Ozaki Hosai

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Ozaki Hōsai (Japanese: 尾崎放哉, Ozaki Hōsai, 20 January 1885–7 April 1926) was the haigo (haikai pen name) of a Japanese poet of the late Meiji period and Taisho period. The hard-drinking Hōsai witnessed the birth of the modern free-form haiku movement. His verses are permeated with loneliness, most likely a result of the isolation, poverty and poor health of his final years.

[edit] Life

Hōsai was born in Yoshikata (吉方町,Yoshikata-chō), Ofumi (邑美郡,Wofumi-gun) in Tottori prefecture (鳥取県,Tottori-ken), present-day Tachikawa (立川町, Tachikawa-cho), Tottori, Tottori. He was given the name Hideo (秀雄) and lived together with his father, Shinzō (信三), mother, Naka (仲), grandmother, Tsune (津祢), and elder sister, Nami (並). Hōsai's interest in haiku and writing began at an early age, and continued throughout his life.

Hōsai attended the prestigious Tokyo University, graduating on October 16, 1909. During this period he proposed marriage to Yoshie Sawa (沢芳衛), a long-time friend and distant maternal relative. Unfortunately for Hōsai, her older brother opposed the marriage, believing that this maternal connection was too close. Nearly immediately following the failure of this rejection, Hōsai's heavy drinking, which would continue for much of his life, began. Many writers believe that the rejection was the initial cause of his later alcoholism. (Ishi, p. 56) Although he had previously been using the pen name of Hōsai, during this period he gradually shifted from 芳哉 (Hōsai) to 放哉 (Hōsai). This change is perhaps significant, as the former character, which appears in Yoshie's name, changed to one meaning "to release, set free, banish, liberate."

After graduation, Hōsai entered the Nihon Tsūshin Company (日本通信社) in October, 1909, but was fired one month later due to incompetence. The following year, he entered the Tōyō Life Insurance Company (東洋生命保険会社), where for a time he led a seemingly successful career. After several promotions, he married a 19 year-old woman named Kaoru (馨) in 1911. Shortly thereafter, one of his subordinates described Hōsai as "reeking of alcohol beginning each morning." (Ueda, p. 81) During the same period, although all of the other employees wore business suits, Hōsai owned no clothing other than a tuxedo and a pair of pajamas. He wore both to work. (Ueda, p. 82) In spite of this, he was promoted to "Contract Section Chief" (契約課長, keiyaku kachou), likely due to well-placed connections. (Ishi, p. 60) Hōsai's problems with alcohol continued to worsen, and he left Tōyō in 1920 at the age of 36.

[edit] Works

His major works include Big Sky (大空, Daikū), available in an English translation by Hiroaki Sato entitled Right under the big sky, I don't wear a hat (ISBN 1-880656-05-1). Unfortunately, his Collected Works (全集, Zenshū) are not currently available in English translation.