Book Description
Originally published in 1985 in a limited edition, this selection of haiku by Issa, the great nineteenth-century Japanese poet, is translated by Nanao Sakaki, the legendary contemporary Japanese poet. Widely regarded as one of the four haiku masters of Japan, Issa is much loved for his compassion and humorous sense of equality with the natural world. Don't swat the fly who begs your pardon wringing his hands and legs Each poem is rendered in Sakaki's handwriting in both English and Kanji and includes Romanji text as well. The translations are among the freshest and most concise renditions of Issa's haiku. Also included is an interview with Sakaki about the life, wanderings, and work of Issa as well as the ongoing tradition embodied by his poems. Beautifully designed, this book is a treasure for admirers both of Issa and of Nanao Sakaki. Inch by inch little snail creep up and up Mt. Fuji


From the Publisher
Published by La Alameda Press Distributed by University of New Mexico Press


About the Author
Issa Kobayashi (1763-1827) lived in Edo (Tokyo) and occasionally traveled as a vagabond poet.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

"Kobayashi Issa (1763-1827)was born in Kashiwabara village, Shinano, Japan. His family members were middle class farmers and serious Buddhists of the Pure Land Sect. Not gifted with genius, but honestly holding his experience deep in his heart, he kept his simplicity and humanity" — Nanao Sakaki, translator of Inch By Inch.

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