The Journal of Socho

by H. Mack Horton (Translator), Saiokuken Socho

The Journal of Socho is one of the most individual self-portraits in the literary history of medieval Japan. Its author, Saiokuken Socho (1448-1532)―the preeminent linked-verse ( renga ) poet of his time―was an eyewitness to Japan's violent transition from the medieval to the early modern age. Written between 1522 and 1527, during the Age of the Country at War ( Sengoku jidai ), his journal provides a vivid portrayal of cultural life in the capital and in the provinces, together with descriptions of battles and great warrior families, the dangers of travel through war-torn countryside, and the plight of the poor. The journal records four of Socho's journeys between Kyoto and Suruga Province, where he served as the poet laureate of the Imagawa house, as well as several shorter excursions and periods of rest at various hermitages. The diverse upbringing of its author―a companion of nobles and warlords, a student of the orthodox poetic neoclassicism of the renga master Sogi, and a devotee of the iconoclastic Zen prelate Ikkyu―afforded him rich insights into the cultural life of the period. The Journal of Socho is remarkable for its breadth and freshness of observation, whether of the activities of literary men and the affairs of great courtiers and daimyo or of the daily lives of local warriors and commoners. This variety of cultural detail is matched by the journal's wealth of prose travel diary, eremitic writing, historical chronicle, conversation, and correspondence. In addition, Socho has given us more than 600 verses that together illustrate most of the principal poetic genres of the renga , waka , choka , wakan renku , and comic or unorthodox haikai verses.

Genres: Japanese Literature, Poetry

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Ocean G · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a pleasure to sit back and read Socho's musings and poems as a way to unwind. I do wish he had included more detail about his travel rather than travails, but I enjoyed the overall feel of the book.

Interestingly, I had bookmarked several of his poems and hokkus, but upon re-reading them I can't say they did much for me, until I re-read the circumstances under which they were written. They really reflect what he had been going through, and his feelings at the time.

I also found myself reading more of the notes, which comprise about 50% of the book, than I usually do.

If you don't expect too much from this book other than a pleasurable read from one of history's greatest linked-verse poets, then it won't disappoint.

[Paul H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Surprisingly weak -- stale poetic verse, lots of complaining about old age, repetitive and unilluminating journal entries, etc. A few good poems (the hokku especially) but nowhere near the quality of Sogi, Shotetsu, Shinkei et al.