O’Sensei performs misogi in the mountains…
Sprinkled by spring waters,
The rocky crag’s voice:
How perfectly pure and clear it falls,
– Also when no-one is there.
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Basho meditates and performs misogi behind Hidden View Falls on Sunlight Mountain…
For a while
In a waterfall
I seclude myself –
The first-rites of Summer…
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…a mountain waterfall…
Tumbling down a rocky crag
the water filling a deep blue-green
– misogi!!!
– Santoka
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To see you do misogi…
Genji to Asagao:
I saw the river-waves change their shape
and rising and falling
lift your misogi weeds of wisteria vine,
tear them off you
and float them away…
Asagao to Genji:
These wisteria weeds…
I put them on yesterday,
or so it seems…
today, doing misogi,
I find it is my world has changed…
- – – from the Genji Monogatari
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…by Nishigo falls in Yoshino…
…amidst the rushing water
are there yellow mountain-rose petals falling?
… a waterfall’s sound …
– – – Basho
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…on Sunlight Mountain(2)…
…a Japanese cuckoo chirps,
that little cave in back of
Hidden View Falls…
– – – Basho
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The sun is coming up:
and now…
what shall we do in this heat???
Our hearts over-joyed,
to have gotten this lovely piece of dirt…
In a tiny boat,
that a single stroke
would send to the other bank…
…our friend is in the river, chanting,
while we take care of his clothes…
– – – Shusen, Kido, Kakei and Shoheki from ‘Cockle-gatherers’ in Waste Lands
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ah… traveling crow,
New Year’s misogi in Edo…???
… n o w you are old!!!
– – – Basho
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In the river… all alone…
darkness and grief are flowing away…
…and the fireflies!!!
– – – Chiyu
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…midnight misogi in Spring…
…night haze…
and the sake has flowed…
the moon on the waterfall…
– – – Issa
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Basho at Saigyo’s spring on Mount Yoshino – – –
tok! – tok! – in dew…
I try
to wash away the floating world…
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…sparrow misogi!!!…
Dewdrops scatter!
a sparrow sings
of a better life to come…
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Moss in clear water:
just a few pigeons!…
…and come on sparrows!
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That rabble of sparrows
have scattered it, playing:
the water in the heart of the lotus
– – – Issa
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…sparrow misogi for the Lunar New Year…
The snow is melting!!!…
and at the gate…sparrows
are doing their New Year’s misogi…
– – – Issa
Come on sparrows!!!
at the edges it’s melting:
the snow at the gate!
– – – Issa
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…early Spring misogi…
…and as my proxy
in the icy water splashing about –
a sparrow!
– – – Issa
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Basho performs misogi at Ise
Well, here we are naked,
But it’s only February
And a wild, whipping storm.
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Basho performs misogi a few months later
In the blowing wind
A fish is flying:
ah, misogi!
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…kangori ya!…
It’s winter misogi time –
and this is how we’re going to do your shrine visit:
one big bucket of water!…
– – – Buson
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…New Year’s misogi!…
The bucket is new
but it’s the same old –
same cold water!
– – – Issa
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Winter misogi –
and I’m up to my neck in…
…moon on the water!!!
– – – Issa
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In cold water
sipping –
the River of Stars
– – – Issa
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…kangori ya!!!…
Winter misogi!!!
Fudo’s blazing fire
is frozen in the night…
– – – Shiki
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…koyuki mau…
light snow dancing
to a misogi drum…
…hatsu-ratsu…hatsu-ratsu…
– – – Yoshio Wada
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Four young gods
doing salt-water misogi!!!
…in the deepest cold…
– – – Yoshio Wada
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…a-a-a-a-h!!!…
winter misogi! – – –
frozen in the spray – – –
a sparkling white funadosh’…
– – – Yoshio Wada
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Deepest winter
on the Tsugaru Straits – – –
– – and look!!! – a misogi beach!!!
– – – Yoshio Wada
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With six foot funadosh’ –
– – four real men!!! – – – shugyou-sha!!! – –
– – – and winter misogi!!!
– – – Yoshio Wada
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…taki no oto…
On a cold, cold night
pouring straight into the sea –
a waterfall – – – listen!!!…
– – – Kyokusui
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…shimenawa ni…
The fresh shimenawa…
…all hung with icicles!!!
…deep… …deep… winter misogi…
– – – Yoshio Wada
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…remembering winter misogi???…
…the moon on the surface of the cold river
transparent like a mirror – – –
– Miyamoto Musashi
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Squatting,
the priest salutes the earth…
… misogi!!!…
– – – Buson
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…damp earth, dcattered salt…
By the sacred fence
is a horse being dragged along…
The Day of the Snake
misogi rites are over –
just a shimenawa!
– – – Shinsho
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…Issa’s haiku on misogi…
Happiness!
Misogi at night
under the river of stars!
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From ancient times
Has the wind always been this way? – – –
– – – evening misogi – – –
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In truth
the wind is gentler now – – –
– – – the misogi river – – –
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Herons, crows, sparrows – – –
and the water’s
just a l i t t l e warmer!
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Even the warbler
is getting deluged in water –
ah, misogi!
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Ten or so frogs –
and they’re making a line…
…ah! misogi!
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Evening misogi:
the bamboo’s gotten wet –
and that’s enough!
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…Kamogawa ni…
In the Kamogawa River
the sun has set, it’s deep, deep dusk…
… ah!!!… ah!!!… ….misogi!!!
– – – Kokyo Murayama
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…sunset on the Jewel River…
Bush clover –
now such waves of color –
evening misogi
– – – Issa
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Bucket misogi!!!
and nowhere to dump it out – – –
– – – insects – singing all around…
– – – Onitsura
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…wise words from the would-be hermit of Imamiya…
My water practice has become
not-daily:
Autumn voices of insects…
– Raizan
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…on a pilgrimage to mount Omine…
From all over my body
the dust of words
is washed away
and my heart is washed clean
at Three Boulder Falls
– – – Saigyo
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Evening primroses…
…and autumn breezes make them sway…
……misogi river…
– – – Buson
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…Issa’s family watch misogi…
– – – and with my little girl
the cat comes creeping up:
ah! misogi!
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…on the sacred river at Nara…
The wind gets colder
in the gathering darkness
on Oak Creek –
and only the people doing misogi
tell us it is Summer
– – – Fujiwara no Teika
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…Issa and the frogs…
All you frogs!
what’s with the grummet-grummeting?
evening misogi…
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…oh! so Mr. Toad crawls out
to grace us with his presence?
…ah, yes! misogi!!!
– – – Issa
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…butterfly misogi!!!…
In the white sand misogi garden
a lost
black swallowtail
stands shakily…shakily…
gasping for breath
– – – Hirohiko Okano
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…sunlight, trees, river…
Bright like a precious jewel,
the sunny, tree-lined river
where I perform misogi:
and I do it more than anything
for the woman that I love…
– – – from the Manyoshu
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…misogi robes, drying in the sun…
Spring is past
and summer here, it seems:
all those white robes
set out to dry
on the sacred mountain…
– – – Empress Jito
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…misogi at Karasaki…
I did misogi:
feeling that
at any moment my shadow might vanish: – – –
– – – in Shiga’s waves,
yes, I did wet my sleeves
– – – Princess Shikishi
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…Daisozu Gembin leaves the capital…
In Miwa’s
clear waters
I have washed myself clean –
and the sleeves of my robe
I will sully no more
– – – Abbot Gembin
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Misogi at Oak Creek…
I do misogi –
and in Oak Creek
into the river breezes
I send out a prayer –
that what has happened may not die.
– – – Princess Yashiro
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Misogi in the Asuka River at Nara…
Because of you
Things have grown so entangled:
In the old capital
In the Asuka River
I am going – to do misogi.
– – – presented by Princess Yashiro to the Emperor