Japanese Poets And What They Have Written

When you talk about Japanese poets, you will have to mention Dogen Zenji (1200-1253,) who is thought by many to be the most brilliant Japanese writer. Dogen was founder of the Soto Zen sect. Although he is considered one of Japan's greatest Zen Masters, his expressions of the truth far surpass those of the Zen Masters. A few of his better known philosophic writings are his magnum opus, the “Shobogenzo” and “Treasury of the True Dharma Eye.”

Dogen studied Buddha, who was a Japanese Buddhist Zen teacher, and while he was a low-ranking Buddhist monk, he founded the Eiheiji Temple. He also traveled to China to study writing and wrote both Chinese and Japanese poetry. He wrote many types of poems like lyrical and devotional with a wide range of themes, such as nature, illusions, language, China, etc. Here is a brief example with obliques to indicate line breaks: "To what shall / I liken the world? / Moonlight, reflected / In dewdrops, / Shaken from a crane's bill."

Kobayashi Nobuyki (whose pen name was Issa) was born in the 18th Century to a farming family and began writing in his childhood. In 1777, he went to Tokyo to study the Haiku form of writing but his modern style of haiku did not suit what was expected.

He traveled widely over Japan visiting prominent Japanese cities of the day and publishing many collections to recount his travels. This included “Chichi No Shuen Nikki” (1801,) “Kyowakujo” (1803,) “Shichiban-Nikki” (1810) and “Waga Harushu” (1811.) He led a tragic life and died in 1827. Kobayashi definitely was a rejuvenating influence on the Haiku form and has left a legacy of over 20,000 haikus, describing nature, life in everyday terms and sympathetic vulnerability.