is this rain only falling on me? a common bird Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828) Kobayashi Yataro’s life has been marked by suffering. He suffered as a child, growing up without a mother and fighting with his family. He was forced from his home at 14 years old to wander Japan to make a living. As an adult, he lost his wife, three children, and ultimately his house. His second and third attempts at marriage failed too. Alone and aged by many lifetimes of suffering, Kobayashi took the
