In this poor body, composed of one hundred bones and nine openings, is something called spirit, a flimsy curtain swept this way and that by the slightest breeze. It is spirit, such as it is, which led me to poetry, at first little more than a pastime, then the full business of my life. There have been times when my spirit, so dejected, almost gave up the quest, other times when it was proud, triumphant. So it has been from the very start, never finding peace with itself, always doubting the worth of what it makes ... All who achieve greatness in art - Saigyo in traditional poetry, Sogi in linked verse, Sesshu in painting, Rikyu in tea ceremony - possess one thing in common: they are one with nature.
Basho, The Records of a Travel-Worn Satchel
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