Issa - The bitter part, eaten by the mother, mountain persimmon in Japanese Calligraphy

澁いとこ母が喰ひけり山の柿 (shibui toko haha ga kui keri yama no kaki)

The bitter part eaten by the mother mountain persimmon	shibui toko haha ga kui keri yama no kaki	澁いとこ母が喰ひけり山の柿
Issa	issa	一茶

One end of the persimmon is sweet, the other bitter. The mother gives the sweet end to the child and consumes what is left. The self-sacrifice of mothers. This poem always reminds me of a story in Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin where a mother gave the entire chocolate bar, a very rare treat indeed, to her child. A little chocolate got on the child's face and she wiped it off with her finger and ... took a small taste of the sweet for herself.

Issa - The bitter part, eaten by the mother, mountain persimmon (澁いとこ母が喰ひけり山の柿) in Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Issa - The bitter part, eaten by the mother, mountain persimmon 澁いとこ母が喰ひけり山の柿 shibui toko haha ga kui keri yama no kaki Cursive Vertical VC6B

Issa - The bitter part, eaten by the mother, mountain persimmon (澁いとこ母が喰ひけり山の柿) in Design style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Issa - The bitter part, eaten by the mother, mountain persimmon 澁いとこ母が喰ひけり山の柿 shibui toko haha ga kui keri yama no kaki Design Vertical VD5B

Issa - The bitter part, eaten by the mother, mountain persimmon 澁いとこ母が喰ひけり山の柿 shibui toko haha ga kui keri yama no kaki Design Vertical VD6B

Issa - The bitter part, eaten by the mother, mountain persimmon (澁いとこ母が喰ひけり山の柿) in Semi-Cursive style Japanese calligraphy by Eri Takase

Issa - The bitter part, eaten by the mother, mountain persimmon 澁いとこ母が喰ひけり山の柿 shibui toko haha ga kui keri yama no kaki Semi-Cursive Vertical VS6C

Issa - The bitter part, eaten by the mother, mountain persimmon 澁いとこ母が喰ひけり山の柿 shibui toko haha ga kui keri yama no kaki Semi-Cursive Vertical VS6D

Issa - The bitter part, eaten by the mother, mountain persimmon

澁いとこ母が喰ひけり山の柿 (shibui toko haha ga kui keri yama no kaki)

Also available as a hand-brushed Japanese scroll