2011 Narrow Roads Contest

Apr 2, 201110 min read

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Published: Apr 2, 2011

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"Moon and sun are passing figures of countless generations, and years coming or going wanderers too. Drifting life away on a boat or meeting age leading a horse by the mouth, each day is a journey and the journey itself home. Amongst those of old were many that perished upon the journey. So — when was it — I, drawn like blown cloud, couldn’t stop dreaming of roaming, roving the coast up and down, back at the hut last fall by the river side, sweeping cobwebs off, a year gone and misty skies of spring returning, yearning to go over the Shirakawa Barrier, possessed by the wanderlust, at wits’ end, beckoned by Dosojin, hardly able to keep my hand to any thing, mending a rip in my momohiki, replacing the cords in my kasa, shins no sooner burnt with moxa than the moon at Matsushima rose to mind and how, my former dwelling passed on to someone else on moving to Sampu’s summer house,

    the grass door too
    turning into
    a doll’s house

(from the eight omote) set on a post of the hut."

— by Matsuo Basho, translated by Cid Corman and Kamaike Susumu (Back Roads to Far Towns, 1968)

Thus begins Matsuo Basho's Narrow Road to the Deep North (奥の細道 Oku no Hosomichi), a record of his journey through the backlands of Japan.  Basho set off in the spring of 1689 with his friend and disciple Sora.  In Basho's day, the land of Oku (奥), literally "Within", was the back of beyond in Japan, where farmers eked out a meager living and bandits and hermits roamed in the mountains. Well aware of the dangers awaiting him, Basho fully expected to never return, selling his house and preparing a will.  Leaving Edo (old Tokyo) they traveled (map) through the highlands north of the capital to Sendai and Ishinomaki, westward to Sakata on the coast of the Sea of Japan, and then south along the coast until they turned inland again, near Kyoto, towards Lake Biwa.  The Narrow Road is a key work in Japanese literature.  Poet Kenji Miyazawa suggested, "It was as if the very soul of Japan had itself written it".  Many people continue to follow in Basho's footsteps to this day.  Let's join them.

Rules

Over the next five months create a travelogue using any combination of original haibun and haiga to describe a journey.  The journey could be to a favorite local spot, a family vacation, or some personal journey of your own, but it should tell a story over a series of five or more works.  Haiga may utilize any visual media but we encourage you to try your hand at Japanese and Chinese calligraphy and brush painting (see our friends at Red-Seal for examples).  Remember to mention the form you chose and include a reference to this contest and journal entry in your deviation comments.  Then submit your deviations to our Contest Entries Gallery.  Each of your works will be added under your travelogue in our journal so that others can walk with you on your journey.

If you have not participated in a contest here before please consider starting now.  We are here to cultivate and encourage each other while having fun!  Check out our Events Board for information on current and upcoming activities.

Deadline

All entries must be received by September 10th!

Discussion

Whether you submit an entry or not, feel free to join the discussion by leaving a comment below. You never know, you might inspire someone or perhaps even yourself! Tell us about a journey you've taken that inspired or changed you in a positive way.

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Mention our events in your journals and our contest news article.
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Join Our Participants

steps on the road by

the journey by

one girl's pilgrimage by

朧気歴程 / oboroge rekitei / misty passage by

to lose ourselves by

the world that houses us all by

there and back again by

united states summer 2011 by

parts 1 - 5 haibun

love: uncharted territory by

wanderings of a student by

Remember to give them some love!

Judges

somnomollior
almcdermid
saiun

If you are interested in being a judge for this contest let us know.

Volunteering as a judge earns you Contributor status.

Prizes

First Place will receive:

A copy of Back Roads to Far Towns: Basho's Oku-No-Hosomichi, translated by Cid Corman and Kamaike Susumu donated by saiun
A llama, journal feature, news feature, and a well constructed comment on any deviations of the winner's choosing by ParadoxSketchbook. The comment is offered through the Commenter system set by .