Ogiwara Seisensui

was the pen-name of , a Japanese haiku poet active during the Taishō and Shōwa periods of Japan.

Early life Ogiwara Tōkichi was born in Shinmei, Shiba, Tokyo City (present-day Hamamatsu, Minato, Tokyo), the second son of a merchant who owned a general goods store called Nitta-ya. The Ogiwara family was originally from Takada, Echigo Province (present-day Jōetsu, Niigata), and his grandfather Tōkichi had moved to Edo as a young man. Both of his siblings died in infancy. Although he attended Seisoku Junior High School, Ogiwara was expelled after publishing a student newspaper criticizing the school's educational methods and administration. After entering Azabu Junior High School, he quit drinking and smoking, seriously engaged in studying, and gained admission to Tokyo Imperial University. While a student majoring in linguistics, he became interested in writing haiku.

Literary career Seisensui co-founded the avant-garde literary magazine Sōun ("Layered Clouds") in 1911, together with fellow haiku poet Kawahigashi Hekigoto. Ogiwawa was a strong proponent of abandoning haiku traditions, especially the "season words" so favored by Takahama Kyoshi, and even the 5-7-5 syllable norms. In his Haiku teisho (1917), he broke with Hekigoto and shocked the haiku world by advocating further that haiku be transformed into free verse. His students included Ozaki Hōsai and Taneda Santōka. His role in promoting the format of free-style haiku has been compared with that of Masaoka Shiki for traditional verse, with the contrast that Seisensui had both vigorous health, and considerable wealth. He also was able to use new media to promote his style, including lectures and literary criticism on national radio.

Seisensui left more than 200 works, including collections of haiku, essays, and travelogues. His principal anthologies are Wakiizuru mono (1920) and Choryu (1964). He also wrote a number of commentaries on the works of Matsuo Bashō.

In 1965, he became a member of the Japan Art Academy.

Personal life Seisensui's wife and daughter perished in the Great Kantō earthquake of 1923, and his mother died the same year. He moved to Kyoto briefly, and lived for a while at a chapel within the Buddhist temple of Tofuku-ji. He also began a period of travel around the country. He remarried in 1929, and relocated to Kamakura, Kanagawa. He moved to Azabu in Tokyo until his house was destroyed during World War II. He then moved back to Kamakura in 1944, where he lived until his death.

Works

Poetry Collections The Door of Nature (Sōun First Collection). Tōundō Shoten, 1914 Nichizō (edited). Gendai Tsūhōsha, 1916 Bright Pearl (Sōjō Second Collection / Isen Extracts Vol. 2) (edited). Gendai Tsūhōsha, 1918 The Tree of Life. Sōunsha, 1918 That Which Wells Forth (Isen Collection Vol. 1), 1920 Landscape Heart Sutra (Sōun Fourth Collection). Sōunsha, 1922 Out into the Fields (Poetry collection). Sōunsha, 1923 In Constant Flux (Isen Collection Vol. 2). Shūeikaku, 1924 Digging a Spring (Sōun Fifth Collection). Sōunsha, 1925 Isensui Haiku Collection. Kinseido, 1925 After the Conflagration (Sōun Sixth Collection). Sōunsha, 1927 Universal Repentance (Isen Collection Vol. 3). Shunjūsha, 1928 Shii no Ha Collection (21 Practice Haiku). Sōunsha, 1929 The Short-Rhythm Era (Sōun Seventh Collection). Sōunsha, 1929 Melodies of Shōwa (Sōun Collection Vol. 8). Sōunsha, 1931 Brahmacarya Chapter (Isen Collection Vol. 4). Kaizōsha, 1932 Steam Collection (28 Practice Haiku). Sōunsha, 1932 Isen Collection Vol. 4. Sōunsha, 1932 One Person, One Realm (Sōun Collection Vol. 9). Sōunsha, 1933 Isensui Haiku Collection. Ogihara Seibunkan, 1934 The Tenth Ox (Sōun Collection Vol. 10). Sōunsha, 1935 Nowhere (Isen Collection Vol. 5). Mikasa Shobō, 1935 Overseas Travel Manuscripts. Ōsen’en, December 1938 Sound of the Tide. Ichijō Shobō, 1943 Non-Duality. Sakurai Shoten, 1943 A Thousand-Mile Journey (Self-selected Haiku Collection). Kobunsha, 1946 Golden Sand. Meguro Shoten, 1946 Original Spring: Isensui Haiku Collection (Selected works from Taishō 1 to Shōwa 20). Sōunsha, 1960 Long Current: Isensui Extracts (Selected works from Shōwa 21 to Shōwa 35). Commemorative Committee for Isensui’s 88th Birthday, 1964 Ōe: Isensui Collection. Yayoi Shobō, 1971 Ogihara Isensui (edited by Kazuyuki Fujimoto). Kagyuusha, June 1992 (Kagyū Haiku Library) Sōun First & Second Collections: The Door of Nature / The Tree of Life. Seihosha, November 2016

Criticism & Essays Advocating Haiku. Sōunsha, 1917 Questions and Answers on Haiku Composition. Gendai Tsūhōsha, 1918 Steps of Haiku. Gendai Tsūhōsha, 1918 A Brief History of Haiku. Gendai Tsūhōsha, 1919 Shortcut to Composition. Gendai Tsūhōsha, 1920 Selected Haiku Criticism. Gendai Tsūhōsha, 1920 Behold the New Haiku. Sōunsha, 1920 Samadhi of Light. Sōunsha, 1920 How to Compose New Haiku. Nihon Hyōronsha Publishing Dept., 1921 For Those Beginning Haiku. Nihon Hyōronsha Publishing Dept., 1921 Ten Years of the Haiku World. Konishi Shoten, 1922 Commentary on New Haiku. Konishi Shoten, 1922 New Haiku Advocacy. Tenyūsha, 1922 Bashō the Traveler. Shunjūsha, 1923 Speaking in the Shade: New Haiku Talks. Nihon Hyōronsha Publishing Dept., 1923 Tick-Tock Diary. Nihon Shoin, 1923 From My Small Spring. Kōransha, 1924 Bashō’s View of Nature. Shunjūsha, 1924 While Waiting for the Rising Sun. Shūeikaku, 1924 On the Ancients. Shūeikaku, 1924 Lamenting the Earth. Shinsakusha, 1924 As I Remain Lonely. Shūeikaku, 1925 Bashō the Traveler, Sequel. Shunjūsha, 1925 Bashō and Issa. Shunjūsha, later paperback editions Isen Haiku Talks (Complete 4 volumes). Sōunsha / Shunjūsha, 1921–1929 Impressions of Travel. Nihon Shoin, 1926 Research on New Haiku. Shunjūsha, 1926 How to Compose and Appreciate Haiku. Jitsugyō no Nihon Sha, 1927 Sketches of Kyoto. Sōgensha, 1929 Kannon Pilgrimage. Shunyōdō, 1929 Journey Upon Journey. Shunyōdō, 1929 On the Taste for Haiku. Shunjū Bunko, 1929 Living Among Mountains and Rivers. Sōgensha, 1930 Travel Conversations. Sōgensha, 1930 Higurashi Collection. Sōunsha, 1930 Seeking the Narrow Road to the Interior. Shunyōdō, 1930 Trends in the Haiku World. Shunjū Bunko, 1930 Bashō Landscapes. Shunjūsha, 1930 Roundtable on New Haiku. Shunjūsha, 1931 The First Door. Sōunsha, 1931 Introduction to Bashō. Shunyōdō, 1931 The Way of Haiku. Ritsumeikan Publishing Dept., 1932 (reprinted in Gendai Kyōyō Bunko, 1953) A Certain Day’s Smile. Shijō Shobō, 1933 Travel Talk, Haiku Talk. Shijō Shobō, 1933 The Second Door. Sōunsha, 1933 Lord Bashō. Jitsugyō no Nihon Sha, 1933 The Human Path and the Path of Composition. Sōunsha, 1933 Conventional Views of Oku no Hosomichi. Shunjū Bunko, 1933 Notes on Issa. Ōhata Shoten, 1934 Spring and Autumn Papers. Iwanami Shoten, 1934 The Book of Blue Sky. Buntaisha, 1934 Bashō, Buson, and Shiki. Chikura Shobō, 1934 Speaking of Bashō on the Air. Jitsugyō no Nihon Sha, 1934 In Search of Bashō. Sōgensha, 1934 Pilgrimage and Pilgrims. Sōgensha, 1934 Going Like the Clouds. Shimizu Shoten, 1935 Floral and Avian Sketches. Mikasa Shobō, 1935 Book in the Flames. Okakura Shobō, 1935 Haiku Talks. Chikura Shobō, 1935 Yamagiri Collection. Sōunsha, 1935 Selected Haiku Commentary Vol. 6: Free-Verse Haiku Commentary. Hibonsha, 1935 Entering Haiku. Shinchō Bunko, 1936 Appreciating New Haiku. Shunjūsha, 1936 Personal Writings. Buntaisha, 1936 Haiku Course. Chikura Shobō, 1936 Riding a White Horse. Jinbun Shoin, 1936 Introduction to Free-Verse Haiku. Daitō Shuppansha, 1937 From Basics to Mastery in Haiku. Jitsugyō no Nihon Sha, 1937 America Correspondence. Kawade Shobō, 1938 In Search of Issa. Ikuei Shoin, 1938 Issa Spring and Autumn. Ikuei Shoin, 1938 Issa Research. Shinchō Bunko, 1938 Self-Portrait Sketch (Self-Commentary on My Own Haiku). Kawade Shobō, 1939 Ogihara Isensui Booklet Vols. 1–6. Ōsen’en, 1937–39 New Haiku Introduction. Jitsugyō no Nihon Sha, 1940 Issa Reader. Nihon Hyōronsha, 1940 The Spirit that Practices Haiku. Kobun Shobō, 1941 The Spirit of Bashō. Meguro Shoten, 1941 Pilgrimage Diary. Fujokai-sha, 1941 My Head. Takayama Shoin, 1941 Issa Story. Dōwa Shunjūsha, 1942 Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. Kuwana Bunseidō, 1942 East, West, South, North. Sakurai Shoten, 1942 Writings from Wherever I Am. Tenyū Shobō, 1942 Morning and Evening: Bashō Essays. Kaiseisha, 1943 Isensui Conversations. Jitsugyō no Nihon Sha, 1943 Revival from Death. Ittō Shobō, 1946 Mukai Kyorai. Seikatsusha, 1946 Young Leaves. Sekai-sha, 1946 Kyoto in Spring and Autumn. Usui Shobō, 1946 Spring Revives. Sakura Shobō, 1946 American Travelogue. Teramoto Shobō, 1947 Issa: Reflections. Manji Shorin, 1947 Clear Autumn Sky. Fukoku Shuppansha, 1947 Sesame-Miso Tales. Sōunsha, 1948 Spring is Dawn: Bashō Essays. Usui Shobō, 1948 Persimmons and Peaches. Yashiro Shoten, 1948 Sweetfish. Meguro Shoten, 1949 Appreciating Bashō’s Famous Haiku. Meguro Shoten, 1949 Masaoka Shiki: Father of Popular Art. Kaiseisha, 1953 Haiku Guide. Motomoto-sha, 1954 Every Day a Good Day. Nihon Shuppan Kyōdō, 1954 Noppei Soup. Ikeda Shoten, 1955 Book of Flowing Water. Ikeda Shoten, 1955 Oku no Hosomichi Notes. Shinchōsha, 1955 Essay Collection on Bashō (8 vols.). Shunjūsha, 1955–56 Kenjin Soup: Isensui Essays. Shinsei Shobō, 1956 Essay Collection on Issa (6 vols.). Shunjūsha, 1956–57 Issa Masterpiece Stories. Dōwa Shunjūsha, 1957 Bashō’s Famous Haiku. Shakai Shisō Kenkyūkai Publishing Dept., 1957 New Interpretation of the Record of Words. Shunjūsha, 1958 Issa’s Famous Haiku. Shakai Shisō Kenkyūkai Publishing Dept., 1959 Japanese Seasonal Travel Chronicle. Shūdōsha, 1960 Creative Work: My Spring. Shinchōsha, 1960 Life is Long. Jitsugyō no Nihon Sha, 1961 Oku no Hosomichi Landscapes. Shakai Shisō Kenkyūkai Publishing Dept., 1961 Life Reader. Jitsugyō no Nihon Sha, 1962 Life is Joy. Jitsugyō no Nihon Sha, 1962 Novel: Bashō’s Diary. Asahi Shimbunsha, 1964 Bashō in Framed Paintings: Spring and Autumn. Yutaka Shobō, 1970 Twenty-Four Views of Oku no Hosomichi. Yutaka Shobō, 1971 Poetry and Life. Chōbunsha, 1972 Selected Bashō the Traveler. Yutaka Shobō, 1972 Nature, Self, Freedom. Keisō Shobō, 1972 Grass Paintings Collection. Nichibō Shuppansha, 1973 New Interpretation of Ekiken’s Yōjōkun. Daihōrinkaku, 1975 Isensui Tanzaku Collection. Gogatsu Shobō, 1975 The Four Seas. Bunka Hyōron Shuppan, 1976 Eccentrics and Ordinary People. Daihōrinkaku, 1976 Good Season for Humanity. Furukawa Shobō, December 1977 Sixty Years on This Path. Shunyōdō Shoten, May 1978 Reflections of the Old Man. Furukawa Shobō, August 1981 Isensui’s Words. Sōunsha, January 1990 The Man Called Hōsai. Daihōrinkaku, April 1991 Issa Reflections. Kodansha Literary Bunko, March 2000 Isensui Diary: Youth Edition (2 vols.). Chikuma Shobō, 2003

Other Works Street Trees (Art collection). Sōunsha, 1919 Bashō Bunko: Revised Annotated Edition Vols. 2–8. Shunyōdō, 1922–24 Complete Record of Bashō’s Haiku. Shūeikaku, 1922 Ora ga Haru / My Spring Collection (Issa). Iwanami Bunko, 1927 Haijin Reader (editor). Shunjūsha, 1931–32 The Diary of My Father’s Final Days (Issa’s posthumous manuscript). Iwanami Bunko, 1934 New Edition: Issa Haiku Collection. Iwanami Bunko, 1935 Free-Verse Haiku Collection. Kaizōsha, 1940 (co-selected with Naka Tsuka Ippeirō) Suigō / Bōsō (editor). Hōbunkan, 1959 Talking about Santōka. Chōbunsha, 1972 (co-edited with Itō Kango) Introduction to Short Poetry. Chōbunsha, 1973 (co-authored with Hashimoto Kenzō)

Translation Goethe: Recorded Sayings and Deeds. Seikyōsha, 1910

School Songs Iwanai Nishi Elementary School (Hokkaidō, 1951). Composed by Ikuma Dan Niijima Elementary School (Tokyo, 1951). Composed by Ikuma Dan Gofuku Elementary School (Toyama, 1955). Composed by Ikuma Dan Kita-Kazumi Elementary School (Toyama). Composed by Ikuma Dan Atsuta High School (Nagoya, 1955). Composed by Ikuma Dan Toyomasa Junior High School (Nagoya). Composed by Ikuma Dan Toi Junior High School (Shizuoka)