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Kobayashi Issa

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Poet

The Resume

    (June 15, 1763-November 19, 1827)
    Born in Nagano Prefecture, Japan
    Birth name was Kobayashi Nobuyuki
    Considered one of Japan's four haiku masters, along with Basho, Buson and Shiki
    Wrote over 20,000 haiku
    Wrote the autobiographical 'The Spring of My Life,' combining prose and haiku

Why he might be annoying:

    His pen name, Issa, means 'One cup of tea.'
    He had a long-running feud with his stepmother and stepbrother over his father's estate.
    He was two to three decades older than each of his three wives.
    His second wife left him in less than a month.
    He wrote over a hundred haiku about fleas.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He outlived his first wife and four of his children.
    His house was destroyed in a fire (1827).
    He was also a prolific painter.
    His affectionate poems about animals and insects are widely learned by Japanese schoolchildren.
    One of his haiku is included in J.D. Salinger's novel 'Franny and Zooey.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 15 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying