Lightness - Calmness

The literary ideal of Basho Haikai. It is also called "karumi," "karuki," or "kei." It is a word that shows a positive evaluation of "omomi," "omoki," and "juu." Basho was silent about "sabi," but he often made positive statements about "karemi," beginning with his letter to Kyorai dated May 7, 1692 (Genroku 5), in which he wrote, "I have never thought of the question of karumi, such as the newness of it." However, as Basho's disciple Kyoriku said in Haikai Mondo, "There are interesting places that cannot be expressed in words or by pen, and that is what is called karushi" (Karushi). It seems that it was difficult even for people in the Basho cultural sphere to express the meaning of the word accurately. Basho explains this using a metaphor: "The way I think now is like looking at a shallow river of sand; both the form and the sentiment behind the verse are light" (Betsuzashiki). We can see that "lightness" refers to both the form of the verse and the sentiment behind it, that is, both the expressive aspect and the poetic realm. This is a concept born from Basho's artistic realm in his later years, when he aimed to overcome "sabi." In response to his own verse, "At the base of the tree, the soup and the pickled fish are all cherry blossoms," Basho says, "I have gained some of the thrust of a verse about cherry blossom viewing, and have made it light" (Sanzoshi).

[Ichiro Fukumoto]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

芭蕉俳諧(ばしょうはいかい)の文芸理念。「かろみ」「かるき」「軽(けい)」ともいう。「おもみ」「おもき」「重(じゅう)」に対しての正の評価を示す語。芭蕉は「さび」に対しては寡黙であったが、「軽み」に対しては、1692年（元禄5）5月7日付去来宛書簡の「なかなか新しみなどかろみの詮議(せんぎ)思ひもよらず」を最初として、しばしば積極的な発言を繰り返している。しかし、芭蕉の弟子の許六(きょりく)が「言葉にも筆にものべがたき所に、ゑもいはれぬ面白所(おもしろきところ)あるを、かるしとはいふ也(なり)」（俳諧問答）といっているように、その意味内容を的確に表現することは、芭蕉文化圏の人々にとっても困難であったようである。芭蕉は、「今思ふ体は浅き砂川を見るごとく句の形、付心(つけごころ)ともに軽きなり」（別座鋪(べつざしき)）と、譬喩(ひゆ)をもって説いている。「軽み」が、「句の形」と「付心」、すなわち、表現面と詩境の両方に対していわれたものであることがわかる。「さび」の超克を目ざした芭蕉晩年の芸境から生まれた理念である。芭蕉は自句「木のもとは汁も鱠(なます)もさくら哉(かな)」に対して「花見の句の、かかりを少し得て、軽みをしたり」（三冊子(さんぞうし)）と語っている。

［復本一郎］

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