Poetry is often about the spiritual, the naked human voice crying out to be heard. Such is the voice of Japanese poet, painter and writer Tomihiro Hoshino. Hoshino is well known in Japan for his simple, down-to-earth verses and essays about the natural world and his reflections on life. A vigorous and active phys ed teacher, Hoshino became a quadripalegic in 1970 after a near fatal gymnastics accident. After spending nine years in hospital where he learned to write and paint with his mouth, he returned to his home village Azuma in Gunma prefecture. From there, he married and continued with his writing and painting, garnering a following with his books and exhibitions.
Although there are now several of Hoshino’s books translated into English, the one I have is Road of the Tinkling Bell published in 1990 (trans. Kyoko and Gavin Bantock.) It contains a sampling of Hoshino’s poetry, painting and essays. The writings are simple and heartfelt, easily appreciated and understood by children and adult alike. What I like about Hoshino’s work is the raw and naked wonder he expresses towards the natural world and his humble expressions of human vulnerability and weakness. In “Cyclamen,” he writes:
I decided today
to do nothing
The flowers
seem much closer somehow.
Road of the Tinkling Bell is illustrated with Hoshino’s own paintings which are strikingly well-crafted images of flowers and natural scenes. The pleasure of reading the verse goes hand-in-hand with the remarkable illustrations. In the original works, verse and illustration went together mouth-painted on stiff boards used for calligraphy. Such is the love of the Japanese for this remarkable artist, that a museum exists for his work in Gunma, Japan. However, one need not go there to be inspired by the simple, gracious words of a poet whose calling is genuine and deeply spiritual.
This week’s Poetry Friday host is Wild Rose Reader.