science

Nozarashi Kikō

Nozarashi Kikō is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nozarashi Kikō rather than just read about it. In short: Nozarashi Kikō (野ざらし紀行), variously translated as The Records of a Weather-Exposed Skeleton or Travelogue of Weather-Beaten Bones, is the first travel journal haibun by the Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō. Written in the summer of 1684, the work covers Bashō's journey.

Key takeaways

Nozarashi Kikō belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Nozarashi Kikō to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Nozarashi Kikō from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Nozarashi Kikō (野ざらし紀行), variously translated as The Records of a Weather-Exposed Skeleton or Travelogue of Weather-Beaten Bones, is the first travel journal haibun by the Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō. Written in the summer of 1684, the work covers Bashō's journey. According to translator Nobuyuki Yuasa, it is "the first work of Bashō where we find glimpses of his mature style."

Background In the summer of 1683 (one year before the journey), Bashō's mother died. In the following winter, Bashō's friends and disciples built a home for him in Fukagawa. On the occasion, Bashō wrote:

Overhearing the hail,My old self sits againIn the new house,Like an overgrown oak.

Summary In autumn of the first year of Jōkyō (1684), Bashō departed from his home. Passing Mount Fuji and walking along the Fuji River, Bashō finds an abandoned infant, tossing some food to the child before moving on. Further stops include the Ise Grand Shrine and Bashō's hometown, where he meets with relatives and mourns the loss of his mother. Next, he visits Yamato Province, Mount Futagami in the Ryōhaku Mountains, and the remains of Saigyo's hut. As the text progresses, the journaling prose is replaced by a series of poems.

English translations Matsuo, Bashō (1966). The Narrow Road to the Deep North and Other Travel Sketches. trans. Nobuyuki Yuasa. Harmondsworth: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-044185-7. OCLC 469779524. Matsuo, Bashō (1999). The Essential Bashō. trans. Sam Hamill. Boston: Shambhala. ISBN 978-1-57062-282-3. Matsuo, Bashō (2000). Narrow Road to the Interior and Other Writings. trans. Sam Hamill. Boston: Shambhala. ISBN 978-1-57062-716-3. Matsuo, Bashō (2005). Bashō's Journey: Selected Literary Prose by Matsuo Bashō. trans. David Landis Barnhill. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-6414-4.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nozarashi Kikō

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nozarashi Kikō claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nozarashi Kikō before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nozarashi Kikō ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nozarashi Kikō

In research: Nozarashi Kikō appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nozarashi Kikō in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nozarashi Kikō is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Articles containing Japanese poems, Edo-period works, Haiku, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nozarashi Kikō outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Nozarashi Kikō in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nozarashi Kikō means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Nozarashi Kikō out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nozarashi Kikō in simple terms?

Why does Nozarashi Kikō matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nozarashi Kikō?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nozarashi Kikō.