By Shōsō Otsuni
1803
Donated by Yushiba Muneo
Shōsō Otsuni (1756-1823) was a haiku poet from Shiroishi in present-day Miyagi Prefecture. Born and registered as Iwama Kiyō, he learned the art of haikai (comic linked verse) from his father, the chief priest of Senju-in, and looked up to Matsuo Bashō and Yosa Buson. He later went to Edo (present-day Tokyo), mingling with literati such as Takebe Chō and developing a gentle yet profound style of haiku.
The haiku he composed in 1803 when he visited the poet Tokoyoda Chōsui in Sakata is written here.