Welcome to Poem of the Day – Asked How Old He Was by Kobayashi Issa.
Kobayashi Issa, one of the most beloved poets of Japan’s Edo period, is widely recognized for his ability to capture the simplicity and depth of everyday life through haiku. His poetry is marked by a deep empathy for human suffering, an acute awareness of the natural world, and a profound sense of the fleeting nature of existence. In his haiku “Asked how old he was, the boy in the new kimono stretched out all five fingers,” Issa uses the interaction between a child and an adult as a subtle meditation on childhood innocence, the passage of time, and the complexities of human communication.
This haiku, though brief, carries a wealth of emotion and meaning within its concise structure, which is typical of Issa’s style. It consists of just three lines, with the first and third lines presenting the situation, and the second line offering an evocative image. Let’s break it down carefully to explore how Issa uses the haiku form to communicate his ideas.
Asked How Old He Was Poem
asked how old he was
the boy in the new kimono
stretched out all five fingers
Asked How Old He Was Poem Explanation
The poem opens with a simple question: “Asked how old he was.” This is an ordinary, even mundane interaction—one that we might hear in any culture, any time, and from any adult to a child. It is a universal question, often asked out of curiosity or in order to initiate a conversation with a young person. In this case, the child is described as being in a “new kimono,” an image that immediately evokes an impression of freshness, perhaps of special occasion or celebration.
The “new kimono” is a powerful image that symbolizes a number of things. In traditional Japanese culture, a kimono is often worn for significant events—such as a festival, a family gathering, or a formal occasion—signifying the importance of the moment. The kimono here may symbolize the child’s innocence, his passage into a new phase, or even the care and attention given to the child’s appearance. The word “new” also suggests a sense of novelty and the cyclical nature of life: the child is young, and this is a moment of youthful freshness.
The Child’s Gesture
The core of the haiku, and where Issa’s artistic genius shines, is in the second line: “stretched out all five fingers.” The child’s response to the question of age is not a verbal answer, but a simple physical gesture—a universal, almost instinctual one that transcends language. By holding out five fingers, the child is indicating that they are five years old.
This gesture is significant for several reasons. Firstly, it underscores the gap between the adult’s words and the child’s response. The adult asks a question with the expectation of a verbal answer, but the child responds through action, using their body to communicate in a direct and unambiguous way. This highlights the child’s innocence and purity—while the adult may be steeped in the complexities of language and social conventions, the child operates outside these constraints, communicating in the simplest form.
The gesture is also a powerful symbol of the child’s sense of identity and agency. The act of holding up five fingers is an assertion of self—a small child asserting their presence in the world, even in the face of adult authority. By choosing to respond in this way, the child also asserts their age, their independence, and their understanding of the world, even in its simplest form.
Themes of Innocence and the Passage of Time
At the heart of this haiku is a theme that runs throughout much of Issa’s work: the passage of time and the fleeting nature of life. The child, in his “new kimono,” is in the prime of his childhood, and his outstretched fingers represent a moment in time that will soon pass. Issa’s haiku captures not only the child’s age in a literal sense but also the ephemerality of childhood itself.
The child’s gesture reminds us of the innocence that is inherent in youth, as well as the inevitable transition from childhood to adulthood. As we grow older, we lose the simplicity of communication and the directness of the child’s gestures. The haiku subtly reminds us that childhood, like the gesture of five fingers, is a fleeting moment, a transient phase that quickly slips away.
Additionally, the interaction between the child and the adult can be interpreted as a reflection of the broader human condition. The adult asks a question that is framed within the context of language and social conventions, but the child responds in a way that transcends those conventions. This contrast reflects the tension between the adult world of reason, complexity, and language, and the child’s world of innocence, directness, and simplicity. The haiku suggests that while time moves us toward complexity, there is an inherent beauty in the straightforwardness of youth.
Conclusion
Kobayashi Issa’s “Asked how old he was, the boy in the new kimono stretched out all five fingers” is a poignant, evocative haiku that captures the essence of childhood innocence and the passage of time. Through the image of the child in a new kimono and the simple yet profound gesture of holding up five fingers, Issa reminds us of the fleeting nature of life and the purity of youthful communication. The haiku speaks not only to the innocence of childhood but to the broader human experience of communication, growth, and the inexorable march of time. It is a testament to Issa’s genius that he can convey so much meaning in just seventeen syllables, creating a timeless reflection on life’s most fundamental truths.
