AuthorMatsuo Bashō1644–1694The Seashell Game is an anthology compiled in 1672 by the Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō. Each haiku in it is followed by critical commentary that Bashō wrote as referee for a haiku contest. It is his earliest known book and the only one he published under his own name.
The anthology contains 60 haiku by 36 poets, two of them by Bashō himself. Its format is based on a children's game in which two seashells were placed side by side and compared. Bashō applies the same method in the book, comparing pairs of haiku by different authors.
According to the scholar Sam Hamill, the work shows Bashō to be witty, deeply knowledgeable and rather light-hearted.
Themes
Comparing pairs of haikuPoetic criticism in a contestThe children's seashell gameAutumn and nature imageryBashō's wit and humour
Other works by Matsuo Bashō
Original Filopedia text based on Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.