The Narrow Road to Oku

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In The Narrow Road to Oku, Basho embarks on a 150-day journey, covering 600 ri on foot, showcasing his remarkable endurance at the age of forty. This journey took place three centuries ago, a time when travelers averaged 9 ri per day, making Basho's trek all the more impressive. Today, with modern transportation, it’s hard to fathom the experience of "drifting with the clouds and streams," and "lodging under trees and on bare rocks." The text, though under 50 pages, feels much longer, evoking awe for Basho's 2,450-kilometer adventure. I chose this work as the theme for my exhibition celebrating thirty years as an artist, drawn by my long-standing interest in illustrating Japanese literature. However, I soon realized the complexity of this task. Last year, I illustrated 54 pictures for Tanizaki Jun'ichiro's translation of The Tale of Genji, a significant challenge given my personal connection to the author. Unlike selecting a "face" for each chapter, illustrating each haiku in Basho's work required distilling meaning into a single "dot." One misinterpretation could disconnect the image from Basho's spirit, making it merely an illustration. I meticulously analyzed each 17-syllable poem, hoping to capture the "kotadama," or miraculous power of words. Basho, a pioneer of travel literature, expressed the essence of elegance in journeying, and I aspire to reflect even a fragment of his vision in my art.