World Haiku Series 2022 (14) Haiku by Bina

Haiku by Bina

1.

how tranquil the sun

like Rumi meditating

on the evening sea.

なんて静かな太陽

ルミが夕暮れの海で瞑想するように

2.

you are an atom

in the cosmic scheme of things

an atom am i.

あなたは原子

物事の宇宙の配色の中で

原子は私

3.

in the still water

of a languid salt lake

sky’s eternity.

ものうい塩湖の静かな水の中に

空の永遠

4.

climbing the mountain
of a meandering life
nirvana finds me.

曲がりくねった人生の山に登る

涅槃が私を発見

5.

reticent rain clouds

drift into an evening sky

like slow afterthoughts.

寡黙な雨雲

夕方の空に漂う

ゆっくりと考え直したかのように

6.

arms flung to the sky,

seducing the monsoon clouds

thirsty field beckons.

腕を空に伸ばし

モンスーンの雲を誘う

のどが渇いた畑が手招き

7.

an open window

the wind howls across the sea

how intense its call.

開いている窓

風が海を渡る

呼び声の激しさ

8.

The ocean’s wise waves
know they will always return
the shore’s seductive.

海の賢明な波

常に戻ってくることを知っている

海岸は魅惑的

9.

a pale autumn moon

the tree sings in solitude

to its fallen leaves.

淡い秋の月

木は孤独に歌う

落ち葉に

10.

the earth is my womb

the earth is a precious tome

of rich narratives.

地球は私の子宮

地球は豊かな物語の貴重な大冊

－Translated into Japanese by Hidenori Hiruta

Comment

Inspired by fine works of haiku by Bina, Hidenori Hiruta introduces 10 Japanese Haiku on 秋田文化, or Akita CULTURE (Japanese/English), which were written about some traditional dances, music, and festivals of Akita Prefecture.

天下一是閑の面や生々し

(tenka-ichi zekan no men ya namanamashi)

The mask

carved by Tenkaichi Zekan

lively

Note: 天下一是閑 (Tenkaichi Zekan)

The engraver, 出目是閑吉満（deme zekan yoshimitsu）(1527?-1616), was called “天下一 (the greatest in the world)” by 豊臣秀吉(TOYOTOMI Hideyoshi). 

In some 山谷番楽 (Yamaya bangaku）, or mask dancing performances in Akita City, there are 15 masks used, which are traditionally said to have been living.

The Noh mask of “橋姫 (Hashihime）” used in the dancing of “鈴木三郎 (Suzuki Saburo）” was carved by Zekan, and on the back of the mask is an inscription stating “天下一是閑 (Zekan the greatest）.”

番楽は「よしのオのオオに」青葉風

(bangaku wa yoshino o no ō ni aoba-kaze)

Prologue for bangaku

about the old man from Yoshino

green breeze

三番叟開く扇や暑気払ひ

(sanba-sō hiraku oogi ya shoki-barai)

Beating the heat

Sanbasō begins humorous

the old man’s dance

Note: 山谷番楽 (Yamaya Bangaku）

「山谷番楽」‘Yamaya Bangaku’ is a unique sacred music and dancing performed at the festival of 「生面神社」‘Seimen-jinja Shrine’ located at 「秋田市太平山谷野田」‘Noda, Yamaya, Taihei, Akita City.’  

Yamaya area is located at the foot of Mount Taihei, where 「山伏」‘yamabushi’ used to get together, climbing and reaching the mountaintop so that they would train to gain spiritual, mystical, or supernatural powers through asceticism.

After their training, 「山伏」‘yamabushi’ used to descend to Yamaya area, performing their sacred music and dancing at the festival of the shrine.

蛭田秀法

HIRUTA Hidenori

The E-book ‘俳句山上Haiku Surmounting I’ (2019)

梵天祭み吉野小角現れり

(bonden-sai mi-yoshino ozunu arawareri)

Miyoshino Ozunu

appears in Bonden Festival

as a spirit

Note: み吉野小角 (Mi-yoshino Ozunu)

「役小角」‘En no Ozunu’ appeared at the foot of Mount Taihei from 「金峯山寺」‘Kimpusenji’ temple in 「吉野山」‘Mount Yoshino’, Nara Prefecture in 673.

He tried to climb 「太平山」‘Mount Taihei’ by himself, and he reached successfully the top of the mountain, founding a small temple to get spiritual power through discipline.

「太平山神社」‘Taiheizan-jinja Shrine’ is located at Noda, Yamaya, Taihei, Akita City at the foot of Mount Taihei. The stone monument was also erected on the right side with the words 「三吉大権現」“Mi-yoshi-dai-gongen” inscribed on. 

「役小角」‘En no Ozunu’ called 「三吉」‘Miyoshi’, must have appeared in this shrine as a divine being, the manifestation of a Buddha in the form of an indigenous 「神」‘kami’.

Those days people must have called Ozunu “み吉野小角” ‘Mi-yoshino Ozunu’, Ozunu from Mount Yoshino and must have nicknamed him「三吉」“Miyoshi”. This is because「吉野」‘Yoshino’ was called 「み吉野」‘Mi-yoshino’ in the literary name.

梵天衆人に押し負け大嫌ひ

(bonden-shū hito ni oshimake daikirai)

Bonden men

greatly dislike

being shoved back

Note: 梵天祭 (Bonden Festival)

「梵天, a sacred object」‘Bonden’ is dedicated to 「三吉神社」 ‘Miyoshi-jinja Shrine’, where「役小角」En no Ozunu, or「み吉野小角」Mi-yoshino Ozunu is deified as one of the enshrined deities of the shrine. The image of 「三吉霊神」Mi-yoshino-ō-kami in the Bonden flag is almost the same as Ozunu’s image in a piece of the sketches in The 葛飾北斎 (KATSUSHIKA Hokusai) Manga .

In 673, En no Ozunu founded a temple on the top of Mount Taihei to gain supernatural power through discipline. Later he became a divine being of power as one of the deities of the shrine.

At Bonden festival, each team dedicates their Bonden to the shrine energetically, showing how hard they have trained or how powerful they are among all Bonden men.

湯気立てて梵天納む寒祭

(yuge tate-te bonden osamu kan-matsuri)

Sending out steam

dedicating Bonden

New Year’s Festival

 蛭田秀法

HIRUTA Hidenori

The E-book ‘俳句山上Haiku Surmounting II’ (2019)

なまはげや童育む大晦日

(namahage ya warabe hagukumu ōmisoka)

Namahage

scolding lazy children

New Year’s Eve

Note: なまはげ祭 (Namahage Festival)

The Ogre Festival is observed on New Year’s Eve in Oga City, Akita Prefecture.

A group of Namahage-masked men, disguised as ogres, visit each house in the village, where they are courteously welcomed by the head of the house in formal dress.

The men wear straw raincoats and carry wooden kitchen knives and also hold wands with strips of white paper attached, which are used for purification.

Then they pray with the family at the altar of the family gods for luck of the new year. Before leaving the house, they are entertained with glasses of sake wine, food and rice cakes.

The purpose of the visit is to scold lazy children who do not do their best in their work.

なまはげに供ふ御膳や海の幸

(namahage ni sonau gozen ya umi no sachi)

A thanksgiving dish

to Namahage

fruits of the sea

なまはげや祭りに降りる神の使者

(namahage ya matsuri ni oriru kami no shisha)

Namahage

decsending to the festival

the messengers of God

柴燃えてなまはげ踊る神楽かな

(shiba moe-te namahage odoru kagura kana)

Firewood burning

Namahage absorbed in

sacred music and dance

蛭田秀法

HIRUTA Hidenori

Member of Haiku International Association, 2016