CNIC ran an
English haiku column (see below) from the January/February 2005 to the January/February 2009 editions of our bi-monthly newsletter
Nuke Info Tokyo. Hopefully, readers sensed that they were getting a glimpse of Japanese culture through these haiku.
Traditionally haiku include a reference to the season, although the reference is often obscure to people not familiar with the genre. Japanese haiku hold fairly strictly to the 5-7-5 syllabic pattern (Japanese being a strictly syllabic language), but most people accept more flexibility in English haiku.
The haiku here were provided by members of the Aoba English Haiku Circle, most of whom are Japanese.
Haiku published in 2009 issues of NIT
January/February 2009
a camellia
dropped quietly
no one noticed but me
by Sachiko Kondoh
Comment
Japanese are spooked by the falling of camellia flowers. The flowers do not drop petal by petal. Rather, the whole flower falls at once. Japanese say it reminds them of the falling of a human head when a person has been beheaded.
|
|
|
Haiku published in 2008 issues of NIT
November/December 2008
fresh rice
from the earthquake zone
feels heavy
By Rumi Kamishima
Comment
This haiku refers to the first rice crop after the Chuetsu-Oki Earthquake. The area hit by the earthquake is the most famous region in Japan for rice.
|
|
|
|
|
|
July/August 2008
A whisper of wind
through the bamboo grove
a sigh of summer?
By Masao Amano
Comment by the author
When I went to school, I had to go up about three hundred stone steps, near which I had to pass by a bamboo grove. I heard a sound of a summer wind blowing through the grove. I felt a sigh of summer.
|
|
September/October 2008
Scenes on the river
Anglers in clear water
An egret on the ford
By Sachiko Kondoh
|
|
|
|
January/February 2008
Narcissus
Tilting its head
In mourning
by Emiko Kamiya
|
|
May/June 2008
Carp-shaped streamers
tangling and untying
breath of the town
By Hitoshi Ichinose
Comment
May 5th is "Boys Day" in Japan. In the lead up to this national holiday, streamers in the shape of carp fish are hung from flag poles and roof tops. Families hope that their boys will grow up strong like carp. (By the way, "Girls Day" is on March 3rd.)
|
Haiku published in 2007 issues of NIT
September/October 2007
preaching life and death
the great senior priest
with a white fan
by Rumi Kamishima
Comment
The color white is a seasonal reference to summer. September, when this haiku was written, is officially autumn, but the hot weather often continues well into September.
|
|
November/December 2007
Chilly morning
A hawk wheeling
Care free
by Setsuo Iida
|
|
|
|
May/June 2007
colored bamboo leaves
whirling to the earth
rondo in the wind
by Sachiko Kondoh
|
|
July/August 2007
Strolling by night
wishing to bridge and cross
the Galaxy
by Hitoshi Ichinose
|
|
|
|
January/February 2007
Young grass sprout
Coming out of the chilly earth
Under the fallen leaves
by Toshishige Aoki
|
|
March/April 2007
Over dandelions
School-girls tarry on the way home
First sweet temptation
by Michiko Murai
|
Haiku pubished in 2006 issues of NIT
September/October 2006
Singing cricket
How many nights are you staying
At the bathroom nook?
by Hitoshi Ichinose
|
|
November/December 2006
winter cherry blossoms
what makes you look so tranquil
in misty rain
by Sachiko Kondoh
|
|
|
|
May/June 2006
mosses in the shade
as green as the deep sea
early summer rains
by Yoko Kawasaki
|
|
July/August 2006
my tiny space
surrounded by raindrops
from the umbrella
by Rumi Kamishima
|
|
|
|
January/February 2006
Persistently
a dead leaf clings to the twig
withstanding the gale
by Masao Amano
Comment by the author
Almost all of the leaves fell off the cherry
tree in my neighbour's garden. The last few
leaves cling to the twigs. Several days later
only one last leaf still clings to the twig. I
remember O. Henry's short story 'The last
leaf'. Try hard to cling, the last one!
|
|
March/April 2006
On a steep slope
first flight of swallows
passed in an instant
by Shoji Murata
Comment
Haiku should capture a moment in time.
Though the writer is not mentioned, she/he
is present as the observer. Not all haiku
adhere strictly to this formula, but Shoji
Murata's contribution to this issue of NIT
is an excellent example of one that does.
|
Haiku published in 2005 issues of NIT
September/October 2005
humid summer night
the moon in the water
reflection and cool breeze
by Toshiko Hattori
|
|
November/December 2005
Autumn leaves
form a shifting mosaic
on the wind-swept pond
by Michiko Murai
|
|
|
|
May/June 2005
a spider’s thread
woven into silk
after the rain
by Setsuo Iida
|
|
July/August 2005
on a stump
the silver thread
formed by a snail
by Rumi Kamishima
|
|
|
|
January/February 2005
New Year's Day
Nothing special to change
But my attitude
by Sachiko Kondo
|
|
March/April 2005
wind-blown petals
embroider an edge of the lake
pink-colored curves
by Seiji Takahashi
|
Aoba English Haiku Circle
Since the beginning of 2005, CNIC has included a haiku in each issue of NIT. These haiku were provided by members of the Aoba English Haiku Circle, named after the ward in Yokohama city where the group is based. "Aoba" means "green leaf" and the members say they try to remain as fresh as "aoba". The group has fifteen members and has been meeting once a month since 1997.
Haiku has been one of the mainstreams of Japanese culture since the haiku poets Basho and Buson, who were active in the 17th and 18th centuries respectively. In recent years, more and more people all over the world are writing haiku in their own languages. With just 17 syllables, haiku is the shortest form of poetry. Haiku express the writer's love of nature and the four seasons.
Members of the Aoba English Haiku Circle submit haiku based on seasonal words to each monthly meeting. They hope you enjoy their contributions to NIT.
Return to Nuke Info Tokyo
Return to CNIC home page
