relatively quiet months, a new hut was built for him, and he became busy again as a haikai master.
In 1693, Basho’s nephew named Toin that he had looked after for many years, became ill, moved in with Basho, and died in April. Basho began to take
care of Jutei, a woman with three children. In August he closed his gate to visitors. In 1694 he began a journey to the southwest in June in poor health. Two
anthologies of his school were published, The Detached Room Betsuzashiki and A sack of Charcoal Sumidawara. On November 28, while in Osaka he died
Bahmil, 2004: 9. According to Bahmil, Basho’s Journey is a journey of a religious
atmosphere, and the religiosity of Basho’s had expressed in his haiku. The journey that was done by Basho was a one of the cultures of Japanese people that called
sabi. The sabi or loneliness is an experience of unity with the nature. The principal goal of Basho was to achieve a unity of feeling and scene. Basho’s sabi
was a quality inherent in scene such as autumn evening as well as a feeling experienced by the refined poet Bahmil, 2004: 10.
Bahmil added, that the experiences of Basho as guides for what can and should be experienced when people see bird, tree, or scene. In this way, Basho’s
haiku suggests spiritual experience. Basho was similar to sages in Asian spiritual traditions who embody the experience of a deep insight Bahmil, 2004: 10.
D. Theoretical Framework
The process of analysis will be in the frame of theories of imagery and theories of metaphor. Basho’s Haiku will be analyzed to get clear understanding
that Basho’s Haiku has Zen Buddhism ideas inside the Haiku. The theories and the review on Basho
’s biography used in analysis, for finding the relation between Basho’s personal life and the ideas in his Haiku.
25
CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY
A. Object of the Study
Primary source is the book of Basho’s Haiku Selected Poems translated by
Landis Bahmill, published in 2004 by State University of New York. The secondary source is Zen and Japanese culture by DT. Suzuki, published in 1988 by Princeton
University Press, New York. The theory of imagery is taken from A Glossary of Literary Terms sixth edition by Abrams, published in 1993, by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Orlando. The theory of metaphor is taken from Metaphors we live by by George Lakoff and Mark Johnsen, published in 2003 by The University of Chicago Press.
Also Basho’s Haiku that are translated into English.
There are six Haiku written by Basho that will be analyzed in this study and they are tak
en from the book by Landis Bahmil who translated Basho’s Haiku into English version entitled
Basho’s Haiku Selected Poems of Matsuo Basho and a work taken from Zen and Japanese culture by DT. Suzuki. Those six Haiku were
not entitled as mentioned before that Haiku usually has no specific title on it. The first Haiku is about the frog the is jumping into the pond. This poem
was written in Spring 1686, before Basho started his journey around Japan Bahmil, 2004: xii. This poem is popular among buddhist scholar in Japan.
The second Haiku was written in Spring 1689 contained the story of prostitutes that sleeping, bush clover scenery, and moon scenery. Basho wrote the
sleeping prostitutes in a house. It was written when Basho left Edo in May for a very long journey to the north country and the west coast of Japan, which became
the basis for his next series of poems Bahmil, 2004: xii. The third Haiku was written in Autumn 1689, when Basho was standing
on the Western shores of Japan looking out upon the night sea. He was pausing on his long journey to th
e “deep north” of Japan, and he could hear the crashing of the waves. Bahmil, 2004: i. The Haiku was told of story of beautiful scene of
stormy sea and the aurora. The fourth Haiku was written in Summer 1690, when Basho lived in the
hut near the Lake named Biwa Bahmil, 2004: xii. He lived alone near the lake and in his loneliness, he wrote
something that is the sound of cicada’s cry. In Autumn 1690 he wrote another poem of a dragonfly, when he started to
move from his hut to a village Bahmill, 2004: xii. He moved to the village of Ueno. He saw dragonflies flew around the village, and he saw a dragonfly try to
hold on a grass blade. Someday in Spring 1691 he wrote a poem again, when he spent time in
May at the Villa of Persimmons to write Saga diary, one poem of Saga diary is about the life of the cherry trees. Those six Haiku will be analyzed by using
theory of metaphor and theory of imagery, and will be viewed through biographical approach.
B. Approach of the Study
According to Guerin in the book entitled A Handbook of Critical Approaches, biographical approach sees the literary works chiefly, if not
exclusively, he mentioned that to sees a literary works with biographical approach is to see the works
as a reflection of its author’s life and times or the life and times of the characters in the works 2011:44. Biographical approach used for finding
the relation between the works and the author’s life. Actually, poets have, from earliest times, been historians. the interpreters of contemporary culture, and the
prophets of their people. It shows that poets concern themselves with social themes Guerin, 2011:45.
For this case Basho concerned about the situation of Japanese people and saw the true condition of Japan, as he saw and wrote about the prostitutes. It
seems reasonable, then, to employ biographical analyses among other methods such as textual study and recognition of genre in getting at the meaning of a
literary work when the work seems to call for them. Guerin, 2011:61. In brief, the focus of biographical approach, is upon the life, times, and environment of the
author andor the literary characters.
C. Method of the Study
This study is a study of library research base. It means all sources and activities of the study are based on text analysis. The first step of analysis is
explicating the poems, identifying the imageries and metaphors of Basho’s Haiku.
The writer explained the meaning of the imageries and metaphors of Basho’s