Yosa Buson and Matsuo Basho are known as the “Haiku Saint”. After Basho’s death, the mainstream style of haiku gradually changed to plain and simple, and Buson continued to create unique and interesting masterpieces. He was also a painter. He loved painting since he was a child and left many masterpieces, which were later designated as national treasures or important cultural heritages of Japan.

Unfettered Haiku

In 1716, Busumura was born in Kema Village, Osaka. His original surname was Tani, but he later called himself Yosa. His father was the village chief. As for his mother, one theory is that she was born in Tango Yosa, but the family business and family situation are unknown.

Busumura came to Edo when he was about 20 years old and became a disciple of Yaban-tei Hato. He lived in the home of his master in Nihonbashi Ishimachi to learn haiku, and his haiku name was “Zai-machi”. Hato was a disciple of Basho’s disciples Qikaku and Arashi, and his haiku style was free and open-minded. “The way of haiku does not need to be bound by the teacher’s sentence structure” (Preface to “Memories of the Past”) – It is said that Busumura realized the “freedom of haiku” by listening to this teaching, that is, haiku is an unconstrained and free existence. Haiku should not be bound by schools, and Busum’s idea was formed under the guidance of Hato.

After Ba Ren died in 1742, Wucun went to live with his fellow haiku writer Yandang and moved to Yuki. He traveled in northern Kanto for some time, painting and creating haiku, and also traveled to various places in northeast China. With the support of Yandang and others, he compiled “Utsunomiya Suidancho” in 1744 and was named Wucun. There is a convincing view that the name Wucun comes from the line “The fields will be deserted, why don’t you return” in Tao Yuanming’s Chinese poem “Returning to the Countryside”, which means “a deserted village”.

He had a close personal relationship with Hayami Shinga, a senior in the Yuki haiku world. In 1745, when Hayami Shinga died, he wrote a haiku poem, “In Memory of Kitajurosen”. Haiku poems are different from the forms of fuku and renku. They were created by Basho’s disciple Chikao, and haiku writers in the Edo haiku world have tried to create them since then. However, Buson’s haiku poems are unique in their high degree of completion, which is enough to show his talent. Let’s take a look at the opening part.

Rising in fame as a painter

In 1751, at the age of 36, Burumura moved to Kyoto. There is no record of Burumura ever learning from a professional painter, so he probably learned his painting skills by himself. After arriving in Kyoto, he visited temples and shrines to admire paintings, and also went to Tango and Sanuki to learn painting skills.

In the 18th century, the Japanese painting world was influenced by the Chinese Southern School of Painting due to the visit of Qing Dynasty painter Shen Nanping (Shen Quan) and others to Japan and the publication of painting manuals. The new painting style prevailed, and the works at that time were called “Southern Painting”. Wucun also actively studied painting manuals and gradually became famous as a Southern Painting painter. In 1771, he collaborated with another representative of Southern Painting, Chi Daya, to create “Ten Conveniences and Ten Preferences”. The two used the poem of the Chinese literati Li Yu chanting the comfort and natural beauty of Yishan Villa (Yi Garden) as the prototype. Daya created “Ten Conveniences” and Wucun created “Ten Preferences”. “Ten Conveniences and Ten Preferences” is Wucun’s representative painting.

From then on, Wucun entered a prolific period in his career as a painter, creating works such as “Fuyue Pine Trees” (Important Cultural Property). In particular, after changing his painting name to “Xie Yin” in 1778, he created masterpieces such as “Night View of the Tower” (same as above) and “Visiting the Hermit in Bamboo Creek” (same as above).

Fusion of painting and haiku

During the same period, he was also active as a haiku artist in various places in Kyoto. In June 1766, he founded the haiku group “Sankasha” and regularly organized haiku meetings with given themes. The atmosphere of the haiku meetings was free and harmonious, and the attendees appreciated the haiku together and evaluated the quality. It was interrupted when Busumura traveled to Sanuki, but it was resumed after he returned to Kyoto. Here, Busumura honed his creative skills as a haiku artist and created the following excellent works.

Five or six riders galloped to Toba Palace, and the horses whistled in the strong wind

In 1770, Busumura inherited Ba Ren’s haiku name “Yabantei” and was officially promoted to “the master of haiku” in Kyoto. At that time, Busumura was 55 years old, and it was very late to start as a professional haiku artist. This may be because he was more willing to spend energy on painting than haiku.

Busumura’s painting and haiku are inseparable. The “haiku painting” composed of elegant simple drawings and haiku is Busumura’s unique skill. He created countless masterpieces full of poetic and humorous works. In particular, the “Oshu Komichi” by Basho was copied in full, and simple character illustrations were added with soft brushstrokes. This style of painting was well received and seemed to be in great demand, leaving behind many scrolls and screens.