Painting of The Narrow Road to the North

By Yosa Buson

Circa 1777–79

Homma Museum of Art Collection

Around 1777–79, the painter and poet Yosa Buson (1716-83) produced a number of works on the theme of The Narrow Road to the North, a travelogue by his literary hero, Matsuo Bashō. Casually combining words and images on the same visual plane, these works with their lightly coloured washes and elegant, quick brushwork proved highly popular.

Buson referred to these works as ‘haikai mono no souga.’ “Haikai” are what haiku used to be called; “mono” in this context means literature; and “souga” refers to quickly drawn brush painting. These types of paintings later came to be called “haiga,” or “haikai paintings.”