『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
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 President, Dr. Mineo Nakajima（中嶋嶺雄学長）says in the AIU Festival pamphlet as follows:
挨拶 Greetings
第８回AIU祭を迎えるにあたって
「八」という漢数字は書くと下のほうが広がることから「末広がり」を意味し、日本では幸運とされ、また特に古代文学においては聖なる数とされていました。2004年に国際教養大学が開学してから今日まで「末広がり」に発展して第「八」回目のAIU祭を迎えることができましたことを学長として嬉しく思っております。
本学では「国際教養 (International Liberal Arts) 」という２１世紀型の新しいコンセプトのもとで、学生諸君が本当によく学び、着実に成長しており、学長としてこれほどの喜びはありません。日本人学生・留学生諸君が、日々の厳しい日課を離れて、思いっきり羽を伸ばし、各自の個性を発揮して、お友達や家族の方々、教職員、地域の皆さん、そして秋田市民や県民の皆様とともに第８回AIU祭を盛り上げ、楽しく実り多いAIU祭になりますことを期待しております。また、今回のAIU祭が本学の目指す国際貢献と地域貢献の一環になることを強く願っています。
最後に、本学を代表して、本年もAIU祭にご協力いただいた地元の皆様に厚くお礼申し上げます。
2011年秋 学長 中嶋 嶺雄
The AIU students enjoyed the festival in their own ways.
Some of the students enjoyed taking a stroll around the campus.
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 Basho’s haiku tablet in the temple garden, and they got very inspired to write haiku in Japanese and paint haiga pictures.
Here is a photo of the tablet.
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.
Let me post haiga or haiku, dividing them into seven parts.
Here is the fourth part of them.
Cezar F.Ciobîcă
After tsunami -
a dog giving an example
to the human race
津波の後 ―
犬が良いお手本
人類に
Waiting for the news -
the children folding
only paper cranes
知らせを待つ ―
子供たちが折っている
ただ紙のツルを
Fukushima –
for every missing man
a haiku
福島 ―
行方不明のひとりひとりに
俳句一句
literary circle -
everyone reads
only haiku
文学サークル ―
誰も皆読む
俳句だけを
Crying woman -
with a hina doll
among ruins
泣いている女性 ―
ひな人形を持って
廃墟の中で
gloomy day -
a cherry tree lightening
our hopes
どんよりした日 ―
一本の桜の木 明るくしている
希望
falling cherry blossoms -
another shrouds
for the dead
桜吹雪 ―
もう一枚の包む布
死者のため
Doina Wurm
Souls in the mud
The new born roots arising
Boughs of the lotus
泥の中の霊魂
新しく生まれた根が生じている
ハスの枝を
Wave over the shore-
Blossom of the sakura
Abyss in the dark
浜辺を蔽う波 ―
桜の花
暗やみの中の深淵
Not a single plane-
A flight into the unknown;
The birds in Sendai
飛行機は一機もない ―
未知への飛行
仙台の小鳥たち
Not a single tweet-
Only the crane`s crying
Sendai, Sendai, Send…
さえずりとてたった一つもない―
ツルの叫ぶ声だけ
仙台、仙台、仙だ．．．と
Translated into Japanese by Hidenori Hiruta
The next posting ‘Haiku from Romanian poets for AIU Festival 2011 (5)’ appears on December 17.
― Hidenori Hiruta
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 President, Dr. Mineo Nakajima（中嶋嶺雄学長）was at the entrance to welcome visitors.
The AIU students enjoyed the festival in their own ways.
Some of the students enjoyed wearing kimono, giving a show.
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 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.
Let me post haiga or haiku, dividing them into seven parts.
Here is the third part of them.
Ailoaei Cristina
near the ruins –
a dog waiting for
its master
廃墟の近く ―
一匹の犬が待っている
主人を
after earthquake –
in this haiku
all my sympathy
地震の後 ―
このハイクの中に
私の同情のすべてが
among ruins –
a puppy licking
its wounded master
廃墟の中で ―
子犬が舐めっている
負傷した主人を
after tsunami –
a child embracing
his mother’s jacket
津波の後―
子供が抱きしめている
母のジャケットを
Livia Ciupav
after the storm
the sky and the magnolia
in the same puddle
嵐の後 ―
空とモクレンが
同じ水たまりの中に
May storm-
the bride’s bouquet
in a puddle
５月の嵐―
新婦の花束
水たまりの中に
the railway station in ruin-
the rails hide
under the cornflower
廃墟の中の鉄道の駅 ―
レールが隠れる
ヤグルマギクの下に
the marsh with water lilies-
an unexpected lesson
of ikebana
スイレンの沼地 ―
思いがけないレッスン
生け花の稽古
all that remained
in the harvested garden-
the moon sickle
残っていたものの全て
収穫の終わった庭に ―
月の形の鎌
Lucian Popescu
A new sunrise –
under a millennial cedar
Japenese child
新しい日の出 ―
千年杉の下に
日本の子供
After tsunami-
the ruins of houses
unused portion of the mast.
津波の後―
家々の崩壊
高い柱の新しい部分
Fog at dawn –
Amongst houses in ruin
a solitary pine
夜明けの霧 ―
廃墟の家々の中に
たった一本の松の木
Ioana Dinescu
puddles after rain ―
the rainbow descends deeper
and deeper
雨後の水たまり ―
虹が色濃く降りてくる
そしてますます濃く
Translated into Japanese by Hidenori Hiruta
The next posting ‘Haiku from Romanian poets for AIU Festival 2011 (4)’ appears on December 10.
― Hidenori Hiruta
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 festivals in their own ways.
Some of them enjoyed talking with the AIU President, Dr. Mineo Nakajima（中嶋嶺雄学長）.
Some of the students enjoyed their native dishes, serving them to visitors.
Some local volunteers showed how to make rice cakes, presenting them to visitors.
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 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.
Let me post haiga or haiku, dividing them into seven parts.
Here is the second part of them.
Valeria Iacob
the old fence –
a network of white frost
covers the gaps
古いフェンス ―
白い霜のネットワーク
破れ目を蔽う
A bit of bread –
a kid and a sparrow
taking turns
パンの小片 ―
一人の子供と一羽の雀
交代に
Snow-drifts everywhere –
a sparrow pecks
the moonlight
至る所に雪の吹きだまり―
一羽の雀がつつく
月光を
After the shower
a green frog looking
at the rainbow
にわか雨の後
一匹の青蛙が見ている
虹を
Manuela Dragomirescu
after the storm -
the old dry well
full of stars
嵐の後―
古い乾いた井戸
星で一杯
anniversary -
my candies box
unopened
記念日―
キャンデイの箱
未開封
Cristina-Monica Moldoveanu
lightning through mist –
a snail’s trace
on the ruined wall
靄を通る稲妻 ―
カタツムリの跡
破壊した壁に
bindweeds in the wind –
some old letters
on a dusty table
風に吹かれるサンシキヒルガオ ―
数通の古い手紙
ほこりまみれのテーブルの上に
waves at sunset –
motionless windmills
under heavy clouds
日没時の波 ―
動かない風車
厚い雲の下
full moon –
on the white sugar bowl
a night butterfly
満月 ―
白砂糖のボウルの上に
夜の蝶一匹
tallow candles
in fisherman’s hut –
fog on the river
獣脂からできたろうそく
漁師小屋の中で ―
川面には霧
grandmother’s room –
a scent of quince
over the china
おばあちゃんの部屋―
マルメロの香り
お皿中に
dry leaves on fire –
the last rose bud
won’t open
燃えている乾いた葉 ―
最後のバラのつぼみ
開かないだろう
Ana Urma
among ruins –
the minute hand of great watch
support for nest
廃墟の中 ―
大時計の微少な針
巣の支え
the life line
over the horizon -
cruel expectations
命綱
水平線の向こうに ―
痛ましい期待
Ioana Dinescu
3.11 ―
Japan moved suddenly much
closer to Europe
３月１１日 ―
日本は突然ひどく動いた
ヨーロッパの近くへ
Translated into Japanese by Hidenori Hiruta
The next posting ‘Haiku from Romanian poets for AIU Festival 2011 (3)’ appears on December 3.
― Hidenori Hiruta
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 opening speech was made by the AIU President. Dr. Mineo Nakajima（中嶋嶺雄学長）
The AIU students enjoyed the festival in their own ways.
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 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.
Let me post haiga or haiku donated by Romanian poets, dividing them into seven parts.
Here is the first part of them.
Maria Mihailescu
flowers were flying
deep inside the big blue planet -
a worm was sleeping
花が飛んでいた
大きな青い惑星の内側深くを ―
虫が一匹眠っていた
Virginia Popescu
blood red sunset –
shaking the whole fiord
a terrible scream
血のような赤い夕日 ―
フィヨルドの全体を揺り動かしている
恐ろしい悲鳴
The haiku was written inspired by Edward Munch’s canvas:
Cornel C. Costea
Gloomy March –
and still the cherry trees
blossom once more
暗い3月 ―
それでも桜の木に
もう一度花が咲く
Earthquake at the dawn –
the night is falling down
above Japan
夜明けの地震―
夜が更けている
日本の上で
Fuji-San –
all the paths towards
Milky Way
富士山 ―
全ての小道は
天の川の方へ
Petru-Ioan Gârda
After tsunami -
on the wreck in the village
budding cherry
津波の後 ―
村の残骸に
つぼみふくらむ桜
A huge Tsunami -
maybe God wants
to make surf
巨大な津波―
ひょっとすると神の望みかもしれない
波を作ることが
Terrible earthquake -
very big tsunami
but not as high as Fuji
恐ろしい地震 ―
とても大きな津波
だけど富士山ほどは高くない
Ion Rasinaru,
roar from the depth -
only the mount Fuji
lasting refuge
深淵から轟音 ―
ただ富士山だけ
永久の安全地帯
the fury of the sea
breaking destinies -
still Fuji
海の激怒
運命を砕く―
静かな富士
Broken hourglass –
from Alps and Fuji pigeons
gather sand
こわれた砂時計 ―
アルプスと富士山からハトが
砂を集める
house in ruins –
cherry blossoms for
homeless childrens
倒壊の家 ―
桜の花が咲く
家のない子供たちのために
Fratila Genovel-Florentin
Sunrise ―
The morning prayer
Is for Japan
日の出 ―
朝の祈り
日本のために
Translated into Japanese by Hidenori Hiruta
The next posting ‘Haiku from Romanian poets for AIU Festival 2011 (2)’ appears on November 26.
― 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
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
