[For Seniors] Haiku for September: Introducing Verses Perfect for Autumn

When I bite into a persimmon, a bell resounds—Hōryū-jiMasaoka Shiki

This is a famous haiku by Masaoka Shiki, a poet of the Meiji era.

It is said that he composed it at a teahouse where he stopped to rest during a visit to Horyu-ji in Nara.

You can almost picture him holding a ripe, sweet persimmon in one hand.

There’s also an evocative atmosphere in the tolling of the bell resonating with a deep “booon.” In the clear autumn air under a bright sky, you can feel time flowing gently.

How about trying to compose haiku that capture peaceful scenes from autumn days with older people? You might create something full of character.

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Nakajima Junko

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Red dragonflies—over Tsukuba, not even a cloud in sight.Masaoka Shiki

As autumn arrives, we tend to see more red dragonflies, don’t we? Spotting them in the orange glow of dusk really makes you feel that it’s autumn.

With Mount Tsukuba—one of Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains—as the backdrop, the haiku seems to capture a moment under a clear, expansive sky.

You can picture red dragonflies fluttering at the foot of Mount Tsukuba on a cloudless, brilliantly sunny day.

For older adults, a haiku that evokes autumn might also bring back memories of past autumns.

That could lead to an even livelier conversation.

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Nakajima Junko

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Under the autumn sky, split in two—an immense chinquapin treeKyoshi Takahama

This is a haiku that depicts the strength of a towering chinquapin tree rising into the autumn sky.

Described as splitting the sky in two, the tree’s presence is overwhelming within the quiet autumn landscape, conveying the power of nature to the reader.

By savoring it while imagining the often-overlooked expressions of trees and sky in everyday life, one can feel both the deepening of the season and the grandeur of nature up close.

Though brief, this verse lets you sense not only the visible scene but also the force and vitality that expand in the heart, offering the pleasure of envisioning an autumnal setting.

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kojifumi

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