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Ban'ya Natsuishi
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Ban'ya Natsuishi
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Flying
Pope
Author: Ban'ya Natsuishi Binding: Paperback (pp:
139) ISBN: 978-81-8253-106-2 Availability: In Stock (Ships within 1 to 2
days) Publisher: Cyberwit.net, Allahabad,
India Pub. Date: 2008 Cover Design: Kuniharu Shimizu
Japanese Calligraphy: Ban'ya Natsuishi Condition: New Description: A
gong sounds somewhere in the distance, and in the silence that
ensues the reverberations of the collective conscience
precipitate a collage of impressions that are at once
familiar, and yet far beyond the accepted structures of
perception. In this impressive collection of contemporary
haiku, Ban’ya Natsuishi expertly challenges and coaxes the
reader to join him in a flight of fancy – in and out of
reality and illusion – not so unlike the great surrealist
Salvador Dali. Both the reader and the flying pope take to the
air, suspended above the Earth like an out-of-body experience
... observing from afar, and yet experiencing the dream-like
state as if it were totally real – as a sort of déjà vu
recollection of the fringes between zazen and newspaper
headlines ... or perhaps the CNN rolling news texts, floating
across the bottom of the television screen. While it may be
tempting to point out Natsuishi as l’Enfant
terrible of contemporary haiku writing, his impudence is
not intended to shock. It is, in fact, this sense of
detachment in the author that binds together the childlike,
the serious, the sarcastic, the humorous and the reflective
– resulting in a splattering of surrealistic images that
pose far more questions to the reader than give blatant
commentary. Because of the masterly free flying construction,
the reader is just as easily won over to the haiku of Ban’ya
Natsuishi as he/she might be to adventuresome comic books and
animated films.
True
enough, there is much observation embedded in
these pearls of writing: sparkling semi-precious
jewels singing, dancing, and jabbering now and
then about such themes as politics, haiku writing
without seasonal references, the loneliness of
papal responsibility, and the burden of
conscience. However, the real artistry of this
work is perhaps the succession of painterly haiku
frescoes, all variations on the same theme: the
illusion of consciousness.
Do
read this book several times – forward and
backwards, and even starting in the middle and
proceeding in any direction ... sometimes dancing
back and forth. There are many hidden levels
within the poems, the silent connections in
between the poems and in the work as a whole.
– Adam
Donaldson Powell, 2008 (based upon the English
version of “Flying Pope”).
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My reading "Flying Pope" video on You Tube:
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=6dbZXWtmNYo
Endless
Helix
 Author:
Ban'ya Natsuishi Binding:
Paperback (pp: 107) ISBN:
978-81-8253-072-0
Availability: In Stock (Ships within 1 to 2
days) Publisher: Cyberwit.net, Allahabad,
India First Edition: 2007 Second
Edition: 2009 Cover Design: Kuniharu Shimizu
Calligraphy: Ban'ya Natsuishi Condition: New
Description: Ban'ya Natsuishi which is the penname of Masayuki Inui, was born in Aioi City, Hyôgo Prefecture, Japan. He studied at Tokyo University where he received a Masters of Arts in Comparative Literature and Culture in 1981. In 1992 he was appointed Professor at Meiji University where he continues to teach. In 1993, he gave lectures at Jilin University in China, then was invited to haiku meeting in 1994 in Germany, in 1995 in Italy. From 1996 to 1998 a guest research fellow at Paris 7th University. In 1998 with Sayumi Kamakura, he founded international haiku quarterly "Ginyu", became its Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. In 2000, after attendance to Global Haiku Festival in USA, he co-founded the World Haiku Association, in Slovenia.
Currently works as this association's Director. In 2001 attended to Vilenica Poetry Festival in Slovenia, in 2003 to Struga Poetry Evenings in Macedonia, in the same year worked as the Chairman of The Steering Committee for the 2nd World Haiku Association Conference which was held in Japan. In 2004 he was invited to Poetry at Porto Santo in Portugal. In 2005 he attended to the 3rd World Haiku Association Conference in Bulgaria, the 3rd Wellington International Poetry Festival and presided international haiku session of Euro-Japan Poetry Festival in Tokyo. In 2006 he was invited to Poetry Spring in Vilnius of Lithuania and attended to Ohrid P.E.N. Conference in Macedonia.
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Book Review: Endless Helix by Ban'ya Natsuishi
In the first half of Endless Helix, Ban'ya uses a series of haiku poems to unleash a menagerie of stimulants for the senses. He invokes sight, touch, hearing, and tasting with words such as "spreading of the fountain" to "noise of saw" then "rich colors of nothing" along with "sunflower fields" followed by "roar of laughter" and "peach tree in full bloom." The haiku selection paints life in various stages which positively impact the senses. The imagery he invokes in the mind of the reader is priceless and shows the quality of his craft. For example, the contrasting of "rainbow and darkness" to "snow roots amidst jet-black mud" and "fog is the sigh of the sun" stretches the imagination and allows the mind to touch upon new territory like the galaxy exploration and the Milky Way.
In the second half of Endless Helix, Ban'ya uses dreams in a concrete manner to stimulate the mind. The figurative language of the wind as a metaphor could not shake his foundation as it blew through openings. This signifies strength to withstand the elements and test of time. The flowing of water invokes cleansing and rebirth after an arduous journey, just like a newborn baby. The art of massage and meditation are captivating metaphors signifying peace. Finally, as he walks against the wind on a New York street, as does a Puerto Rican, he reminds us of the golden fruit, angels and God as the naked sun rises above the East River. What an awesome conclusion of the book! In a sense, it concludes like the Endless Helix, as it travels through time and space touching on generational lifelines. This is a great book for all readers and cultures.
By Joseph S. Spence, Sr.
Trilogy Poetic Literature and Thoughts, LLC
March 29, 2007
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