Meisetsu’s Autobiography, Volume 3

An older poet remembers the friendships that transformed his life. The recovery of Buson’s poems, the growth of literary magazines, and the illness of Masaoka Shiki become intimate episodes in the story of modern haiku. Family losses and the responsibilities of a student dormitory reveal the life surrounding the poems.

In this final supplied volume of his autobiography, Naitō Meisetsu reflects on genealogy, retirement, travel, public celebrations, and the uncertain approach of old age. His candid recollections combine affection, argument, self-criticism, and a persistent appetite for ideas.

Translated directly from the Japanese, the complete segment also includes two hundred selected haiku arranged under New Year, spring, summer, autumn, and winter headings. Their scenes move from court ceremonies and village work to birds, rain, household objects, and the passing seasons. Notes identify historical terms and uncertain readings while preserving the author’s remembered claims as his own. This volume completes the supplied autobiography and its appended verse selection. AI-assisted translation.