It is so interesting for me to know that Bashō's previous pen name is Green Peach. Yeah, apparently it really contrasts with Plum White.
However, for Chinese people, 李白/Li Bai only means that the poet's surname is 李/Li and his first name is 白/bai.
李/Li is the most popular surname in China, being called together with 王/Wang, 张/Zhang and 刘/Liu as the China's four biggest family names.
Here I have a question about Issa's Haiku. How should I understand "my journey's lice"？My journey is full of lice？
Thank you for sharing the great story and Haiku about "Bashō Memorial Day" so much.
I think for most Japanese people Li Bai (pronounced as ri haku in Japanese) is just a name as well. So I think few people would understand that Tōsei was a reference to Li Bai. To most people it was just a silly, perhaps self-depreciating name, the kind that haiku poets often picked.
I think Issa was playfully poking at himself, as usual. Another year of good health, and another with his head lice. His lice were making the life journey with him as constant companions.
Thanks for reading!
!PIZZA