『詩の国秋田』 にちなんで （１） － 中嶋嶺雄先生の巻頭言 －
2012/08/22
Three years have passed since we founded the Akita International Haiku Network on May 1, 2009.
At the same time we published the yearly pamphlet 『詩の国秋田 : Akita – the Land of Poetry』 on August 31, 2009.
Here is its front cover page, in which the article by President Mineo Nakajima （中嶋嶺雄）at Akita International University（国際教養大学）is shown.
In this article Dr. Nakajima presented haiku he wrote during his stay in Nara, when he went on a school trip in his junior high school days.
猿沢の灯の涼しさを宿にいて
嶺雄
Donald Keene, the ex- member of the President’s Advisory Board at AIU, kindly contributed his Japanese translation for Matsuo Basho’s haiku from ‘The Narrow Road to Oku ‘ by Matsuo Basho （『おくのほそ道』松尾芭蕉）.
象潟や雨に西施がねぶの花
Kisakata ―
Seishi sleeping in the rain,
Wet mimosa blossoms.
Donald Keene
Here is a photo of Donald Keene taken at the final lecture at Columbia University on April 26, 2011 by Atsuko Teramoto (寺本敦子撮影).
His Japanese name is 鬼怒鳴門．
AIU President Mineo Nakajima （中嶋嶺雄）, who is one of the most important founders of the Akita International Haiku Network, is eminent as Ph.D., Sociology, The University of Tokyo, M.A., International Relations, The University of Tokyo, and B.A., China Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
You will see what Dr. Nakajima has been doing as AIU President on the Internet at http://www.aiu.ac.jp.
Dr. Nakajima has also a clear understanding of haiku and feels a great love for haiku.
This is partly because his late father, Seiyo Nakajima （中嶋晴陽）, was one of the haiku poets in Japan.
In 1990, Dr. Nakajima compiled a book of haiku by his father, titled Seiyo Kushu (晴陽句集).
Let me show you its front cover page and the last haiku by Seiyo Nakajima.
Dr. Nakajima has written articles or essays on haiku for haiku journals or the newspapers, and has appeared in NHK TV program on haiku these days.
He also contributed the article of congratulations on the first issue of the yearly pamphlet by the Akita International Haiku Network.
Last of all, we sincerely hope that haiku will spread out to the world more because of its brevity and its coexistence with nature.
The next posting ‘『詩の国秋田』にちなんで（２）－有馬朗人先生との出会い－’ appears on August 24.
― Hidenori Hiruta
Japan-Russia Haiku Contest
(Guidelines for Submission)
April 17, 2012
Akita International Haiku Network
INTRODUCTION
This is a photo of a haiku workshop for the group of Professor Tatiana Breslavets, Japanese literature and Philology Group at Far Eastern Federal University.
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From September 25 till October 2, 2011, Hidenori Hiruta, a member of the Haiku International Association (HIA), whose president is Dr. Akito Arima, had an opportunity to introduce and share haiku in Vladivostok, Russia.
During his stay in Vladivostok, Hiruta visited Eastern School, Far Eastern Federal University, and Japan Center there.
His visit there was supported by Akita Prefecture and Akita International University as well as by the Haiku International Association and the JAL Foundation.
On September 26, Hiruta paid a courtesy visit to Japan Center and Far Eastern Federal University, School of Regional and International Studies, Chair of Japanese Philology, Chair of Asia Pacific Region Countries’ Languages.
Hiruta told Director, Sohei Oishi and Head of the Chair, Alexander Shnyrko about the aims of his visit, and asked them for their cooperation, hoping for a further spread of haiku in Vladivostok.
In his visits to Eastern School, Hiruta told about haiku to kindergarten children and elementary pupils who study Japanese. The children enjoyed reading haiku in chorus in Japanese as well as in Russian. They also enjoyed drawing pictures about haiku.
In Japan Center in Vladivostok, Hiruta gave a talk on “Haiku and Tea Ceremony” to the members of the tea club “Ichigo Ichie no Kai” formed for the cultural course.
The articles on Hiruta’s activities for cultural exchanges through haiku in Vladivostok have appeared in the following homepages of the Japan club at Japan Center in Vladivostok and the Haiku International Association in Tokyo.
* The Russian version : http://www.jp-club.ru/?p=2341
* The Japanese version : http://www.haiku-hia.com/report_jp.html
* The English version : http://www.haiku-hia.com/hyoron_en_ru.html
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Hiruta gave four-day workshops of 90 minutes on writing haiku, short poems, at the FEFU School of Regional and International Studies. Students learned to write haiku through these workshops.
The article on the workshops at Far Eastern Federal University has appeared in the homepage of Far Eastern Federal Universisty.
http://dvfu.ru/publications/news/2011-10-14-fefu-students-learn-to.htm
It says as follows.
The workshops were conducted by “Haydzin” Hiruta Hidenori — a poet who writes haiku specially arrived to Vladivostok. Students, studying the Japanese language, listened with interest to the explanations of how to write haiku in various languages — Japanese, English and Russian, and then created their own poems.
Mr. Hiruta arrived from Akita Prefecture, which has friendly relations with Primorsky Region. Next year there will be the 20-th Anniversary of sister-relationships between Akita and Vladivostok. Universities in these cities have students and teachers exchange agreements, so Far Eastern Federal University students may participate in the Haiku contest in Russian, as well as in Japanese and English. Winners of the competition have a real opportunity to go to Japan.
Such cultural exchanges as this caused a great sensation there in Vladivostok, making them more interested in haiku and inspiring them to write haiku.
This is why the Akita International Haiku Network is pleased to launch the Japan-Russia Haiku Contest, as an opportunity to share haiku related to the theme of “the sea”.
The organizer hopes that this contest will serve as an opportunity to deepen mutual understanding among people, to promote the interaction of people’s views on Japan and Russia, as well as to convey the enjoyment of writing and reading haiku.
The organizer also hopes that it will serve as an opportunity to strengthen and develop the sister city relationship between Akita and Vladiovostok, as well as to promote and increase comprehensive exchanges such as cultural, economical, medical, agricultural ones between Akita Prefecture and Primorsky Region.
As mentioned in the homepage of Far Eastern Federal University, Akita Prefecture has friendly relations with Primorsky Region. In March, 2010, Akita Prefecture and Primorsky Region concluded the treaty that there should be more exchanges promoted and increased between them. This treaty reminds Hiruta of those fruitful exchanges the ancient people had by way of the northern sea route from the 8th century till the 10th century. Japan is said to have started trading with Balhae（渤海） by ship in those days.
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Organizer: Akita International Haiku Network
Sponsor: JAL Foundation
Supporters:
Akita Prefecture, Akita International University, Akita Prefectural Board of Education, Akita Prefectural Artistic and Cultural Association, Akita International Association, Akita City, Akita City Board of Education, The Akita Sakigake Shimpo, Akita Branch of Ten’i (Providence) Haiku Group, Akita Khorosho Club, Akita Vladivo Club, Haiku International Association, Japan Center in Vladivostok, Far Eastern Federal University, Yosano Akiko Memorial Literary Association, KYODO NEWS Vladivostoku Bureau
Theme: Umi ( the sea ： 海 )
One of the most popular haiku related to the sea was written by Matsuo Basho in 1689 . Basho’s haiku is found in his travel diary Oku no Hosomichi ( The Narrow Road to Oku).
荒海や佐渡によこたふ天河 芭蕉
Araumi ya sado ni yokotau amanogawa
Turbulent the sea –
Across to Sado stretches
The Milky Way Basho
Translated by Donald Keene（ドナルド・キーン：鬼怒鳴門）
Regulations:
Original, previously unpublished haiku referring to some aspect of the sea should be submitted according to the entry form.
Japanese haiku poets should write haiku following traditonal styles in the Japanese language, having season words. And they have to add its Russian and English traslations. Otherwise, they could leave a message in each translation blank : I would like the organizer to translate haiku into Russian or English.
Russian haiku poets should keep in mind that haiku is considered to be the shortest poem in the world, and submit haiku with a length of three lines in the Russian language. Season words are not essential. And they have to add its Japanese and English translations. Otherwise, they could leave a message in each translation blank : I would like the organizer to translate haiku into Japanese or English.
Limited number of entries: Only one haiku may be submitted per haikuist.
Eligibility:
The contest is open to the public of nationals of Japan or Russia who are currently residing in Japan or Russia.
Submission:
Please download the entry form below and submit it by email to: shhiruta@nifty.com
Entry form: Japanese entry form Russian entry form
Submission period: Saturday May 5, 2012 – Friday May 25, 2012
Deadline: Friday May 25, 2012
Judges:
Hidenori Hiruta, Secretary-General of Akita International Haiku Network, and also a member of Haiku International Association
Alexander Dolin, Professor at Akita International University
Kunio Teshima, Professor at Akita National College of Technology
Kazuhiro Kudo, Teacher at Akita National College of Technology
Okiaki Ishida, Chief Editor of Haisei (Haiku Stars)
Yoshitomo Igarashi, a dojin of a haiku group : Ten’I (Providence) led by Dr. Akito Arima
Kyoko Uchimura, a dojin of a haiku group : Ten’I (Providence) by Dr. Akito Arima, and also a member of Haiku International Association
Reina Yano, a dojin of two haiku groups : Tamamo led by Ms. Tsubaki Hoshino and Ten’I (Providence) by Dr. Akito Arima
Awards:
A winner will be notified by email and announced on the website of Akita International Haiku Network, on Friday, June 29, 2012. The winner will be offered a round-trip to Akita City, Akita, which is called “The Land of Poetry” in Akita Prefectural song, in Northern Honshu, Japan from Vladivostok Airport and a stay in a hot spring hotel there if he or she lives in Russia. The winner is supposed to attend Japan-Russia haiku meeting held in Akita City, on Saturday, Sepetember 22, 2012. And if the winner resides in Japan, a round -trip ticket to Vladivostok City of Russia from Narita Airport and a stay in a hotel there will be offered. The winner is supposed to attend Japan-Russia haiku meeting held in Vladivostok City, the site of APEC Summit 2012 in Russia, on Saturday, September 29, 2012. Further information will be notified directly from the organizer to the winner.
Grand prize a winner gets is called “Rogetsu Sanjin International Award”. Rogetsu Sanjin is another pen name of Ishii Rogetsu（石井露月）, one of the great haiku poets in Japan Akita ever produced. Rogetsu is a pen name, whose real name is Ishii Yuji (1873 – 1928). This haiku contest is held partly because of celebrating the 140th anniverasay of Ishii Rogetsu’s birth.
JAL Foundation Award is presented to two winners by the JAL Foundation. Honorable mentions are also presented to six winners by Akita Prefecture governor, Akita City mayor, superintendent of Akita City board of education.
Each winner is presented with Haiku By World Children edited by the JAL Foundation as an award.
*The contest winner will be notified by email from the organizer and be given further details of the round-trip prize. Please note that the winner may have to cover some of the travelling costs.
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Here is a photo of Rogetsu’s haiku related to the sea.
海の如く野ハ緑也五月晴 露月山人
Umi no gotoku no wa midori nari satsukibare
Like the sea
the field is green –
fine May weather Rogetsu Sanjin
Translated by Hidenori Hiruta
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Lastly, here are two photos of the sunset, which will surely inspire you to write haiku related to the sea.
The first one was taken from a hotel facing Amur Bay, Vladivostok City.
The second one was taken from Katsuhira Hill facing the mouth of the Omono River, Akita City.
The next posting ‘Haiku by World Children : Impressions of Water’ appears on April 28.
― Hidenori Hiruta ( Member of HIA)
On October 9 and 10, 2011, AIU Festival was held at Akita International University（国際教養大学）in Akita prefecture（秋田県）, Northern Honshu, Japan.
The festival, whose theme is HOOP ～世界とハチあわせ！～, had 3 Philosophies : Academic（学問）, Culture（文化）, and Entertainment（楽しさ）.
The AIU students enjoyed the festival in their own ways.
They were excited at a variety of meetings, HOOP ～世界とハチあわせ！in the festival.
Here are some photos of those meetings.
Some of the students from overseas started preparing for the AIU festival in July for the purpose of making the Haiga postcard charity sale.
They visited the Kanmanji Temple （蚶満寺）in Kisakata, where they found mimosa blossoms in full bloom, about which Basho wrote in his haiku in 1689, and they got very inspired to write haiku in Japanese and paint haiga pictures.
象潟や雨に西施がねぶの花 芭蕉
Kisakata ya ame ni Seishi ga nebu no hana
Kisakata―
Seishi sleeping in the rain,
Wet mimosa blossoms. Basho
Translated by Donald Keene
Here is a photo of the mimosa blossoms.
They donated money to those who experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake.
Some Romanian haiku poets also donated their haiga or haiku to the AIU festival in order to show their condolences, prayers, or hopes through the exhibition to the Japanese people.
Mrs. Maria Tirenescu inRomania kindly sent her haiku through Ms. Patricia Lidia’s e-mail on August 30.
Let me post the former part of her hiaku.
Under the blossomed lime
tasting from the cup of tea –
alone in the night
(Honorable Mention Mainichi 2007)
花咲くライムの木の下で
お茶を一杯味わう ―
夜ひとり
Child’s cradle
hanging from a branch of lime –
the scent of flowers
(Honorable Mention Mainichi 2009)
子供の揺りかご
ライムの木の枝から下がっている ―
花の香り
Two petals
falling together—
evening wind
(Honorable Mention Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival 2010)
花びらが二つ
一緒に散っている ―
夕方の風
Rainy day –
in the spider’s cobweb
only a petal
雨の日 ―
クモの巣に
たった一つの花びら
Sunrise —
the dandelions flowering
among the ruins
日の出 ―
タンポポの花が咲いている
廃墟の中で
The old cemetery –
amidst ruined crosses
growing violas
古い共同墓地 ―
荒廃した十字架の間に
生えているスミレ
Snow on the mountains –
the white lilac blooming
in the valley
山には雪 ―
白いライラックの花が咲いている
谷間に
I sip the lime tea
listening for the crickets –
moonshine
ライムのお茶をちびちび飲む
コオロギの鳴き声の方へ耳を澄ましながら ―
月光
a butterfly
hovers about the tea cup –
serene day
(menţiune la concursul de haiku pe tema ceaiului organizat în parteneriat cu Cajin – Casa japoneză de ceai verde din Paris)
蝶が一匹
茶碗のまわりで飛び回っている ―
澄んだ日
evening wind –
like a small golden coin
a lime leaf
夕方の風 ―
小さい金貨のように
ライムの一葉
Autumn dusk -
the full moon watching
in the maple
“Poems for Mother Earth” din 14 octombrie 2007 la International Village Center din Kita-premia Mother Earth, Seinan Jo Gakuin University. (Asahi Shimbun)
秋の黄昏 ―
満月が見ている
カエデを
Translated into Japanese by Hidenori Hiruta
The next posting ‘Haiku from Romanian poets for AIU Festival 2011 (6)’ appears on December 24.
― Hidenori Hiruta
On August 1, 1689, Basho visited Kisakata （象潟）, Akita Prefecture （秋田県）, Northern Honshu, on his journey.
Basho wrote about Kisakata in his travel diary The Narrow Road to Oku, 『おくのほそ道 (Oku no Hosomichi 』 .
Here I take up the latter part of this section.
此寺の方丈に座して簾を捲ば、風景一眼の中に尽て、南に鳥海、天をさヽえ、其陰うつりて江にあり、西はむやむやの関、路をかぎり、東に堤を築て、秋田にかよふ道遥に、海北にかまえて、浪打入る所を汐こしと云。江の縦横一里ばかり、俤松島にかよひて、又異なり。松島は笑ふが如く、象潟はうらむがごとし。寂しさに悲しみをくはえて、地勢魂をなやますに似たり。
Here is a painting of Kisakata exhibited at the Kanmanji Temple.
Photo courtesy; as per original copyright at:
http://staff.aist.go.jp/nakano.shun/Jap/Chokai/news/recently.html
Donald Keene translated this part into English as follows:
Seated within the priests’ quarters of the temple, I rolled up the bamboo blinds and took in all at once the whole spectacle of Kisakata. To the south loomed Mount Chokai, supporting the heavens; its image was reflected in the water. To the west, one can see as far as Muyamuya Barrier; to the east, the road over the embankment leads to Akita in the distance. The sea is to the north. The place where the waves of the sea break into the lagoon is called Tide-Crossing. Kisakata is about two miles in either direction.
Kisakata resembles Matsushima, but there is a difference. Matsushima seems to be smiling, but Kisakata wears a look of grief. There is a sadness mingled with the silent calm, a configuration to trouble the soul.
Basho’s last lines say that there is something woeful about Kisakata.
I wonder if Basho predicted that such a natural disaster as earthquake might occur in Kisakata in the future.
In fact, on July 10, 1804, a big earthquake occurred in Kisakata about 105 years after Basho’s visit there. The earthquake caused upheaval of ground by 2.4 meters. As a result, the lagoons were changed into dry land.
Here is a photo of the backyard of the Kanmanji Temple in Kisakata, 321 years after Basho’s visit.
Koji Otomo, curator at Shoji Taro Memorial Museum in Akita-city, contributed his poems on the earth to our network.
春愁 無情 Spring Woe No Mercy
東海林太郎音楽館館長 大友康二
大地 ゆらぐ日 On the day when the earth quakes
海 怒りて the sea gets furious
慟哭 cries bitterly
三陸の海を the Sanriku coast
引き裂く tears into pieces
花 待つことなく Flowers wait for no man
人 逝く those there pass away
波に 消える vanish into waves
あわれ alas!
世界に ただひとつ The only nation in the world
被爆の国 ニッポン the atom-bombed nation, Japan
その空に in the skies
白い光の 恐怖 the terrors of white rays
六十有余年 A little more than 60 years
問われる 政治 what has politics done?
問われる いのち what is life?
喪われた こころ lost hearts
なぜ Why?
どうして for what reason?
繰り返すことばは the repeated words
がれきに 吸い込まれ are absorbed into rubbles
沈黙（しじま） 空しく silence is empty
潰滅の地に In the annihilated areas
おののきばかり there remain nothing but shivers
人 ただ侘（た）つ those there have only to mourn
ふるさとの こころに In the heart of home
槌音 響くは hammering sounds will resound
いつの日か when is it?
Here is a photo of the ruined fortress （払田柵）in Akita Prefecture（秋田県）, constructed in the Heian period（平安時代）(794-1185).
Haikuists in Akita contributed haiku to our network.
They are members of the haiku group: Ten’I (Providence)（天為俳句会）led by Dr. Akito Arima（主宰 有馬朗人）.
余震なほ朔太郎忌の星月夜 伊藤沐雨 (Mokuu Ito)
aftershocks come
on the starlit night
Sakutaro’s anniversary
燭台に朱のろうそくや余震来る 伊藤智子 (Satoko Ito)
on the candlestick
vermeil candles burning
the aftershock comes
大津波退きオリオンの煌めける 伊藤慶子 (Keiko Ito)
huge tsunami gone out
Orion’s Belt
sparkling
大地震の果てなる春の浅きかな 五十嵐義知 (Yoshitomo Igarashi)
great earthquake over
this spring
how transient!
なにもかも攫はれし地に黄水仙 笹尾巳生子 (Mioko Sasao)
everything lost
in the waste land
jonquils bloom
鎮魂の瓦礫の町に春の雪 進藤八重子 (Yaeko Shindo)
consoling
the towns of devastation
spring snow
奥入瀬の激しき調べ春の霜 鈴木東亜子 (Toako Suzuki)
intense music
of the Oirase River
spring frost
浴槽の揺れの余震や春寒 寺田恵子 (Keiko Terata)
the aftershock
of bathtub shaking
spring cold
被災地につくしたんぽぽなずなかな 山内誠子 (Seiko Yamanouchi)
for the devastated areas ―
field horsetail’s shoots,
dandelions, and shepherd’s purses
囀に小さな森の膨らめり 和田仁 (Jin Wada)
birdsongs resounding
the small woods seem
bigger and bigger
Here is a photo of daffodils and local springwater (郷清水) in Akita Prefecture.
Hiroko Kawashiri （川尻弘子） in Akita contributed haiku too.
地震止みて運河に重き春の雪
the earthquake over
too heavy for the canal
spring snow
誰からか呼ばれたやうな朧月
the pale moon ―
i feel like…
someone is calling
Last of all, let me post my haiku.
草青む払田柵やよみがえる
grasses growing
over the ruined fortress
reconstructing
The next posting ‘Haiku about the Great East Japan Earthquake (5)’ appears on May 28.
― Hidenori Hiruta
On August 1, 1689, Basho visited Kisakata （象潟）, Akita Prefecture （秋田県）, Northern Honshu, on his journey.
Basho wrote about Kisakata in his travel diary The Narrow Road to Oku, 『おくのほそ道 (Oku no Hosomichi 』 as follows:
江山水陸の風光数を尽くして、今象潟に方寸を責。酒田の湊より東北の方、山を越、磯を伝ひ、いさごをふみて其際十里、日影やゝかたぶく比、汐風真砂を吹上、雨朦朧として鳥海の山かくる。闇中に莫作して「雨も又奇也」 とせば、雨後の晴色又頼母敷と、あまの苫屋に膝をいれて、雨の晴を待。其朝天能霽れて、朝日花やかにさし出る程に、象潟に舟をうかぶ。
先能因島に舟をよせて、三年幽居の跡をとぶらひ、むかふの岸に舟をあがれば、「花の上こぐ」とよまれし桜の老木、西行法師の記念をのこす。
Here is a painting of Kisakata in those days.
Photo courtesy; as per original copyright at:
http://www.touhoku.com/0a-03-kisakata.htm
Donald Keene translated this section into English as follows:
After having seen so many splendid views of both land and sea, I could think of nothing now but Kisakata. We journeyed to the northeast from the port of Sakata, climbing over hills, following along the shore, plodding through the sand, a distance of about twenty miles in all. As the sun was sinking in the sky a breeze from the sea stirred up the sand, and a misty rain started to fall, obscuring Chokai Mountain. We groped ahead in the darkness. I felt sure that if Kisakata was exquisite in the rain, it would prove no less wonderful when it cleared. We squeezed into a fisherman’s thatch-covered hut and waited for the rain to stop.
The next morning the weather cleared beautifully. When the morning sun rose in all its splendor, we took a boat out on the lagoon of Kisakata. We put in first at Noin Island, where we visited the remains of the hut in which Noin lived in seclusion for three years. On the opposite shore, when we landed from our boat, we saw the old cherry tree that stands as a memento of Saigyo.
In fact, there were 99 small islands and 88 lagoons in Kisakata in those days and the people enjoyed beautiful sceneries or fishing by boat around the islands.
However, on July 10, 1804, a big earthquake occurred in Kisakata about 105 years after Basho’s visit there. The earthquake caused upheaval of ground by 2.4 meters. As a result, the lagoons were changed into dry land.
Now most of those lagoons have turned into rice fields or residential areas, but there are the remains of those days left there.
You can see such remains as the Noin Island, the boat-tying stone, or small islands in the article Basho’s Stay in Kisakata (1) at the site : http://akitahaiku.wordpress.com/2009/08/29/
Here is a photo of present-day Kisakata, 200 years after the earthquake, which was exhibited at Kisakata Local Museum in Nikaho-city, in June , 2004.（にかほ市象潟郷土資料館企画展２００４年６月）.
As posted already above, Donald Keene, the ex- member of the President’s Advisory Board at Akita International University(AIU)（国際教養大学）, kindly contributed part of his English translation for Matsuo Basho’s travel diary The Narrow Road to Oku, 『おくのほそ道 (Oku no Hosomichi 』 to our network.
This is because AIU President Mineo Nakajima (中嶋嶺雄) asked Donald Keene for his permission for us to use part of his translation.
Kirby Record, a professor at AIU, teaching as director of English for Academic Purposes, also contributed his haiku to us.
Haiku by K. Record
On the Earthquake
Villages of rubble 瓦礫の村々
Everything washed away 何もかも流される
But the still-blue sky しかし静かで青い空
Clutched in the hand 手でしっかりとつかんでいる
Of a child, floating face down—
子供の手に、顔を下にして浮かんでいる―
Her favorite doll 彼女の大好きな人形
Yukari Sakamoto （阪本縁）, a graduate from AIU, wrote haiku on the earthquake.
なごり雪大地が動き沈黙す
Unseasonable snow
In silence
While the earth quakes
水仙が顔を差し出すがれきの山
Blooming daffodils
Alongside
A heap of debris
Susan Smela, who studied at AIU in 2010, is now a student at Beloit College in Wisconsin, USA.
On March 25, 2011, Susan sent me an e-mail , saying that they all heard about the huge earthquake in America, and many of them are raising money to help Japan.
Susan also said that she introduced haiga in America, and that she was able to hold a haiga meeting with students from her university (Beloit College in Wisconsin) and teach some basics of haiga and haiku.
It was a great time and the copies she made from my book really helped illustrate what she was talking about. They did some practices, then went in a circle, with 3 people writing one line of a haiku and the 4th person drawing a haiga-style picture.
Here are some photos Susan’s friend took from the meeting.
Yasushi Sato （佐藤康）, a member of Akita International Haiku Network, contributed his haiku to us.
大地震に無慈悲の限り春の雪
spring snow
mercilessly falling on
earthquake-devastated towns
大津波言葉空しく春寒し
so devastating tsunami
any words powerless
spring relentlessly cold
Junko Masuda （桝田純子）, a member of Akita International Haiku Network, contributed her haiku to us too.
復興の未来信じて花ひらく
sakura sakura bloom
believing in the future
Tohoku region
Last of all, let me post my haiku.
舟止めは夢のまた夢ねぶの花
tying a boat
i cannot even dream
mimosa blossoms
The next posting ‘Haiku about the Great East Japan Earthquake (4)’ appears on May 21.
― Hidenori Hiruta
In the first posting, I took up Basho’s haiku from his travel diary The Narrow Road to Oku, 『おくのほそ道 (Oku no Hosomichi 』.
In his diary, Basho seems to have left Hope for us Japanese.
Here is another translation by Donald Keene （ドナルド・キーン）.
夏草や兵どもが夢の跡
natsukusa ya The summer grasses –
tsuwamono domo ga Of brave soldiers’ dreams
yume no ato The aftermath.
Here is a photo of the tablet of Basho’s haiku.
Basho also wrote haiku about the Chusonji Temple （中尊寺） in Hiraizumi （平泉）, Iwate Prefecture （岩手県） in his diary :
兼て耳驚したる二堂開張す。経堂は三将の像をのこし、光堂は三代の棺を納め、三尊の仏を安置す。七宝散りうせて、珠の扉風にやぶれ、金の柱霜雪に朽て、既頽廃空虚の叢と成べきを、四面新に囲て、甍を覆て風雨を凌。暫時千歳の記念とはなれり。
五月雨の降のこしてや光堂
Donald Keene translated this passage and haiku into English as follows:
The two halls of the Chuson Temple, whose wonders I had heard of and marvelled at, were both open. The Sutra Hall contains statues of the three generals of Hiraizumi; the Golden Hall has their coffins and an enshrined Buddhist trinity. The “seven precious things” were scattered and lost, the gem-inlaid doors broken by the wind, and the pillars fretted with gold flaked by the frost and snow. The temple would surely have crumbled and turned into an empty expanse of grass had it not been recently strengthened on all sides and the roof tiled to withstand the wind and rain. A monument of a thousand years has been preserved a while longer.
samidare no Have the rains of spring
furinokoshite ya Spared you from their onslaught,
hikari-do Shining hall of Gold?
Here is a photo of the Golden Hall in the Chusonji Temple.
「ドナルド・キーンさん国籍取得し日本永住、希望の象徴」
Donald Keene, who is well-known as a translator of 『おくのほそ道 (Oku no Hosomichi 』, is said to have often visited the Tohoku region while translating Basho’s diary into English and to love the Chusonji Temple in particular.
After the earthquake on March 11, Donald Keene decided to take Japanese citizenship and establish permanent residence in Japan. This is one of the most encouraging and pleasing news to us Japanese. Donald Keene, who is renowned expert in Japanese literature and culture and a professor emeritus at Columbia University, seems to be a symbol of Hope.
Here is a photo of Donald Keene taken at the final lecture at Columbia University on April 26, 2011 by Atsuko Teramoto (寺本敦子撮影).
Donald Keene said in an interview with Michinobu Yanagisawa, Yomiuri Shimbun correspondent in New York, USA:
I want to be with the Japanese people. This is because the Great Japan Earthquake inspired the decision. Japan will surely resurrect itself from the disaster to become an even more splendid country than before, I believe. So I’ll be moving to Japan in a positive frame of mind.
Michinobu Yanagisawa also reported in the article as follows:
Born in New York in 1922, Keene attended Columbia University, where he became fascinated with Japanese culture after reading an English translation of “The Tale of Genji （源氏物語）.” He later served as an interpreter during the Battle of Okinawa in the closing daysof the Pacific War. Keene has traveled through the Tohoku region many times, including some research trips for “The Narrow Road to Oku,” his English translation of the classic workof literature “Oku no Hosomichi,” by haiku master Matsuo Basho (1644-1694). While studying in Japan, “I was surrounded by many people who warmly extended a helping hand to me,” Keene said. By obtaining Japanese citizenship, “I’d like to convey my sense of gratitude to the Japanese people, which I’ve so far been unable to do,” he said. Referring to reactions in the United States to the earthquake, tsunami and aftermath, including the nuclear crisis, Keene said, “Not a few people in the United States have been moved to learn Japanese people are doing their utmost to rebuild.” Even Americans who had no particular interest in Japan before March 11 have been impressed by Japanese people’s composure in the wake of the disaster, he said. “Americans have never felt such a strong affinity with Japan before,” Keene pointed out. “I’ve made up my mind to become a Japanese citizen to be together with the Japanese people. I believe although words are important, of course, action is even more important,” Keene said. “My decision to become a Japanese citizen is the manifestation of my expectations and convictions,” he said, explaining that he had a positive outlook for Japan. “When I returned to Tokyo eight years after World War II, Japan had revived to become a far different country from what I’d seen just after the war’s end. I’m convinced Japan will become an even more wonderful nation by weathering the hardships of this disaster,” he said.
Keene recalled a tour of the Tohoku region in 1955 to research “Oku no Hosomichi.” The view of a cluster of islets from the second floor of an inn in Matsushima （松島） [in Miyagi Prefecture（宮城県）] was unforgettably beautiful,” he said. “I think there may be no structure in the world as beautiful as the Chusonji Temple [in Iwate Prefecture（岩手県）], so I wonder why UNESCO has repeatedly failed to designate the temple as a World Heritage site,” Keene said. “I think how terrible it is that the Tohoku region, full of such beautiful places and temples, has been hit so hard by the earthquake and tsunami,” he lamented.
Here is a photo of the pond of Oizumi, the Motsuuji Temple in Hiraizumi. (平泉・毛越寺 「大泉が池」)
Looking back on his interaction with Japanese poets and writers, Keene referenced the poet and author Jun Takami（高見順）. Near the end of the Pacific War, Takami wrote in his diary of being deeply moved by the sight of people waiting patiently at Tokyo’s Ueno Station, trying to get to the safety of the countryside. “I want to live together with these people and share death with them, as I love Japan and believe in Japan,” Keene said, quoting Takami.
“I now feel better able to understand Mr. Takami’s feelings,” he said. Keene said his lawyer has already begun procedures for obtaining Japanese nationality. He stressed that living in Japan would bring the most meaning to the rest of his life. He plans to spend time writing biographies of Hiraga Gennai （平賀源内） (1728-1780), a scholar of Western studies in the Edo period (1603-1868), and Takuboku Ishikawa （石川啄木）(1886-1912), a poet in the Meiji era (1868-1912). In the 1950s, Keene studied at the postgraduate school of Kyoto University. He forged friendships with such literary giants as Yukio Mishima （三島由紀夫）, Junichiro Tanizaki （谷崎潤一郎）and Kobe Abe （安部公房）.
In 2008, Keene was given the Order of Culture by the Japanese government in recognition of his contributions to promoting Japanese literature and culture in Europe and theUnited States.
(Apr. 24, 2011)
Last of all, let me post my haiku.
平泉青葉しげれる光堂 秀法
Hiraizumi aoba shigereru hikarido
Hiraizumi – green leaves thrive
Shining hall of Gold Hidenori
The next posting ‘Haiku about the Great East Japan Earthquake (3)’ appears on May 14.
― Hidenori Hiruta
First of all, I tell you about the Earthday Haiku Contest.
2010 Bath Japanese Festival UK in association With Words (UK); Sketchbook Haiku Journal (USA); and Planetpals (Worldwide) are in partnership with the planet to bring the Earthday Haiku Contest.
They are also pleased to have the support of Akita International University; and International Haiku Spring Festival 2010 with Japanese festival director Hidenori Hiruta (Akita, Northern Honshu, Japan).
The contest is designed to combine the love of earth with the sheer simple fun of writing Japanese haiku in English!
We call it the “Kids Count for Earthday” Earthday Haiku Contest 2010. Kids will need to count 5-7-5 to create their Earthday haiku and help all of us to learn how to keep the planet clean and healthy!
The contest theme is “What Earthday means to you”.
The contest is open to individual students 7-20 years old.
Starting Date : April 22nd, 2010.
Ending Date: May 22nd, 2010
Contest rules are shown on the Internet at http://kidsearthdayhaiku.blogspot.com/.
You can also learn more about haiku and Earthday at this site.
Secondly, I refer to President Mineo Nakajima （中嶋嶺雄）at Akita International University（国際教養大学） in order to express a lot of thanks for the support of the Earthday Haiku Contest.
AIU President Mineo Nakajima is eminent as Ph.D., Sociology, The University of Tokyo, M.A., International Relations, The University of Tokyo, and B.A., China Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
You will see what Dr. Nakajima has been doing as AIU President on the Internet at http://www.aiu.ac.jp.
Dr. Nakajima has also a clear understanding of haiku and feels a great love for haiku.
This is partly because his late father, Seiyo Nakajima （中嶋晴陽）, was one of the haiku poets in Japan.
In 1990, Dr. Nakajima compiled a book of haiku by his father, titled Seiyo Kushu (晴陽句集).
Let me show you its front cover page and the last haiku by Seiyo Nakajima.
Dr. Nakajima has written articles or essays on haiku for haiku journals or the newspapers, and has appeared in NHK TV program on haiku these days.
He also contributed the article of congratulations on the first issue of the yearly pamphlet by Akita International Haiku Network.
This is its front cover page, in which his article is shown:
In this article Dr. Nakajima presented haiku he wrote during his stay in Nara, when he went on a school trip in his junior high school days.
猿沢の灯の涼しさを宿にいて
嶺雄
Sarusawa no hi no suzushisa o yado ni ite
Donald Keene, the ex- member of the President’s Advisory Board at AIU, kindly contributed his Japanese translation for Matsuo Basho’s haiku from ‘The Narrow Road to Oku ‘ by Matsuo Basho （ 「おくのほそ道」松尾芭蕉）.
象潟や雨に西施がねぶの花
Kisakata ya ameni Seishi ga nebu no hana
Kisakata ―
Seishi sleeping in the rain,
Wet mimosa blossoms.
Donald Keene
Last of all, we sincerely hope that haiku will spread out to the world more because of its brevity and its coexistence with nature.
We also hope that more children and more young people will get interested in and love haiku through this Earthday Haiku Festival.
The next posting ‘Haiku by Students at AIU (Part 4)’ appears on May 1.
― Hidenori Hiruta
Haiku by Professor Kirby Record (Part 2)
2009/12/26
Professor Kirby Record teaches as director of English for Academic Purposes at Akita International University(AIU)(国際教養大学) in Akita.
He also writes haiku. He is a fellow haiku poet of mine.
On October 11 and 12, we participated in AIU Festival and exhibited works of haiku posted on the website, giving haiku activities, such as some haiku quiz.
During the event, Professor Kirby Record joined our activities and contributed his book of poetry titled “A Welcome Coolness” to me.
I post poetry in his book, dividing them into some parts and giving them a Japanese translation, which isn’t sometimes literal. It’s me, Hidenori Hiruta who translated his poetry into Japanese.
The title of his book is derived from the following haiku:
a sudden breeze
in bright winter sunlight, leaves
a welcome coolness
冬光に 爽涼迎ふ 風そよぐ
toko ni soryo mukau kaze soyogu
春は花 Haru wa hana
夏ほととぎす Natsu hototogisu
秋は月 Aki wa tsuki
冬雪さえて Fuyu yuki saete
すずしかりけり Suzushi kari keri
道元禅師
This poetry is Waka (和歌literally “Japanese poem”) written by Dogen Zenji (道元禅師)(1200-1253), a Japanese Zen Buddhist teacher born in Kyoto, and the founder of the Soto school of Zen in Japan.
Professor Kirby Record translated it into English as follows:
“To everything there is a season.”
Ecclesiastes
In Spring, cherry blossoms
In Summer, the cuckoo,
In Autumn, the moon,
In Winter, the snow,
Cold and clear.
Dogen Zenji
Here I post haiku about autumn by Professor Kirby Record.
after rain the ferns in the window turn gold
雨の後 窓辺のシダや 金色に
ame no ato madobe no shida ya konjiki ni
sleeper car the clacking of rails october rain
寝台車 レールのカタットといふ音 十月の雨
shindaisha re-ru no katta to iu oto jugatsu no ame
scent of the rice harvest at dawn
刈り入れの 稲の匂ひや 暁に
kariire no ine no nioiya akatsuki ni
first october frost
just cold enough to feel good
with hands in pockets
十月の初霜 ほど良い寒さに ポケットに手を
jugatsu no hatsushimo hodo yoi samusa ni pokketo ni te wo
japanese maple
brighter than bright sunlight
all around it
イロハモミジ 日光よりも鮮明 周囲悉く
iohamomiji nikkou yorimo senmei shui kotogotoku
autumn moon glowing
nearly as bright as the sun
sinks into sunset
秋の月 夕日のごとく 鮮やかに
aki no tsuki yuhi no gotoku azayaka ni
the autumn colors
on those nearby mountains, blur
into pure whiteness
近山の 秋色かすみ 純白に
kinzan no shushoku kasumi junpaku ni
climbing the mountain
how quickly it is passing
forty-sixth autumn
山登る ４６度目の秋 速し
yama noboru yonjurokudome no aki hayashi
late october rain
on rice fields’ empty stubble:
orange persimmons
１０月の晩雨 稲田の刈り株 柿オレンジ色
jugatsu no ban u inada no karikabu kaki orenji iro
Next I post some haiku of mine and some photos of autumn.
Autumn high skies
Mt. Taihei coloring
purple
天高く 紫深し 太平山
ten takaku murasaki fukashi taiheizan
Snow-capped mountain
leaves coloring ―
late autumn
晩秋や 山 雪帽子 紅葉に
banshu ya yama yukiboshi momiji ba ni
Japanese maple
brightening the garden ―
samurai premise
映える庭 イロハモミジの 武家屋敷
haeru niwa irohamomiji no bukeyashiki
The autumn colors ―
gingko accompanies
Japanese maple
秋色や イロハモミジに イチョウの木
shushoku ya irohamomiji ni icho no ki
Fallen leaves
into the water ―
Lake Tazawa
秋更ける 田沢の湖に 散る落葉
aki fukeru Tazawa no umi ni chiru ochiba
Princess Tatsuko
sees fallen leaves ―
how many years ?
辰子姫 落葉見しより 幾年ぞ
Tatsukohime ochiba mishi yori ikutose zo
Last of all, I post my favorite haiku of Basho’s, translated into English by Donald Keene.
Along this road
There are no travellers ―
Nightfall in autumn
此の道や行人なしに秋の暮
kono michi ya yuku hito nashi ni aki no kure
Autumn has deepened
I wonder what the man next door
Does for a living ?
秋深き隣は何をする人ぞ
aki fukaki tonari wa nani wo suru hito zo
― Hidenori Hiruta
Basho’s stay in Kisakata, Akita (Part 1)
2009/08/29
On August 26, I visited 象潟(Kisakata), 秋田(Akita) and took some pictures of the spots referred to in『奥の細道』(Oku no Hosomichi), ‘The Narrow Road to Oku’ .
I also wrote some haiku there. I’d like to post some pictures and haiku.
松尾芭蕉( Matsuo Basho )(1644-1694) arrived at Kisakata on the evening of August 1, 1689, when a misty rain started to fall, obscuring Chokai Mountain.
The next morning the weather cleared beautifully. When the morning sun rose in all its splendor, Basho and his party took a boat out on the lagoon on Kisakata. They put in first 能因島 (Nohin jima), Nohin Island, where they called at the remains of the hut in which 能因(Nohin)(988-?), a waka poet, lived in seclusion for three years.
Here are the photos of Nohin Island.
My haiku is this:
能因島ねぶの花行き老松樹
(Nohin jima nebu no hana yuki roh shoh ju)
Nohin Island
mimosa blossoms gone
old pine trees
After that, Basho and his party left for the opposite shore, where they landed from their boat, and they saw the cherry tree that stands as a memento of 西行法師(Saigyo hoshi)(1118-1190), Saigyo, who wrote of it in 1174:
虫甘方の桜は波に埋もれて花の上漕ぐ海士の釣り舟
Kisakata no sakura wa nami ni uzumorete hana no ue kogu ama no tsuribune
At Kisakata
A cherry tree is covered
At times by the waves;
Fishermen must row their boats
Above the cherry blossoms.
Translated by Donald Keene
Then they called at the temple standing nearby. In those days it was called the Ebb-and-Flow-Pearls Temple(干満珠寺)(Kanman ju ji), which is now called 虫甘満寺(Kanman ji), the Kanman-Temple.
Seated within the priests’ quarters of the temple, Basho rolled up the bamboo blinds and took in all at once the whole spectacle of Kisakata. To the south loomed Mount Chokai, supporting the heavens; its image was reflected in the water.
Now there is the stone for tying the boat with a rope (舟つなぎの石)(fune tsunagi no ishi) found behind the temple, where Basho and his party landed, tying their boat.
And we can see Mt. Chokai from there.
Here is a photo of the boat-tying stone and Mt. Chokai.
By the way, I’d like to show you a photo of Mt. Chokai, taken at the countryside of Kisakata.
There I wrote the following haiku:
白雲の鳥海山に蜻蛉飛ぶ
(haku un no Chokaisan ni tonbo tobu)
Mt. Chokai
rising in white clouds
dragonflies below
Here I’d like to tell you about the origin of the name ‘Mt. Chokai’.
Kanji characters, 鳥(tori), bird , 海(umi), sea , and 山(yama), mountain, are used for that name in Japanese. This means that the mountain was filled with birds and had a wonderful view of the sea.
Here is a photo of the sea taken from the slope in Kisakata, which leads to the foot of Mt. Chokai.
There I also wrote the following haiku:
初尾花海の彼方に島一つ
(hatsu obana umi no kanata ni shima hitotsu)
Fresh pampas grasses
facing the horizon
lonely island
― Hidenori Hiruta
