Carpe Diem #1158 Kashiwabara, birth-place of Kobayashi Issa
This month at Carpe Diem I’m exploring the “Motherland” of haiku, Japan.
Today we are taking a look Kashiwabara, the birthplace of Kobayashi Issa, Born June 15, 1763 – January 5, 1828) he was a Japanese poet and lay Buddhist priest of the Jodo Shinshu sect known for his haiku poems and journals.
He is better known as simply Issa, a pen name meaning Cup-of-tea, he wrote over 20,000 haiku, which have won him readers up to the present day.
Reflecting the popularity and interest in Issa as man and poet, Japanese books on Issa outnumber those on Buson and almost equal in number those on Basho.
He wrote a diary, now called Last Days of Issa’s Father.
More information on Kobayashi Issa
A little about Jodo Shinshu
It means“The True Essence of the Pure Land Teaching” also known as Shin Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism.
It was founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran.
Shin Buddhism is considered the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan, with 20% of the population of Japan identifying as members of the sect.
Kashiwabara, Shinano Province, Nagano Prefecture
My tanka poem using the study of Kobayashi Issa a Haiku poet
lost mother at young age
troubled child with step mother
unhappy with life
searching but not finding peace
life unhappy many losses
Ramblings of a Writer 
Such a sad childhood for some children. I love your tanka Elsie.
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