[For Seniors] Summer kigo: A list of famous seasonal words to enjoy while savoring their elegance

fireworks

Haiku of Fireworks: 22 Poems [Recitation]

Fireworks have served as a motif for a wide range of artists—film directors, singers, and visual artists alike.

Whether it’s the large aerial fireworks you see at festivals or the flickering sparks of handheld senko hanabi, the time spent enjoying fireworks always has a certain poignancy.

I’m also fond of Masaoka Shiki’s line, “One by one they go out—how lonely, the distant fireworks.” There are many seasonal words related to fireworks as well: tō-hanabi (distant fireworks), te-hanabi (handheld fireworks), uchiage-hanabi (aerial fireworks), and hanabi-kuzu (spent fireworks), among others.

To avoid falling into stereotypical haiku, it’s important to cherish a sensibility like “the scene I want to depict + fireworks.”

firefly

May 31, 2024 “Summer kigo: Fireflies” Haiku LOVE (HaikuLove)

“A single firefly dims the tatami” is by Masajo Suzuki.

“When I die, I’ll set down my chopsticks—like a firefly” is by Awa no Seihō.

“One goes out, and the darkness deepens—fireflies” is by the master Ryūta Iida.

Beloved by many haiku poets because of their fleeting, fragile lives, fireflies are also a popular summer kigo.

Their distinctive courtship—lighting up their tails—and the way that light, conversely, draws out the darkness, is poetry unique to haiku.

From their pale glow and brief lives, one can project meditations on life and death to create richly flavored verse.

It’s also lovely to render the scene itself, with the dampness of the night air and the murmur of the river.

cicada

Haiku of cicadas

When you hear “insects that symbolize summer,” what comes to mind? Fireflies, rhinoceros beetles—there are many possibilities, but surely the first thing most people think of is the cicada.

Basho Matsuo’s “Silence— the cicadas’ cries sink into the rocks,” which you’ll find in just about any textbook, is a verse known even to those not particularly interested in haiku.

ところで、冒頭の語「閑さや」は「shizukesa ya」と読みます。

The min-min cicada is the sound of midsummer, the higurashi marks summer evenings, and the tsukutsukuboshi is famous for heralding the end of summer.

evening shower

Haiku and the Seasonal Word “Evening Shower” [Summer Seasonal Word]

Yūdachi, the sudden rain that falls on summer evenings.

These days we even get downpours like those in tropical rainforests, so we need to be careful.

From Yosa Buson and Masaoka Shiki onward, many haiku poets have written about the way the scenery suddenly changes in such rain.

Terrifying rain can be captured through sight, the unique smell after the rain through smell, and of course the texture of the rain itself—making it a versatile seasonal word that can be approached from many angles.

An evening shower in the city, in the mountains, by the sea—imagining a scene from a movie might be nice, too.

Great Heat

Haiku and the seasonal word “Taisho” [Summer seasonal word]

Daisho (Great Heat) is one of the 24 solar terms, and in today’s calendar it corresponds to the period from around July 23 to around August 7.

As the name suggests, it is considered the time when the year’s heat is at its peak.

In the sequence of the 24 solar terms, it comes after Shosho (Lesser Heat) and before Risshu (Beginning of Autumn).

A satisfying order, isn’t it? “Great Heat—white of a distant sail keeps moving” is a haiku by Atsushi Anzumi.

If, like Anzumi, you can evoke a spiritual calm that goes beyond “it’s unbearably, unbearably hot,” that’s first-rate.

If you have memories of the hottest days, it’s also nice to shape those recollections into a set form.

the westering sun

Haiku and the seasonal word “nishibi” [summer season word]

Nishibi refers to the sun slanting in the western sky, or its sunlight—specifically, the strong light that streams into rooms from afternoon into evening.

In summer, when the sun rises higher, people often feel the nishibi more intensely.

Because of this, nishibi is considered a seasonal word for summer.

As summer arrives, there are more days when the nishibi becomes a concern.

It seems this hasn’t changed from the past, as many renowned haiku poets have composed numerous poems on this theme.

Why not try composing your own summer haiku—using your own words to capture the heat, the scene, and the feelings brought on by the nishibi shining into a room?

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thunder

[Haiku Stroll • No. 78] Exploring the true meaning of the seasonal word “thunder” (summer)! ⚡️

Thunder may occur at any time of year, but in the world of haiku it is considered a summer season word.

This is because the Japanese have long believed that thunder helps rice grow.

With its instant flash and a roar that seems to split the earth, it is also a season word that tests various senses.

One famous haiku by Hashimoto Takako, one of the prominent female haiku poets of the Showa era, goes: “When the heat lightning comes from the north, I look to the north.” It is truly a masterpiece among masterpieces, one that can be appreciated from any angle—unconscious self, contrast with nature, and more.