the seasonal blogs from 2006 to 2009

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2006 2007 20082006 2007 2008 20092006 2007 20082006 2007 2008
from Sep'2009 permanent website @ The Four Seasons of Haiku

clouds hemorrhage
and all I see is new green
in my mind

14 comments:

Area 17 said...

I like this!

It feels like a contemporary Japanese-style haiku.

More please! ;-)

all my best,
Alan
With Words.

diana l. said...

Thank you, Alan.

But please, do educate me. I am unfamiliar with contemporary Japanese-style haiku. What are its hallmark elements?

Area 17 said...

.
Are you familiar with Ban'ya NATSUISHI? He advocates keywords rather than kigo for instance.

One of my favourite haiku is this one liner by Hoshinaga Fumio:

twenty billion light-years of perjury: your blood type is "B"Also I'm a fan of Fay Aoyagi's work, although she is technically Japanese-American.

I think there is a huge gap where a lot of us don't tend to read beyond the often-cited Basho; Buson; Issa; Shiki foursome, with some readings of Chiyo-ni.

Haiku, from its hokku days onwards, has had a constant flow of writing and development in Japan, and Basho is one of thousands of haiku writers, although justly thought of as the top haiku poet to this day, but that has to be taken in context, and run parallel with later developments.

Although it is vital to read Basho, and that at least includes in romaji, it's also vital to read good contemporary examples of Japanese contemporary haiku otherwise we'll write in some romantic timewarp when in fact even Basho would have moved on from what he wrote. ;-)

Area 17 said...

Conversely. ;-)

Professor Hasegawa Kai states:
"My advice would be that English haiku must have its own unique path. While Japanese haiku can provide hints in regard to rhythm and nature, this path cannot be an imitation but must be grounded in the particular language that is English. If that is not the case, there is no meaning in making haiku in English. This is similar to the way the Japanese learned about Western culture during the 19th century."Hasegawa Kai is a reviewer of literary and cultural works, including haiku, for the Yomiuri Newspaper; a judge of the Asahi Newspaper Haiku Corner; a member of the Haiku Poets Association; and the founder and leader of his own haiku circle and journal, Koshi.

He is also the author of over 20 books of haiku criticism and is an award-winning poet.

Area 17 said...

Ban'ya has a challenging article, so brace yourself Diana! ;-)

Technique used in Modern Japanese Haiku: Vocabulary and StructureI think kigo are important but Ban'ya has cogent things to say, and there's nothing wrong with utilising aspects of his credo with kigo/kidai etc...

diana l. said...

Thanks so much, Alan. I'll bravely attempt the article.

diana l. said...

I read it. Nice to have a broader sense of the context out of which we're writing. Thanks.

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Anonymous said...

martin said...
I think that Shiki goes beyond the big three Japanese poets Basho, Issa my favorite of the three, and Buson. However, I like the idea of kigo. It flavors the haiku like a fine late supper with wine. More importantly, it references other great writers. I like that.

I don’t know these contemporary Japanese writers, but I know some contemporary American writers of haiku and I like what they are doing from what little I understand of haiku. One American writer has been writing as long as I have been but that is where the similarity ends. He has won numerous awards and his name is Yu Chang who teaches in upstate New York. Listen to this:

faint stars
the flapping of canvas
on the grape truck

or

noon
the egret shifts from stillness
to stillness

Timothy Russell

I’m a bit chauvinistic, but what about the ultimate attempt at haiku and I think it succeeds:




tundra




Say it and feel the mystery of the place…


That was the American, excuse me New Yorker, excuse me again, Manhattan-ite Cor van den Heuvel

Or

galley porthole
sunlight rises on the dough

me

Ha!

Area 17 said...

Bravely done Diana. ;-) It's only the tip of the iceberg, but a start. ;-)

Martin,

yes, I like Yu Chang's work very much, and I would love to reside in New York and mix with so many NY poets and haiku writers.

It's always vital to read as much as possible. The finest poets are those who've read the most widely.

re Shiki, we do seem to get stuck on his shasei technique, when he said that was just the first stage. A shame he had to die so young.

Diana, you've definitely hit on something with this haiku of your's! ;-)

Area 17 said...

Check out Gabi's posting about:
HAIKU THEORY

Pamela A. Babusci said...

alan,
i live in rochester, ny, but, that is far from where yu chang lives &
far from NYC. yu chang is a very talented haiku poet & a very humble/kind man. NYS might be too cold for you, so, think it over. hugs, pamela

Area 17 said...

Well, if it meant regular haiku outings with Yu Chang, I might not reconsider it! ;-)

This has been a great exchange of comments here, thanks diana for being such a fine catalyst.

all my best,
Alan
With Words Online Haiku Competition.