Exciting news reached us in Akita!
Mr. Satoru Kanematsu published a splendid haiku book on October 1.
He is one of the veteran poets, who has contributed nice haiku to Asahi Haikuist Network by David McMurray.
The news was sent on November 14, from Professor David McMurray at the International University of Kagoshima（鹿児島国際大学）as follows.
Dear Hiruta sensei,
You’ve been blessed with early arriving snow! Blown in from Russia according to weather reports I read down here in the south of Japan. The fresh white treetops with golden red leaves underneath must be splendid to see. That reminds me of a haiku I read in the Asahi back in 2005:
Near winter
my dyed hair turns white
from the roots
I am writing today, to let the haiku scholars and haiku aficionados who enjoy your Akita Haiku page know about a splendid new haiku book by a seasoned poet in Nagoya:
title: Haiku Diary HAZY MOON
author: KANEMATSU, Satoru
publisher: GAKUHOSHA
address: 454-0011 Nagoya, Nakagawa-ku, 4-5-10 Sanno
tel: 052-322-1171
ISBN: 978-4-9907320-0-4 C0092
price: 1,500 yen
pages: 82 color & B/W
release date: 2013/10/1
When I visited your lovely Akita Prefecture at year’s end, I remember hearing about the red-faced namahage who sweep down from the mountains into the villages on the Oga Peninsula. Here’s another haiku from Haiku Diary HAZY MOON:
Red ogre
wails from the kid’s book
winter night
Kindest of regards, keep warm,
David McMurray
マクマレイ・デビッド David McMurray
鹿児島国際大学 IUK
国際文化学部教授 Professor
国際交流委員長 Int’l Committee Chair
サンタローザワインとの関係 Wine
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/cool_japan/culture/AJ201311010050
俳句ですね Most recent publications
http://ajw.asahi.com/search/?q=mcmurray
著者 The author
http://alumni.os.mcmaster.ca/s/1439/index2.aspx?sid=1439&gid=1&pgid=2555
As Professor David McMurray mentioned in his e-mail above, we had first snowfall at the middle of November here in Akita.
Here are a photo of the sight of snow left and a haiku I wrote about it.
First snow –
persimmons baptized
deepening color
初雪や洗礼受けし柿の色
Lastly, let me refer to ‘Namahage’, which was introduced in the e-mail above from Professor David McMurray.
Here is a photo of Namahage, taken by me a few years ago.
And here is a haiku about Namahage by me.
Namahage –
Ogre inviting guests to
the Oga Peninsula
なまはげや男鹿半島に客を呼ぶ
We sincerely hope that we will enjoy writing haiku, sharing it with each other
― Hidenori Hiruta
Akita International Haiku Network 