Haiku by Hidenori Hiruta in Japan (2)

 

First of all, I present you the following haiku I wrote when I visited 角館（かくのだて）(Kakunodate), Akita.

 

Hyakusui’s monument

stands in beauty

cherry blossoms

さくらばな百穂の碑を飾りけり

Sakurabana  Hyakusui no hi o  kazari keri

 

 

This is a monument inscribed with two tanka poems written by平福百穂（ひらふく ひゃくすい）(Hirafuku Hyakusui)(1877 – 1933), who was a Japanese-style painter as well as a tanka poet. He was born and brought up in 角館 (Kakunodate) , which is famous for the birthplace of 小田野直武 （おだの　なおたけ）(Odano Naotake)(1750 – 1780), one of the greatest painters of Akita ranga (秋田蘭画) , also known as the Akita-ha (秋田派). 

平福百穂 (Hirafuku Hyakusui) was greatly influenced by Akita ranga (秋田蘭画) and earnestly tried to introduce and spread its style, in which the Akita painters for the most part painted traditional Japanese themes and compositions using Western-style techniques and an approximation of oil paints.

The monument for Hyakusui’s tanka poems was erected in 角館 (Kakunodate) on September 9, 1944, with the two following tanka poems inscribed with.

 

うつろへる川の流れを見るにさへ
　　　　　　　　　　　年ふりにけり国を出しより 

 

Seeing the current of the river moved in different sites,

I realize how many years have passed since I left hometown.

 

　ひと時に芽吹き立ち匂ふみちのくの
　　　　　　　　　　　明るき春にあひにけるかも

 

How lucky I have felt to be in such a bright spring of the Tohoku district,

where trees have just begun to bud all at once, giving nice smells! 

 

Secondly, I present some of my haiku I wrote when I visited 男鹿半島(Ogahantou), or

the Oga Peninsula in English.

 

Driving straight

down the coastline

sweetbriers

ドライブの海岸線の野バラかな

 

Sailing boat

through the islands

off bonds

 

島巡り絆を後に走りけり

 

Summer colours

call ogres

the Oga Peninsula 

 

夏の色ナマハゲを呼ぶ男鹿半島

 

Diving

into cobalt blue water

the Oga Isles

 

男鹿島や群青の海に飛び込めり

 

 

Thirdly, I present some haiku about summer.

Humid night

staring the cool

summer moon

 

夏の月湿った夜の涼味かな

 

Summer’s dream

someone sits in shade

Buddha’s posture

夏の夢仏陀が影に座りけり

 

Buddha’s rise

from the pond

lotus flower

 

池中より出づる仏陀や蓮の花

 

 

Falling winds

Hiroshima no more

prayers ring

 

風よわりヒロシマの祈り聞こえけり

 

Lastly, I present the latest haiku from my own blog: http://akitahaiku.blogspot.com/.

 

Permanent snow

cools the air

summer solstice

夏至の空万年雪の涼気かな

 

The shade

bathes in the water

summer isle

夏の島影水中に浴しけり

 

 

The next posting ‘Haiku by Brian McSherry in Japan (2) appears on July 24.

 

― Hidenori Hiruta