Did the Basho and other renga groups of the time have a fixed
plan for whichever season they were in? This, to be enforced by
the lead poet, prompted perhaps by the scribe, consulting his
sleeve? On the meagre evidence available to us, certainly not.
Rather, there was general agreement on what, say, a winter renga
should be, but both leader and other players were free to make
many minor and infrequent major alterations to the main Autumn
Moon and Spring Blossom positions. Further, there were no regular
places for the Love, Summer, and any extra Autumn and Spring sequences;
or for any Winter verses after the opening. All these could be
put in or omitted ad lib.
The evidence is scant if you can't read Japanese. There are,
as far as I know, English translations of only 15 Basho renga
available: 3 Spring, 2 Summer, 3 Autumn and 7 Winter. Also single
works by Soin, Tintan, Chiyo-ni, & Buson. However, the small
number favours my argument: if there is as much variation in the
five winter renga detailed here, far more would likely be found
if we had a few dozen of the hundreds, perhaps thousands, extant
in the Japanese collections.
In the Winter kasen, Autumn Moon usually comes among the three
(occasionally two or four) Autumn verses at v.5 & v.29. It
can be the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd of those Autumn verses. It can be
pulled forward by two verses in both positions, but the Moon at
v.29 can come as early as v 23. I feel the second moon marks the
beginning of the final kyu section.
Spring Blossom appears only three out of five possible times
at v.17, but all five at v.35, except that it is once pulled forward.
Spring Blossom at v.35 is unlikely to be moved, but where it is,
as in Month of Frosts, Winter comes at v.36. The Spring
sequences have two or three Blossom verses.
After the Spring and Autumn verses, there are no rules. In the
Winter kasen, Winter can come 1 to 4 times, with 1 to 3 verses
each time; Summer once or twice with 1 to 3 verses. Love verses
come 1 to 3 times, with 1 to 4 verses each time.
| Five Basho Winter Renga
Poetry I Sell, Shi akindo no maki,
1682
Winter Shower, Shigure, 1684
Withering Gusts, Kogarashi, 1684
Month of Frosts, Shimotsuki ya no maki, 1684
Kite's Feathers, Tobi no ha, 1690
|
| Verse |
P |
WS |
WG |
MF |
KF |
Side 1 |
| 1 |
Wi |
WiM |
Wi |
Wi |
Wi |
| 2 |
Wi |
Wi |
Wi |
Wi |
- |
| 3 |
- |
NwYr |
AuM |
Wi |
- |
| 4 |
- |
Sp |
Au |
- |
- |
| 5 |
AuM |
Sp |
Au |
AuM |
AuM |
| 6 |
Au |
SpFl |
Au |
Au(?) |
Au |
Side 2
|
| 7 |
- |
Lv |
- |
- |
Au |
| 8 |
Wi |
Lv |
Lv |
- |
- |
| 9 |
- |
- |
Lv |
- |
Sp |
| 10 |
Lv |
Su |
- |
- |
Sp |
| 11 |
Lv |
SuM |
Wi |
- |
- |
| 12 |
- |
Su |
- |
SuLv |
Su |
| 13 |
Su |
Lv |
Au |
Su |
- |
| 14 |
Sp |
- |
Au |
- |
- |
| 15 |
Sp |
- |
AuM |
- |
- |
| 16 |
Sp |
- |
- |
Sp |
Sp |
| 17 |
- |
- |
SpBl |
SpBl |
SpBl |
| 18 |
AuM |
Su |
Sp |
Sp |
- |
Side 3
|
| 19 |
Au |
Su |
Sp(?) |
- |
- |
| 20 |
Au |
Su |
- |
- |
Wi |
| 21 |
Lv |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 22 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Su |
| 23 |
- |
- |
Wi |
Su |
- |
| 24 |
- |
Wi |
Wi |
- |
Lv |
| 25 |
- |
WiL |
- |
- |
Lv |
| 26 |
- |
Lv |
- |
Au |
Lv |
| 27 |
Wi |
Lv |
Su |
AuM |
Lv(?) |
| 28 |
Wi |
Au |
Au |
Au |
- |
| 29 |
AuM |
AuM |
AuM |
Au |
AuM |
| 30 |
Au |
Au |
Au |
- |
Au |
Side 4
|
| 31 |
Au |
- |
- |
- |
Au |
| 32 |
- |
- |
- |
SpBl |
Wi |
| 33 |
- |
- |
Lv |
Sp |
- |
| 34 |
Wi |
Lv |
Lv |
Sp |
- |
| 35 |
SpBl |
SpBl |
SpBl |
- |
SpBl |
| 36 |
Sp |
SpM |
Sp |
Wi |
Sp |
Autumn and Spring Kasen
The first halves of the Autumn and Spring renga are fairly regular
for Autumn and Spring verses, the main variation being in the
optional Autumn Moon at vs.13, 14, or 15. Winter, Summer and Love
verses appear or not as the players choose.
The second halves though, are much freer, the only consistent
features being an Autumn Moon in five of the seven renga somewhere
between vs.22 and 25, and the Spring Blossom verses at v.35, one
of which is pulled forward to v.29. It seems probable that more
renga would show greater variation.
Why so much uncertainty about what went where? First, it must
have seemed at many points that the next continuation would naturally
(or surprisingly) be, say, a Winter verse, or the first of a Love
sequence. Another reason, given the playfulness of renga, might
be where one player having 'thrown up the ball' for a Love sequence,
the next one refuses to take the bait and produces a different,
equally plausible, verse. Other games are possible.
The Love and season positions were not fixtures, but to a complete
or minimal extent, variables; just as were topics, types and closeness
of links, and tone, register and person of verses.
| Three Autumn and four Spring Renga
Tub of Ashes, Akuoki no, 1690
If Fine, Aokute mo, 1693
Farewell to Sora, Sora sen, 1689
Plum Blossom, Ume wakana, 1690
Beneath the Boughs, Ko no moto, 1691
Fragrance of Plums, 1694
Hototogisu (Chiyo & Shisenjo) 1726
|
| Verse |
TA |
IF |
FS |
PB |
BB |
FP |
H |
Side 1 |
| 1 |
Au |
Au |
Au |
SpBl |
SpBl |
SpBl |
Sp |
| 2 |
Au |
Au |
Au |
Sp |
Sp |
Sp |
Sp |
| 3 |
AuM |
AuM |
AuM |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 4 |
- |
- |
- |
|
|
|
|
| 5 |
Sp |
Sp |
- |
Au |
AuM |
AuM |
AuM |
| 6 |
Sp |
Sp |
- |
Au |
Au |
Au |
Au |
Side 2
|
| 7 |
Sp |
Sp |
Wi |
Au |
Au |
Au |
Au |
| 8 |
- |
- |
- |
Su |
- |
- |
- |
| 9 |
Su |
Lv |
Lv |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 10 |
Su |
Wi |
- |
- |
- |
Su |
- |
| 11 |
Lv |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 12 |
Lv |
. |
- |
- |
Lv |
- |
- |
| 13 |
- |
- |
AuM |
Au |
Lv |
- |
Sp |
| 14 |
AuM |
Lv? |
Au |
Au |
AuM |
AuM |
Lv |
| 15 |
Au |
SpBl |
Au |
AuM |
Au |
Au |
- |
| 16 |
Au |
Sp |
- |
- |
Au |
Au |
- |
| 17 |
SpBl |
Sp |
SpBl |
SpBl |
SpBl |
SpBl |
SpBlM |
| 18 |
Sp |
- |
Sp |
Sp |
Sp |
Sp |
Sp |
Side 3
|
| 19 |
Sp |
- |
Sp |
Sp |
Sp |
Sp |
Sp |
| 20 |
- |
Au |
Wi? |
- |
Lv |
- |
- |
| 21 |
Wi |
Au |
- |
- |
Lv |
- |
- |
| 22 |
- |
AuM |
Lv |
Lv |
- |
- |
- |
| 23 |
AuLv |
Su |
Lv |
Lv |
- |
Au |
Au |
| 24 |
AuLv |
- |
Au |
Lv |
- |
AuM |
Au |
| 25 |
AuM |
- |
Au |
- |
- |
- |
AuM |
| 26 |
- |
- |
AuM |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 27 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Su |
Sp |
Lv |
| 28 |
Su |
Wi |
- |
- |
- |
Sp |
Lv |
| 29 |
Su |
- |
- |
Su |
Au |
SpBl |
Lv |
| 30 |
- |
- |
Su |
Su |
AuM |
Su |
Su |
Side 4
|
| 31 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Au |
Su? |
Wi |
| 32 |
- |
Wi |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| 33 |
- |
- |
Wi |
- |
- |
Wi |
- |
| 34 |
- |
- |
- |
Wi |
- |
- |
- |
| 35 |
SpBl |
SpBl |
SpBl |
SpBl |
SpBl |
- |
SpBl |
| 36 |
Sp |
Sp |
Sp |
Sp |
Sp |
- |
Sp |
To what extent was all this controlled by the lead poet? Who
can say? Basho is known to have been a particularly laid-back
master. As well as hints, advice and orders from the sabaki, there
must have been many initiatives from players.
The Fun They Had
Very few of the seasonal positions were completely regular, and
none were sacrosanct. The players put in Winter, Summer and Love
verses where they pleased, as part of the playful variation of
different kinds of verses and links. Autumn and Spring verses
are nearly regular. The Autumn Moon comes normally at v.5, unless
there is a moon at v.1 or v.3. The Autumn Moon at v.29 can be
pulled forward - it can come at v.23. Spring Blossom usually comes
at v.17 and v.35. Players were at liberty to make changes from
what was expected, as they felt suitable. There are many instances
in renga of players teasing each other in various ways.
The point of this article is to urge that we should do the same.
Fifteen years ago few made more than token uses of Moon and Blossom
verses. Now probably most groups use full templates. To experience
something closer to that of the old renga players, we should take
the freedom they had.
A comment might be that we are not out to make modernised copies
of 17th century renga. Maybe not, but it's worth knowing the effects
and tricks of the classic masters before moving on. While renga
remains 'linked verses', we shan't move out of sight.
Dick Pettit
April 2008
Key to the tables |
| Au |
autumn |
| Sp |
spring |
| Wi |
winter |
| Su |
summer |
| Bl |
blossom |
| M |
moon |
| Lv |
love |
| NwYr |
new year |
