A Brief History of Haiga
        

 by Stephen Addiss

     Discussions Under a Mosquito Net by Takebe Socho (1761-1814)
 

The form of poem-painting called haiga  has been a medium of visual expression almost since the emergence of haiku poetry. We have no direct evidence of haiga’s first occurrence, but because a great number of haiku represent visual images, and also considering that poems and images in Japan were created with the same brush and ink, it must have been a natural step to add paintings to haiku. However, they are two very distinct forms of expression, with different capabilities and potentials, leading to a number of interesting questions. How did Japanese masters reconcile or play upon these differences? Most important, how did the addition of visual images reinforce, add to, or change the meanings of the poems?  
      Nonoguchi (Hinaya) Ryuho (1595–1669) is sometimes cited as the originator of haiga, in part because he inscribed upon one of his later scrolls that around the age of sixty he began a new practice of painting; whether or not he specifically meant haiga is not clear. His works, however, are not typical haiga because he usually adds considerably more text than just the haiku poem, and his calligraphy is not often visually integrated with the image.
      Haiga, like haiku itself, became a major form of artistic expression with Matsuo Basho (1644–1694). His modest paintings do not seek to impress viewers with technical prowess, bright colors, or bold brushwork, but they set the tone for most haiga that was to follow. The most important later poet-artist was Yosa Buson (1716–1784) who was a master painter. Some of his scrolls go beyond the simplicity and modesty established by Basho, turning haiga into a more purely painterly medium. This led to two consequences. First, haiga became a form of art that was enjoyed by a larger audience than before. Second, haiga developed into a genre that could be practiced by professional artists, whether or not they were themselves poets. Nevertheless, haiku masters continued to add images to their poems, often in the most seemingly artless manner, and therefore we may see after the time of Buson two main streams of haiga: those by painters and those by poets. Haiga made jointly by a painter and a poet also became common, although the most unified works were usually created by a single person.
      Certain features distinguish haiga from other forms of Japanese painting. First is visual simplicity. Although this simplicity may be less notable in the haiga of professional painters than in those by poets, it is still clear that the images tend to have more limited motifs, fewer brushstrokes, less detail, and more empty space than most other Japanese paintings. Second, the brushwork in haiga tends to be informal and modest, rather than precise and polished. Third, when colors are used, they are usually soft and unobtrusive instead of bright and bold. Finally, the  calligraphy  of  the  poem  is almost always a prominent feature of the composition, completing the visual design rather than merely adding to it.
      Haiga is still a young art in the West, but the principles established in Japan offer a good background for further experimentation and development. It will be fascinating to see how this art evolves in its new home.
 

NOTE: Haiga: Takebe Socho and the Haiku-Painting Tradition by Stephen Addiss is a book-catalog in English devoted to historic Japanese haiga. It may be purchased postpaid by sending $33 in US currency or money order to Stephen Addiss, Art Department, University of Richmond, VA 23113, USA.

Reprinted from Reeds: Contemporary Haiga 2003.  Edina, Minnesota, Lone Egret Press, 2003.

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