Nakai Bokuyo - Nakai Bokuyo

Japanese: 半井卜養 - なからい・ぼくよう

Year of death: 26th December 1679 (7th February 1679)
Year of birth: 1607
A kyoka poet and haiku poet from the Edo period. His real surname was Wake. He was a doctor and also enjoyed literature. At a young age, he enjoyed haiku and kyoka, and formed a troupe in Kyoto with Matsunaga Teitoku and others. By the age of 27, he was already a leading figure in the Sakai haiku world. From around 1636 (Kan'ei 13), he often lived in Edo, where he associated with Saito Tokumoto and Ishida Mitoku, and became a pioneer of the Edo haiku world, earning him the title of one of the five haiku philosophers of the Teimon school. In 1648 (Keian 1), he became the family physician to Matsudaira Tadatsugu, lord of Himeji Castle. In 1653 (Kan'ei 17), he wrote the kana-zoshi "Wayaku Monogatari." In 1653 (Shoo 2), he was allowed to visit the shogun, and was given a residence in Teppozu. From this time on, his kyoka activities became more active, and he exchanged gifts with various daimyo, including Kutsuki Tanetsuna and Sakai Tadayasu. As can be seen in the "Bokuyo Kyokashu," the merit of his kyoka lies in its improvisation rather than in its phrasing or tone.

(Yutaka Sonoda)

Source: Asahi Japanese Historical Biography: Asahi Shimbun Publications Inc. About Asahi Japanese Historical Biography

Japanese:

没年：延宝6.12.26(1679.2.7)
生年：慶長12(1607)
江戸時代の狂歌作者,俳人。本姓は和気氏。医者の傍ら文事を好んだ。若くして俳諧,狂歌に遊び,京都で松永貞徳らと一座した。27歳のころには,すでに堺俳壇の第一人者であった。寛永13(1636)年前後より,しばしば江戸に住して,斎藤徳元,石田未得らと交わり,江戸俳壇の草分けとなり,貞門の五俳哲のひとりに称された。慶安1(1648)年に姫路城主松平忠次の家医となる。寛永17年仮名草子『和薬物語』を著す。承応2(1653)年将軍に見参を許され,鉄砲洲に居宅を賜った。このころより狂歌活動が盛んになり,朽木稙綱,酒井忠能ら諸大名と贈答を行った。その狂歌は『卜養狂歌集』にみられるように措辞,格調よりも即興性に妙がある。

(園田豊)

出典　朝日日本歴史人物事典：（株）朝日新聞出版朝日日本歴史人物事典について　情報

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