芭蕉像 Basho-zō (Portrait of Bashō), Yokoi Kinkoku

Exhibition Label:
"Images of the Journey," Jun-2005, Hillary Pedersen
Basho-, the pseudonym of Matsuo Munefusa (1644-94), is one of Japan’s most famous poets, and is considered the greatest early writer of the haiku form. Although he came from a wealthy background, he rejected it in favor of a mendicant life. He spent his time teaching poetry and studying history, Chinese poetry, and Zen Buddhism. Basho-’s poems reflect a meditative focus on the natural world, discovering universal, even mystical, truths in simple details.
In this portrait, the artist portrays Basho- in his most characteristic role, as a wanderer clothed in simple monk’s robes and with his traveling case nearby. Like Basho-, the artist of this portrait, Yokoi Kinkoku, was a wandering monk-artist and haiku poet.

Archive Label 2003:
Basho, the pseudonym of Matsuo Munefusa (1644-94), is one of Japan’s most famous poets, and is considered the greatest early writer in the haiku form. Although he came from a wealthy background, he rejected it in favor of a life of wandering. He spent his time teaching poetry and studying history, Chinese poetry, and Zen. Basho’s poems reflect a meditative focus on the natural world, discovering universal, even mystical, truths in simple details.

Heard, not seen,
the camellia poured rainwater
when it leaned

Wrapping dumplings in
bamboo leaves, with one finger
she tidies her hair

In this portrait, the artist portrays Basho in a standard way of representing the poet, in his most characteristic role as a wanderer, wearing simple monk’s robes and holding a traveling case. Like Basho, Kinkoku Yokoi was a wandering monk-artist and haiku poet as well as a prolific painter. Like Basho’s poetry, the portrait is simple and direct, without exaggeration or technical flourishes.