending the storm below. They are a symbol of higher values of human beings beyond the usual strife, stresses and strains at mundane levels. There was a streak in the minds of the Meiji men, which was influenced by romantic philosophy or concept of idealism. In Rogetsu ran this streak but Shiki was a realist who had almost a scientist’s objectivity, though he had his own brand of idealism. This is one of the fundamental differences between the two men. In the haiku under review, we see a mixture of shasei and idealism. One could interpret it as a happy marriage. Or, conversely, one could sense a point of departure for Rogetsu from Shiki.

Tokoroten susutte jimon jito kana

Rogetsu

Sucking up the gelidium jelly,
I ask myself questions,
And answer them.

tr. by R. H. Blyth

Blyth reports that Rogetsu was “greatly respected in the haiku world after the death of Shiki.” (Note: p. 150, A History of HAIKU, Volume Two) In the same small section he introduces this tokoroten haiku but does not offer any comments. One can speculate almost anything as to what Rogetsu wished to say in this poem. What is certain is that he would not have used such a phrase as jimon jito without meaning some kind of a metaphor, or hidden meaning. Jimon jito is rather a peculiar phrase to use in haiku, especially in Rogetsu’s time. He therefore must have used it deliberately. It can mean several things. Firstly, Rogetsu may be depicting a kind of his loneliness whereby he had to deal with certain difficult (philosophical) questions all alone as he is not in the company of those with whom he could discuss them. It can mean that he was casting a doubt on the way he was living. The comical juxtaposition of tokoroten and jimon jito indicates a degree of self-mockery and a faint self-pity about it.

The reason why Blyth chose this haiku seems almost self-evident. It is the Zen-like atmosphere and scene which permeate this haiku. It is also the kind of un-expected moment (the act of eating tokoroten) when Rogetsu seemed to tackle some question, when satori may or may not happen. I am always cautious whenever critics, including Blyth, start talking about Zen in relation to haiku. However, in this section Blyth wrote no words referring to Zen. It is therefore not prudent to speculate even if the reference seems apparent.

Hina-ichi no hitomoshi-goro wo ame ga furu

Rogetsu

As they were lighting up
In the Doll Market,
It was raining.

tr. by R. H. Blyth

This has a different style from the ones we have seen above. The subject matter is feminine, as it were. Everything is soft and gentle: the spring rain, the Doll Market and the twilight. Blyth compares this haiku with that by Buson because the topic and contents are very similar between the two:

Hina-mise no hi wo hiku koro ya haru no ame

Buson

As they were putting out
The lights of the doll shops,
The spring rain.

tr. by R. H. Blyth

Blyth suggests two different kinds of loneliness, which we may feel in these two poems even if it is difficult to “name or describe” them. What he came up with is: “That [i.e. loneliness] of Rogetsu is human; that of Buson is of nature, of spring, of night.” This is indeed a very subtle distinction which I, for one, would not venture to make. The only comment I could add is about the difference between Buson’s hi wo hiku koro and Rogetsu’s hitomoshi-goro. The former is definitely about the doll vendors finishing the day’s work, closing the stalls and putting out their light. However, hitomoshi-goro which Rogetsu used normally means evening, or dusk, as it literally means around the time when people start putting on the light at their houses. It is the time for evening meals, for children to go home from their plays and for the family to get together. In other words, Buson’s eyes were on the doll shops themselves, observing what was going on, including the switching off of the light. Rogetsu, on the other hand, was thinking about home which was beckoning him back at dusk. In other words, Buson focused on the scene as a kind of objective landscape (which he sketched – shasei), while Rogetsu’s heart was with the home to which he wanted to return, i.e. human affairs.

I do not have the time to find out when Rogetsu wrote this haiku but somehow I cannot help thinking that it has something to do with a series of tragedy whereby Rogetsu lost his daughters and son either as a child or a young person. When he was 35 years old he wrote a haiku on the same hina theme for his eldest daughter who was only three:

hina mo nashi nanji wo momo no hana no kao

Rogetsu

no hina dolls;
you are the flower face
of peach blossom

tr. by Susumu Takiguchi

The 3rd of March is variously called, Hina Matsuri, Hina no Sekku, Momo no Sekku or Momo no Hi. It is Girls’ Day and it is customary in Japan to display the whole set of dolls which are created after the fashion of the Heian Court, having the prince and princess and all their retinues and servants. Thus the word, hina, symbolises the love of parents for their daughters. The same eldest daughter, Tsuwa, died suddenly when she was 18 years old, leaving Rogetsu grief-stricken.

Blyth introduced these haiku poems by Rogetsu mainly for comparison purposes with works by other poets on a same or similar theme and content. It is therefore not really possible to know how Blyth evaluated Rogetsu, except that he accepted the reputation of this poet and showed his importance by comparing his works with those by the likes of Buson. However, Blyth gave a respectable start for the study of Rogetsu and that is welcome from the point of view of WHF2002.

Read more about Rogetsu

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