Introducing four items including "Basho's Letter to Shado"
Basho's Letter to Shado by Matsuo Basho
This is a letter from Basho to his disciple Shado. It contains advice for Shado, among other things.
"Haru mo Yaya" Haiku with Painting and Calligraphy by Morikawa Kyoroku (painting) and Matsuo Basho (calligraphy)
A collaborative work where Basho composed the haiku and his disciple Morikawa Kyoroku painted the picture. The haiku is "Haru mo yaya keshiki totonou tsuki to ume" (Spring is slowly settling, with the moon and plum blossoms). Kyoroku served as a retainer of the Hikone domain from age 21 to 55. He learned painting techniques from the Kano school and was active as a painter. He met Basho and became his disciple at the age of 37.
"Genjuan no Ki" Draft Fragment by Matsuo Basho
After completing his journey on "Oku no Hosomichi" (The Narrow Road to the Deep North), Basho stayed at Genjuan Hermitage on Mt. Kokubun in Omi Province from April 6 to July 23, Genroku 3 (1690). The haibun (prose interspersed with haiku) written during his stay at Genjuan is "Genjuan no Ki," and this manuscript is the opening part of its earliest autograph draft. Sections where Basho himself made revisions can be observed.
Basho and Sora in front of the Taga Castle Monument from "Basho Okina Ekotobaden" by Chomu, original drawing by Kano Masashige
In Genroku 2 (1689), Basho and Sora visited the Taga Castle Monument during their "Oku no Hosomichi" journey.
Today, Basho, thinking of the ancient monument known as the Taga Castle Monument as the utamakura “Tsubo no Ishibumi,” was moved to tears.