Matsunaga Teitoku

Matsunaga Teitoku^[a] (松永 貞徳; 1570–1653) was a Japanese haikai and waka poet. As a teacher of Teimon Haikai, he spread haikai throughout Japan. He was considered by R H Blyth to be the most important of Matsuo Bashō's predecessors.^[2]

Matsunaga Teitoku
松永 貞徳
Born	1571
Died	1654
Other names	長頭丸 (Tyōzumaru) 逍遊軒 (Syōyūken)
Era	Edo period
Children	Matsunaga Sekigo
Father	Matsunaga Eisyu

Achievements

Teitoku played a significant role in regularising the rules for Haikai, and in raising its importance and status as a genre.^[3] He specialised in elegant wordplay, and in subject-matter reflecting the Chinese classics and waka.^[4]

Through his disciples in the Teimon school, he influenced succeeding generations of haiku poets: thus for example Bashō's first haiku teacher, Kigin, came from his school.^[5]

Criticism

Teitoku's approach was criticised by the Danrin school for shallowness and excessive wordplay.^[6] One member, Bashō himself, is reported to have said of its founder, Nishiyama Sōin, that, if not for him, "we would still be licking the slaver of aged Teitoku".^[7]

See also

• Alexander Pope

Notes

1. Japanese pronunciation: [ma.tsɯꜜ.na.ɡa | teꜜi.to.kɯ, -teꜜː-, ma.tsɯꜜ.na.ɡa (|) tei.to.kɯ, -teː-, -na.ŋa-]^[1]