The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches

by Basho, Matsuo (Author); Yuasa, Noboyuki (Translator); Yuasa, Noboyuki (Introduction by)

• ISBN13: 9780140441857
• ISBN10: 0140441859
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1967-02-01
• Publisher: Penguin Classics

Summary

in his perfectly crafted haiku poems, Basho described the natural world with great simplicity and delicacy of feeling. When he composed The Narrow Road to the Deep North he was a serious student of Zen Buddhism setting off on a series of travels designed to strip away the trappings of the material world and bring spiritual enlightenment. He wrote of the seasons changing, of the smell of the rain, the brightness of the moon and the beauty of the waterfall, through which he sensed the mysteries of the universe. These travel writings not only chronicle Basho's perilous journeys through Japan, but they also capture his vision of eternity in the transient world around him.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	7	(2)
Introduction	9	(42)
THE RECORDS OF A WEATHER-EXPOSED SKELETON	51	(14)
A VISIT TO THE KASHIMA SHRINE	65	(6)
THE RECORDS OF A TRAVEL-WORN SATCHEL	71	(20)
A VISIT TO SARASHINA VILLAGE	91	(6)
THE NARROW ROAD TO THE DEEP NORTH	97	(48)
Map 1. Central Japan	145	(1)
Map 2. Central Japan	146	(1)
Map 3. Northern Japan	147	(2)
Notes	149