What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to explore how illness is portrayed in the haiku of Masaoka Shiki and Kobayashi Issa.

January 25, 2026

“Scattered in Loneliness”: Illness in the Haiku of Masaoka Shiki and Kobayashi Issa

Key Points

The aim is to explore how illness is portrayed in the haiku of Masaoka Shiki and Kobayashi Issa.
Analyzed the haiku works of Masaoka Shiki and Kobayashi Issa.
Incorporated biographical details of both poets.
Applied concepts from health psychology to interpret the themes.
Identified key thematic elements of illness in both poets' haiku.
Demonstrated how personal suffering influenced their poetic expressions.
Highlighted cultural perspectives on illness within Japanese literature.

Abstract

This paper explores the characteristics and cultural underpinnings of Japanese illness haiku through the works of Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) and Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828), two of Japan’s haiku masters. Shiki, a modern reformer of haiku, suffered from tuberculosis for most of his life and passed away at thirty-five, while Issa’s illness haiku primarily reflect the final days of his father. This study incorporates biographical details and applies insights from health psychology to deepen the analysis.

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