HAIKU MASTER SERIES: Ishu and Teishitsu

Haiku Master Series II

A series on discussing Haiku Masters and their poetry….

Matsue Shigeyori [Ishu] (1596 – 1670)

Hey there, wait a moment,

Before you strike the temple bell

At the cherry blossom

In Japan, the lifespan of a cherry flower is only three days and poet Ishu (a disciple of Teitoku and first teacher of Onitsura) fears the bell’s reverberations will cause the petals to fall sooner then they should.

Yasuhara Teishitsu (1609 – 1673)

Look at that! and that!

Is all I can say of the blossoms

At Yoshino mountain.

Basho called this “the finest hokku ever written”. Mt. Yoshino, a large hill in Southern Japan, has four groves of 100,000 white mountain cherry trees. For three days in early April, the hill billows with intense whiteness.

Teishitsu is one of the five stars or disciples of Teitoku. Teishitsu destroyed all but 3 of his 3,000 haiku poems. Though it’s said that some more are still available.

TEXT Curtsy : The Classic Tradition of Haiku
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Hope you have liked the second post in the Haiku Master Series, to read the first one, please click here...

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Shashi 

ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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