Haikai sanjūrokkasen 俳諧三十六歌僊
FSC-GR-780.793

Commentary by Tashiro Kazuha
Posted July 13, 2017
Original unedited text in Japanese follows

This volume, published in 1799 (Kansei 11) to mark the seventeenth anniversary of the death of the Edo-period painter and haikai poet Yosa Buson, translates the artist’s text and image into book form. The preface explains that following Buson’s death the manuscript for what would become this book was discovered among his discarded writings. It also suggests that because the term kasen 歌仙(master poet) refers to masters of waka poetry, this volume—equivalent to a haikai anthology of “Thirty-six Master Poets” (Sanjūrokkasen 三十六歌仙)—should perhaps be titled Haisenshū 俳仙集 (Anthology of haikai masters). [1]

Each half-folio portrays a haikai poet and one of his or her representative poems. The illustrations are made endearing with Buson’s characteristically round, sketch-like portrayal of the figures. The poets are seen from various positions—some from the back, while others glance to the side or to the viewer—and this has the feel of the haikai anthology Kyūsoku kasen (休息歌仙; 1665) by Nonoguchi Ryūho (1595–1669).　

The thirty-six haikai masters featured are: (Takarai) Kikaku (其角); (Hattori) Ransetsu (嵐雪); (Morikawa) Kyoriku (許六); (Sugiyama) Sanpū (杉風); (Iwata) Ryōto (涼莵); (Kawai) Sora (曽良); (Matsukura) Ranran (嵐蘭); (Esa) Shōhaku (尚白); (Mikami) Senna (千那); (Kōno) Riyū (李由); (Hirose) Izen (惟然); (Okada) Yasui (野水); (Miyazaki) Keikō (荊口); (Kawai) Chigetsu (智月); (Amano) Tōrin (桃隣); Rōka (浪化); (Nozawa) Bonchō (凡兆); Tōkabō (東花坊); (Kagami) Shikō (支考); (Mukai)Kyorai (去来); (Naitō) Jōsō (丈草); (Takeda) Yaba (野坡); (Sawa) Rosen (露川); (Hattori) Tohō (土芳); (Tachibana) Hokushi (北枝); (Mizuta) Masahide (正秀); (Suganuma) Kyokusui (曲翠); (Hamada) Shadō (洒堂); (Kubota) Ensui (猿雖); (Tsuboi) Tokoku (杜国); (Mochizuki) Bokusetsu (木節); (Kawai) Otokuni (乙洲); (Ochi) Etsujin (越人); (Okamoto) Taiso (苔蘇); (Kondō) Jokō (如行); (Enami) Shara (舎羅); and (Yamaguchi) Sodō (素堂). Except for Sodō, all of these poets were followers of the celebrated haiku poet Matsuo Bashō松尾芭蕉(1644–1694). It is noteworthythat Bashō, himself a haikai master (haisen), is not included in this volume; perhaps he was viewed as being somewhat in a class by himself.

This volume is printed in light gray scales, yellow, reddish brown, and green. However, less elaborate printings in black sumi ink also existed that were most likely broadly distributed.

書名　俳諧三十六歌僊
執筆者田代一葉

編者の蕪村（1716～1783）は、江戸時代の俳人であり、絵師。本書は、絵、書ともに蕪村の筆として、蕪村没後１６年を経て刊行された模刻本。寛政11年は、蕪村の17回忌にあたる。

序によると、蕪村の没後、反古の中から本書の原本に当たるものが発見されたとあり、また、歌仙とは、本来、歌の達人のことなので、その俳諧版の本書は俳仙集とでも名付けるべきかともある［1］。
本文は、半丁（1ページ）につき1人の俳人の肖像と、その人物の代表的な句を一句掲げる。絵は、蕪村独特の丸みを帯びたほのぼのとした雰囲気漂うものであり、後ろ向きや斜めに顔を向けるものなど、さまざまな方向を見ていて、立圃の｢休息歌仙｣のような打ち解けた感じもある。　
三十六歌仙にあげられている俳諧師は、掲載順に次のとおり。其角・嵐雪・許六・杉風・涼莵・曽良・嵐蘭・尚白・千那・李由・惟然・野水・荊口・智月・桃隣・浪化・凡兆・東花坊・去来・丈草・野坡・露川・土芳・北枝・正秀・曲翠・洒堂・猿雖・杜国・木節・乙洲・越人・苔蘇・如行・舎羅・素堂で、これらの俳諧師は、素堂以外、芭蕉の門人であり、俳聖とも表される芭蕉は入っていない。別格扱いということなのであろう。
なお、本書は、薄墨や黄色、赤茶色、緑など色摺りであるが、墨摺りのみの簡素な版もあり、広く流布されていたことがうかがえる。

Selected readings:
Kira Sueo雲英末雄, Haisho no hanashi 『俳書の話』, Nihon shoshigaku taikei 60『日本書誌学大系』(Tokyo: Seishōdō Shoten, 1989).
Kira Sueo雲英末雄, Haisho no sekai『俳書の世界』, Nihon shoshigaku taikei 84　『日本書誌学大系』(Tokyo: Seishōdō Shoten, 1999).

Ogata Tsutomo尾形仂et al., Nenpyō・shiryō 『年譜・資料』, vol. 9 (2009), Buson zenshū 『蕪村全集』, 9 vols. (Tokyo: Kōdansha, 1992–2009).

Copies in other collections:
Keiō University, Tokyo
Komazawa University, Tokyo
Kunstindustrimuseet, Copenhagen
Kyushu University Library, Fukuoka
Musée des arts et métiers, Paris
National Diet Library, Tokyo
Ryukoku University, Kyoto
Tokyo University of the Arts, University Library
Tokyo Metropolitan Central Library
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Tokyo

[1] The external title of this volume is Haikai sanjūrokkasen 俳諧三十六歌僊, but the title appearing in the preface is in fact Haisenshū 俳仙集.　