Issa - A Small Cup of Tea

Horse and Groom, after Li Gonglin. Zhao Yong, 1347. Yesterday, over a billion people celebrated the Chinese New Year. 2026 is officially the year of the Fire Horse, the first since 1966. A lot has changed since the Vietnam War, the Soviet Union sending Luna 9 to space, and the Beach Boys releasing Pet Sounds . Just kidding! Geopolitical tensions, the space race, and groundbreaking new music were playing on the radio all 2025. Many cultures and religions rely on the lunar cale

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