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『奥之細道』上巻(昭和7年[1932]) /

Oku no hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North)

A work of travel literature by the master haiku poet Basho Matsuo of the early Edo period, whose total journey covered 600 ri (approximately 2,400 km) through the regions of Ou, Hokuriku, and Tokai

Oku no hosomichi (The Narrow Road to the Deep North) is a work of haiku poetry and travel literature from the mid-Edo period written by Basho Matsuo. Basho himself wrote the title, with the final character for michi (road) in kanji and the rest of the title in hiragana. Having returned from his 1689 journey through the regions of Ou and Hokuriku, he repeatedly revised the manuscript to complete the definitive version in 1694, which was published posthumously in 1702 by Shobei Izutsuya in Kyoto. The journey began on the 27th day of the 3rd month in 1689, when he departed Edo together with his disciple Sora. Passing through the ruins of the Shirakawa Checkpoint in the province of Mutsu (in present-day Fukushima Prefecture), they traveled around to various locations in Ou, including Matsushima, Hiraizumi, Risshaku Temple, and Kisakata. Crossing Hokuriku to reach Ogaki in the province of Mino (present-day Gifu Prefecture) late in the 8th month, the journey concluded when Basho set off from Ogaki by boat with the thought of worshiping at the Ise Shrine’s rebuilding rite where the deity Amaterasu-omikami was newly installed. In his journey, Basho traversed thirteen provinces in the Kanto, Ou, Hokuriku, and Tokai regions over the course of about 150 days. The full length of the journey amounted to approximately 600 ri (or 2,400 km), and the resulting work is said to be Basho’s greatest achievement among his travel works. A journal written by Sora, who accompanied him, Sora tabi nikki (Sora’s Travel Journal), has survived, and comparison with it reveals discrepancies with the actual itinerary and indications of embellishment. Such devices of Basho’s, though, are thought to have been employed with the intention of bringing a sense of contrast and balance to the overall text of his travel account. As a result, it has become an outstanding work in the history of Japanese literature. The work also contains many exceptional haiku compositions, including the following:

 

The summer grasses?

Of the brave soldiers’ dreams, the aftermath

 

The pervasive silence

Enhanced by the sound of cicadas penetrating into the mountain crag

 

Gathering water from the early summer rains

The Mogami River quickens

 

Over the turbulent sea

Across to Sado stretches the Milky Way

 

Even today, an unceasing number of people absorb themselves in reminiscences of Basho by retracing the route of his journey.

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『奥之細道』(国立国会図書館所蔵)上巻の挿画

『奥之細道』(国立国会図書館所蔵)下巻の挿画

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Institutions Holding Related Materials

  • 松尾芭蕉ゆかりの地、東京都江東区に所在。常設展示では、芭蕉や『奥の細道』の旅立ちの地・深川について、パネルなどを用いて分かりやすく紹介しています。

  • 『奥の細道』の「むすびの地」(最終地)、岐阜県大垣市に所在。200インチスクリーンでの3D映像やゆかりの資料、ジオラマなどで『奥の細道』をたどることができます。

  • The National Diet Library (NDL), founded in 1948, is the library which belongs to the Diet. The NDL assists the activities of the National Diet. The Library collects and conserves materials and information both from Japan and abroad, serving as a foundation of knowledge and culture and providing library services to administrative and judicial entities and Japanese citizens.

  • As Japan’s representative museum, Tokyo National Museum collects, preserves, displays, and researches the cultural properties of Asia with a focus on Japan, and also provides educational programs.

  • Kyoto National Museum collects, preserves, displays, researches and provides educational programs focusing on cultural properties from Heian- through to Edo- period Japan, when the capital was located there.

External Links

  • 奥の細道紀行330年記念事業実行委員会(事務局 : 岐阜県大垣市商工観光課)が運営するサイト。「おくのほそ道をたどる」「おくのほそ道とは」「俳句のいろは」で構成されている。

  • 芭蕉の紀行文『おくのほそ道』から、芭蕉が詠んだ俳句を実際の風景と心象風景を織り交ぜて紹介している。

  • YouTube「四季の美」より。

References

  1. 松尾芭蕉 [著],久富哲雄 全訳注,講談社
  2. 西村真砂子, 久富哲雄 編,笠間書院
  3. 杉本苑子 著,文藝春秋
  4. 「おくのほそ道」の項
  5. 「おくのほそ道」の項
  6. 「おくのほそ道」の項
  7. 歴史学研究会 編,岩波書店
  8. 『松尾芭蕉集』は『おくのほそ道』を所収。