The Old Tea Seller: Life and Zen Poetry in 18th Century Kyoto

by Baisao, Norman Waddell (Translator)

Baisao was an influential and unconventional figure in a culturally rich time period in Kyoto. A poet and Buddhist priest, he left the constrictions of temple life behind and at the age of 49 traveled to Kyoto, where he began to make his living by selling tea on the streets and at scenic places around the city. Yet Baisao dispensed much more than though he would never purport to be a Zen master, his clientele, which consisted of influential artists, poets, and thinkers, considered a trip to his shop as having religious importance. His large bamboo wicker baskets provided Baisao and his customers with an occasion for conversation and poetry, as well as exceptional tea.
The poems, memoirs, and letters collected here trace his spiritual and physical journey over a long life. This book includes virtually all of his writings translated for the first time into English, together with the first biography of Baisao to appear in any language. It is bound to establish Baisao’s place alongside other Zen-inspired poets such as Basho and Ryokan.

Genres: Poetry, Tea, Japan, Zen, History, Nonfiction, Japanese Literature

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2008

About the author

Baisao (1675 -1763) was a Japanese Buddhist monk of the Obaku school of Zen Buddhism, who became famous for traveling around Kyoto selling tea.

Baisao, "Old Tea Seller", was a name he picked up from his act of making tea in the Kyoto area. His Zen priest name was Gekkai Gensho.

Later in his life, he denounced his priesthood and adopted the layman name of Ko Yugai.

Baisao's poetry and calligraphy are considered important in the Zen history of Japan, especially in Kyoto where Baisao was well known for offering tea to passers-by in return for donations. His poetry was highly regarded by the artists of 18th century Kyoto, which was at the time more "liberal" than the capital city of Edo (modern Tokyo). Over 100 of his poems have survived.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bashō I had heard of, but I had never heard of Baisaō (売茶翁, "old tea seller") before I added this book to my to-read list. I wish I had heard of him earlier, though. Meditations on nature and frogs in ponds are beautiful, but I definitely find drinking tea and complaining about money more relatable.

The first half of the book is a biography of Baisaō, constructed from the somewhat sketchy details left behind. A monk from a young age, Gekkai Genshō (as his Buddhist name ran) served in a temple for a long time but refused the abbotship when the old abbot died. Instead, he took to wandering around Kyoto's many nature areas selling tea and dispensing poetry to friends and passersby. Though "sell" here isn't quite the right word. He didn't charge for it explicitly. He made the tea, and he was a monk, and he left a hollow bamboo tube out for people to put offerings into, and everyone understood their place in the cycle.

It was still too much for the temple authorities, though, as monks weren't supposed to engage in trade, so he left the monkhood, abandoned his former name and took the lay name Kō Yūgai, and continued selling tea for years until his eventual death.

The biography isn't the main reason to read the book, though. While I did find it interesting, Baisaō was a poet and it's his poetry that we're here for. As with all poetry, it's hard to tell how much is lost or added in the translation (and the original Japanese isn't provided, even though as 江戸文字 I'm positive I wouldn't be able to read it), but the material here is an insight into someone with a good attitude about being a destitute, itinerant tea seller. For example:

What's the tea seller
got in his basket?
bottomless tea cups?
a two-spouted pot?
He pokes around town
for a small bit of rice
working very hard
for next to nothing--
blinkered old drudge
just plodding ahead...
Bah!

There's a lot more of that type. Baisaō continually refers to himself as a crank, an ignoramous, wretched, an old man...he's certainly got the monk humility down. And a healthy(?) attitude about growing older.

That's not the only subject of his poems, though. A lot of them were written for friends, or as payment for people who gave him a particularly large donation, or occasionally on the subject of nature. My favorite was about setting up shop by an iris pond near Sanjūsangendō:

An iris pond in flower
before the ancient hall,
I sell tea this evening
by the water's edge;
it is steeped in the cup
with the moon and stars
one sip, you wake forever
form your worldly sleep.

That one is a bit more profound. Though I admit, part of my love probably comes from having been to Kyoto, so I can call up an image of Sanjūsangendō and its grounds, and an old man selling tea by the water's edge. I never lived in Kyoto but I visited it several times, and maybe it's being to bring up memories of the Kamogawa and Arashiyama and Shōgo-in and all the other places mentioned within that makes me appreciate Baisaō's poetry so much.

Well, that and I'm well on my way to becoming an old crank myself, though one who drinks tea instead of selling it. And my poetry is much worse.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book which definitely gives a different sense of a time and place to the modern reader and to one who might be unfamiliar with Buddhism. Baisao is a Zen priest turned layman, doing the outrageous by earning a living. Moreover, his humble choice is to simmer tea from the pure waters of a stream in the teapot over the enamel brazier to serve passersby for a donation or none at all outside his dwelling on one of the scenic thoroughfares of eighteenth-century Kyoto. Normally, Baisao would have continued to live in a Buddhist temple or have made frequent pilgrimages to China but thought that the Way was found elsewhere. There is frequent mention about the exchanges between China and Japan in the Edo period and about the historical figures of Buddhism, whose verses or wisdom continued to inspire Baisao and his educated friends. There are descriptions of nature's lushness and purity prevalent then around the cultured city. Finally, there is the history of tea, in particular the sencha, which is harvested in the bud and briefly steamed to preserve the green color and sweeter flavor in contrast to powdered, brown matcha.

[tomlinton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Of course it's full of Baisa's poetry
But I thought it more interesting as a history
Somehow the zen just seems obscure
and the message repetitive
Maybe the author doesn't understand
anymore than I do


Would you like a cup of tea though?
Or maybe two or three or four
Baisao will stake you to as much as seven
and it won't cost you but a penny donation each
Just drop them in the bamboo tube there
Go slow
because when he gets to twenty
he's going to collect his stuff and go
Even if you're not ready

Anybody though
know where I can get a kindle copy
of Ban Kokei's
Eccentric Figures of Recent Times?
18th C Baisao in Kyoto is one of them

[Pamela Hamon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This well-researched and referenced book chronicles the off-beat and fascinating life of Baisao (The Old Tea Seller) through excerpts from letters, poems, prose, and accounts of others living around Kyoto in the 18th century.

This book is separated in to two parts. The first covers the life of Baisao from his early teenage years entering monastic life through his separation from serving as a formal Zen monk to his life wandering around the Kyoto area offering simmered tea and Zen wisdom on a donation basis. The second part is a translation of the Baisao Gego, a collection of Baisao's Zen and tea poetry.

This book is best appreciated after having having some familiarity with other historical texts on tea, Buddhism, or even Japanese history. However, those who have not delved into those subjects will still come away with a better understanding of Baisao and a deeper appreciation for the struggles within Zen Buddhism sects in Japan during Baisao's time. Allegories, allusions, and tea and/or Buddhism references within the poetry and prose quoted are well referenced ion extensive footnotes. Readers can delve as deep in to the notes and footnotes as desired to learn about Kyoto-area characters and persons of interest, Buddhist sutras and texts, and tea lore.

[Fr Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remember what Confucius replied upon once being asked to explain a desire he had expressed to go and live among the uncivilized tribes of the east? “If men of superior attainment went and dwelt among such people,” he said, “they would not remain uncivilized.”
There is an old verse: Though a contented mind brings physical contentment with it, Physical contentment also may occur when the mind is ill at ease. When the mind is truly at peace, wherever you are is pleasant, Whether you live in a marketplace or in a mountain hermitage.

[Kasey Mazak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pick up this book if this poem from Kyoto therein “Composed in a Dream the 30th Day of the 10th Month the 3rd Year of Kampo (1743)” resonates with you:

Pain and poverty
poverty and pain
life stripped to bone
absolute nothingness
only one thing left
a bright cold moon
in the midnight window
illuminating a Zen mind
on its homeward way.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book. The biographic study of Baisaō is worth reading, and even more wonderful is the analysis through his poems. This book is a must-read for anyone into tea, and more specifically, for anyone interested in the development of Japanese tea and Sencha.

[Tom Booker · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone with an interest in Zen and tea, this is highly recommended.

The first part is a biography of Baisao. This includes his poetry. The second part is a record of his poetry and prose - you will already have seen a lot in the first part, but it's nice to revisit.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

a one-cup tea of plum
blossoming beyond time

[Arthur Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is great to see a combo of tea and philosophy, two things I enjoy, put together excellently. This tea seller was a cool dude man.

[Keyto · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Tea Dao explorer, I was wery pleased to find this biographical and zen book about Baisao.

[HD · Rating 5 out of 5]

To be honest, I don't know why I read this. I know nothing about poetry. But, I know one thing for sure; I enjoyed every second spent reading it. Maybe, you might enjoy it too.

[Elsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK, I confess, I thought I was going to be reading about Basho (haiku), as opposed to Baisao (not haiku). They were both Zen monks, retired, who wandered around writing haiku and not haiku. I was pleasantly surprised. Baisao was a really interesting guy and he had a way with words. He retired from the priesthood and became a wandering tea seller which, at that time, was a pretty awful way of life and one almost unthinkable for a man of his education and social class. He wrote some brilliant poetry though, much of it about tea, with a strong zen influence, humor and a keen eye.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS WAS A REALLY INTERESTING READ ABOUT AN HISTORIC CHARACTER THAT WAS UNKNOWN TO ME. I JUST CAME UPON IT IN A BOOKSTORE IN SEATTLE & TOOK A CHANCE. THERE IS A LOT OF REPETITON IN POEMS & IN ACCOUNTS OF BAISAO'S LIFE, BUT IT JUST ADDS TO THE CHARM OF BAISAO. I CAN'T IMAGINE ANYONE IN THE US, NOW, LIVING A LIFE OF FUGALITY AS HE DID. I'M PLEASED TO HAVE THIS AS A PART OF MY POETRY COLLECTION.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matsuo Bashō was a 17th century Japanese Zen priest and poet. He left the monastery and began selling tea from a portable tea stand in Kyoto and dispensed tea and wisdom to all who could hear. For those who love tea and those who love Zen and those who just love humanity, this collection of stories is heartening.

[J Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing book, both in biography and aesthetics. Absolutely loved it and have thought of it many times since. I would buy this in hard back and read it again and again. I would also give this as a gift and feel proud to do so. Beautiful book in so many ways. Simplicity done right.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had never heard of Baisao before I picked up this book. I love the poems and the Zen spirituality as well as the tea lore and history. I find this guy inspiring.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sucks

Kindle version is pathetic. Cant increase font size. Would love my money back on this one. Thanks amazon for being super lazy.