Akita International Haiku Network
Gray clouds trail across the sky. In the pale winter sun a flock of geese (Ben Grafström–Akita, Japan)
The Haiku International Association(HIA)（国際俳句交流協会）, a nonprofit organization aimed at promoting haiku globally, celebrated the 20th anniversary of its establishment with a symposium titled Haiku Worldwide ― Present and Future on November 28, Tokyo. First of all, HIA President Akito Arima (会長有馬朗人) gave a speech of celebration as a greeting. Secondly, they announced … Continue reading Haiku at HIA Haiku Contest and Symposium (2009)
On September 30, the activities of our network were reported in the Akita Sakigake newspapers （秋田魁新報:Akita Sakigake Shinpou）. That afternoon one of the readers sent to us haiku about ‘autumn rice fields’ , or ‘秋の稲田(aki no inada)’ . The Kanji characters ‘ 秋田‘ are used as the name of Akita City and Akita Prefecture. … Continue reading Haiku about Autumn Rice Fields
According to『おくのほそ道』(Oku no Hosomichi), ‘The Narrow Road to Oku’ ‘ translated by Donald Keene, 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, … Continue reading Basho’s stay in Kisakata, Akita (Part 3)
On September 4, we received a comment on “Basho’s stay in Kisakata, Akita ( Part 1) from Dr. Gabi Greve. She said in her comment, “lately I enjoy Basho and the Sake no Hosomichi in the following site : http://washokufood.blogspot.com/2009/08/sake-no-hosomichi.html. I wonder what Basho might have eaten at Kisakata.” Dr. Gabi Greve is German … Continue reading Basho’s stay in Kisakata, Akita (Part 2)
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 … Continue reading Basho’s stay in Kisakata, Akita (Part 1)
Here is a picture of a lotus flower bud. In 2003 I got a haiku book written by Sylvia Forges-Ryan and Edward Ryan. Its title is “Take a Deep Breath’” ‘The Haiku Way to Inner Peace’. Its jacket photo by Jana Leon has a flower of white and red or scarlet. Even … Continue reading Basho’s lotus flowers
On July 31, I visited 虫甘満寺(Kanman ji), the Kanman-Temple in 象潟(Kisakata), 秋田(Akita) and I discovered many things. This temple is famous for the last spot which 松尾芭蕉( Matsuo Basho )(1644-1694) visited during his stay in Kisakata from August 1 - 3, 1689. According to 『奥の細道』(Oku no Hosomichi), ‘The Narrow Road to Oku’ translated by … Continue reading Basho’s mimosa blossoms
紫陽花 (ajisai), hydrangea, is the deciduous shrub up to five feet high with ball-shaped clusters of bluish flowers in June and July. It has become a common ornamental throughout the world. In Japan both 額紫陽花(gaku ajisai), H. macrophylla and 沢紫陽花(sawa ajisai), H. serrata in particular have been cultivated for so many centuries that they … Continue reading Basho’s hydrangea
Iris is a genus of between 200-300 species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species. As well as being the scientific name, iris is also very widely used as a … Continue reading Basho’s Irises
This is a picture of peach blossoms I took in Akita in the middle of May. Peach blossoms have been loved and taken up in haiku, waka, folklore, legends, and cultural events since the ancient days in Japan. Peach trees originated in China, where they loved peaches as well as peach blossoms, so they … Continue reading Basho’s peach blossoms
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