Death Poems
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Throughout most of Japan’s history poetry played a large part in the process of death. A jisei is a death poem, a poem that any person on their deathbed was encouraged to write. While if you were a samurai, according to the bushido code of honor, if you wanted to die with honor and not at the hands of your enemy, if you had dishonored yourself or fellow samurai, or if your master had died you would commit the ritual of seppuku. Seppuku is a ceremony (if not committed on the battle field) in which a samurai is bathed, dressed in a white robe, and fed his favorite meal followed by being placed in a small public circle where they would take a small sword or wakizashi and place it in front of the samurai. At this time the samurai would begin to read his jisei quietly to himself. When he had finished reading his poem he would reach forward taking the wakizashi and stabbing it into his abdomen cutting left to right. At this time an appointed Kaishakunin (usually a friend or skilled swordsman) would use a katanna to behead the samauri ending his life and the seppuku ceromoney. Whether an ordinary jesei or a jisei used during a seppuku, death poems of any sort are one of the most powerful pieces of literature composed. This critical essay aims to prove that a jisei more than any other type of poem can show the reader immense amounts of insight into the authors life through the great quality of the words not the quantity.
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In 1360 Kozan Ichikyo was nearing his death, on the morning of his death he wrote his jesei.
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“ Empty handed I enter the world
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Barefoot I leave it.
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My coming, my going
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Two simple happenings
Throughout most of Japan’s history poetry played a large part in the process of death. A jisei is a death poem, a poem that any person on their deathbed was encouraged to write. While if you were a samurai, according to the bushido code of honor, if you wanted to die with honor and not at the hands of your enemy, if you had dishonored yourself or fellow samurai, or if your master had died you would commit the ritual of seppuku. Seppuku is a ceremony (if not committed on the battle field) in which a samurai is bathed, dressed in a white robe, and fed his favorite meal followed by being placed in a small public circle where they would take a small sword or wakizashi and place it in front of the samurai. At this time the samurai would begin to read his jisei quietly to himself. When he had finished reading his poem he would reach forward taking the wakizashi and stabbing it into his abdomen cutting left to right. At this time an appointed Kaishakunin (usually a friend or skilled swordsman) would use a katanna to behead the samauri ending his life and the seppuku ceromoney. Whether an ordinary jesei or a jisei used during a seppuku, death poems of any sort are one of the most powerful pieces of literature composed. This critical essay aims to prove that a jisei more than any other type of poem can show the reader immense amounts of insight into the authors life through the great quality of the words not the quantity.
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In 1360 Kozan Ichikyo was nearing his death, on the morning of his death he wrote his jesei.
-------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------
“ Empty handed I enter the world
-------------------------------------------------
Barefoot I leave it.
-------------------------------------------------
My coming, my going
-------------------------------------------------
Two simple happenings