Mountains of Shinano

smudge of monochrome
merges with autumn colours
cloud dips into lake

Kim M. Russell, 2017

My response to Carpe Diem #1158 Kashiwabara, birth-place of Kobayashi Issa

In this episode, Chèvrefeuille has told us about the Japanese poet and lay Buddhist priest Kobayashi Issa (1763 – 1828), known as Issa, a pen name meaning Cup-of-tea, who is regarded as one of the five haiku masters in Japan.

He was born in Kashiwabara, now part of Shinano-machi, Shinano Province (present-day Nagano Prefecture), which is now a popular holiday destination. Chèvrefeuille has shared a photograph and haiku written by Issa about the Shinano Mountains.

Shinano’s deep wooded mountains
even in Fifth Month…
cherry blossoms

sleeping side by side
Shinano’s mountains too…
evening snow

deep wooded mountains–
home-grown in Shinano
glorious blossoms

Eighth Month–
a rainy night, pre-harvest moon
in the mountains of Shinano

(c) Kobayashi Issa (Tr. David G. Lanoue)