Basho’s haikai

Basho’s haikai is often referred to as “rusty haikai” or “Basho’s rusty haikai,” a term that became popular when his student Kyorai Mukai asked him in his Genroku-era book “Kyorai Sho” what he meant by “rusty haiku,” to which Kyorai replied “rust is the color of the haiku. The phrase was popularized when Kyorai replied, “Rust is the color of haiku. At that time, Kyorai gave the example of the haiku “Hanamori ya shiroki hakashira wo tsukiawase,” and said, “Here is the color of rust. Basho had previously divulged that he was glad to see the color of rust in this haiku. The color of rust means that there is a hint of the rusty atmosphere. Like the color of rust on iron, it exudes the essence of rusty atmosphere. Basho also uses the words “shihori”and “hosomi” , words of susabi, along with rust.