Who was this person?
A haikai poet of the early Edo period and one of Matsuo Bashō's earliest disciples. Born to a doctor's family in Edo, he became Bashō's pupil as a boy and, with Hattori Ransetsu, became a central figure of Bashō's school in Edo. He compiled anthologies such as Minashiguri and in later years was known for his witty "sharefū" style.
| Name | Takarai Kikaku (宝井其角) |
|---|---|
| Born–died | 1661 – 1707 |
| Period | Edo period |
| Birthplace | Edo |
| Also known as | Takeshita Tadanori |
| Main achievements |
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He was born in Horie-chō, Edo, the eldest son of Takeshita Tōjun, a physician of the Zeze domain in Ōmi Province. His real name was Takeshita Tadanori. He first used his mother's family name Enoshita and later changed it himself to Takarai. Raised in a doctor's household, he is said to have studied Chinese poetry, calligraphy and painting.
As a boy he became a disciple of Matsuo Bashō (then calling himself Tōsei). He was one of Bashō's earliest disciples. Overflowing with talent, he was highly regarded by Bashō. Together with Hattori Ransetsu, he became central among Bashō's disciples in Edo.
Three of Kikaku's hokku were included in the haikai anthology Bandō Tarō, and he began to be known as a poet. From the following year his verses were chosen again and again for collections by Bashō's disciples. Fond of sake from youth, he frequented the pleasure quarters and is said to have drawn on that experience in his verse.
With Kikaku at the center, the haikai anthology Minashiguri was published. It gathered new verses using phrasing like Chinese poetry and became one of the trends of the day. Bashō contributed its afterword, and it is an important collection from the time when Bashō's school was seeking a new haikai.
He became a sōshō, a haikai master, taking his own disciples and teaching verse. The next year he published Zoku Minashiguri, and afterward compiled one anthology after another, such as Itsu wo Mukashi and Hanatsumi. While Bashō was away traveling, he also helped hold the school together in Edo.
He wrote the preface to Sarumino, a representative anthology of Bashō's school. Bashō is said to have compared Kikaku's power to express small things grandly to that of Fujiwara no Teika. On the other hand, many of Kikaku's verses were witty and difficult, and he is said to have taken a path different from the simple flavor Bashō sought.
During a drought, he is said to have composed a verse praying for rain at Mimeguri Shrine in Mukōjima, Edo, punning on the shrine's name: if you are the god who looks round the fields, send an evening shower. Rain reportedly fell the next day. The story spread Kikaku's fame, a monument to the verse was later built, and it is still told to show the power of his poetry.
When his master Bashō fell ill in Osaka, Kikaku rushed to his side and was present at his death. Afterward he compiled Kareobana, a collection of verses mourning Bashō, and wrote an account of his master's last days. After Bashō's death he trained many disciples as a central figure of haikai in Edo.
His close friend, the painter Hanabusa Itchō, was punished by the shogunate and exiled to Miyake Island. Besides Itchō, Kikaku mixed with many kinds of people, such as the kabuki actor Ichikawa Danjūrō II and the merchant Kinokuniya Bunzaemon. He also visited Ihara Saikaku in the Kamigata region and was known for the breadth of his friendships.
In his later years he spread a witty style that made use of plain spoken language, known as the sharefū style. He died in Edo, and his style was carried on by the poets later called the Edoza. In the Chūshingura tales a scene where he exchanges verses with one of the Akō rōnin is famous, but this story was created in later times.
A. A haikai poet of the early Edo period and one of Matsuo Bashō's earliest disciples. Born to a doctor's family in Edo, he became Bashō's pupil as a boy and, with Hattori Ransetsu, became a central figure of Bashō's school in Edo. He compiled anthologies such as Minashiguri and in later years was known for his witty "sharefū" style.
A. Period: Edo period. Born in 1661, died in 1707.
A. Takarai Kikaku was born in Edo.
A. Kikaku became Bashō's pupil as a boy, one of his earliest disciples, and Bashō had high hopes for him. When Bashō fell ill in Osaka, Kikaku rushed to his side at the end and compiled the memorial anthology Kareobana. His style, however, is said to have been witty and different from the simple flavor Bashō sought.
See also: Wikipedia (ja) / Wikipedia (en) / Wikipedia (fr) / Wikipedia (zh) / Wikidata
Follow this life (autoplay)Ihara SaikakuMatsuo BashōSakai Hōitsu
Yanagisawa YoshiyasuOgiwara ShigehideŌishi Kuranosuke (Yoshio)Ichikawa Danjūrō ITokugawa IenobuOgyū SoraiAmenomori HoshuŌoka Tadasuke
People of the Edo period ・ People by period
Based on facts found in textbooks and biographies. Uncertain points are marked as such.