Issa Memorial Day (Issa-ki)

What Is Issa-ki?

November 19th is "Issa-ki," the memorial day of the Edo-period haiku poet Kobayashi Issa, who died on the 19th day of the 11th month of Bunsei 10 in the old lunar calendar. Because that date is in the old calendar, it corresponds to January 5, 1828 in the Gregorian calendar, but in Issa's hometown of Kashiwabara (now Shinano Town, Nagano Prefecture), memorial events are held every year on November 19th.

Remembering the Poet of the Little Sparrow and the Skinny Frog

Kobayashi Issa was born in 1763 in Kashiwabara, Shinano Province, went to Edo at the age of 15 to work, and there encountered haikai poetry. He developed a distinctive style known as "Issa-cho" and is regarded, together with Matsuo Basho and Yosa Buson, as one of the leading haiku poets of the Edo period.

• Born: 1763, in Kashiwabara, Shinano Province (now Shinano Town, Nagano)
• Died: the 19th day of the 11th month of Bunsei 10 (lunar calendar), at age 65, in a storehouse in his hometown
• Output: a prolific poet said to have written more than 20,000 haiku
• Style: poems about children and small animals, poems about the hardships of life, and frequent use of onomatopoeia
• Local events: since his 120th memorial in 1946, Issa-ki events have been held on his death anniversary, November 19th

Approachable Poems Spread Through Textbooks

In the Taisho era, Issa's simple, friendly poems were widely used in school textbooks. Haiku such as "Little sparrow, out of the way, out of the way, a horse is coming," "Don't swat it! The fly wrings its hands and feet," and "Skinny frog, don't give up, Issa is here" are said to have become widely known around that time. Issa-ki in his hometown features a national haiku contest, a memorial service at the family temple Myosenji, lectures, and a local custom of serving freshly harvested soba noodles.

Tips for Marking This Day

• Recall an Issa haiku you know and read it aloud
• Observe a small creature nearby and try writing a haiku
• Learn about Issa's life and his hometown of Shinano
• Enjoy new-season soba and the feel of late autumn

Issa's Gentle Eye for Small Lives

Issa's poems, which turned a warm eye toward sparrows, frogs, and even flies, are still loved by many today. November 19th is a day to use his haiku as a guide to notice the small lives and changing seasons around us.