Kobayashi Issa is one of Japan's most beloved writers of haiku. He was also a Jodo-Shinshu priest.

This essay describes the Jodo-Shinshu presence in fifty-eight of Issa's "insect" haiku. Research has been conducted in the major translations of his poetry, in the principle biographies and critiques, and in selected scriptures and histories of Buddhism and Jodo-Shinshu. Pamphlets and publications from the Buddhist Churches of America (San Francisco) and the Institute of Buddhist Studies (Berkeley) have also been utilized.

The investigation reveals a spiritually "independent" poet who was often devout, occasionally ambivalent, and sometimes downright hostile to the creed that ordained him. Jodo-Shinshu's influence, although powerful, was consistently overuled if it clashed with Issa's egalitarian instincts, compassion for all creatures, or insights and emotions regarding his own suffering.