[For Seniors] Winter Haiku: Introducing Beautiful Masterpieces by Famous Haiku Poets

Winter chrysanthemums—what they wear is only their own light.Akiko Mizuhara

Here is a winter haiku composed by Akitoshi Mizuhara, who was also a medical doctor.

A disciple of Takahama Kyoshi, he is known as a representative haiku poet of the Hototogisu school.

This poem depicts a white chrysanthemum blooming in a winter garden where everything else has withered, clad only in its own radiant presence and standing there with a divine aura.

It beautifully conveys both the plant’s inherent beauty and its solitary dignity.

All of his seasonal poems are wonderful, so please take the time to appreciate them.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

Report a problem

Anyway, leaving it all up to you, the year comes to an end.Kobayashi Issa

Kobayashi Issa, famous as one of the three great haiku poets of the Edo period, composed the haiku “Tomokaku mo anata makase no toshi no kure” at the end of a certain year.

Kobayashi Issa is also known as a devotee born into a Jōdo Shinshū household.

In this haiku, the “anata” (you) refers to Amida Buddha.

It conveys the sentiment: “This year had many hardships, but no matter what the year was like, Amida Buddha unfailingly extends a saving hand.

With peace of mind, let us move forward.”

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

moko

Report a problem

Cold moon—at the gateless temple the sky soars high.Yosa Buson

Yosa Buson was a haiku poet active in the Edo period.

Yosa Buson, Matsuo Bashō, and Kobayashi Issa are said to be the three most renowned haikai poets of the Edo era.

If you’re working with older adults who enjoy haiku, some may be familiar with Yosa Buson.

“Kangetsu ya / mon naki tera no / ten takashi” is a verse by Buson, who was also a painter; it feels like a painting or a sketch from life.

Its meaning is that on a cold night, high above the clear sky of a temple that has not even a small gate, the moon shines with piercing clarity.

When we simply say “moon,” it may evoke a gentle autumn atmosphere.

By saying “cold moon,” it conveys a moon that casts a keen light in the chilly night sky.

Try using seasonal words skillfully and let the sense of the seasons guide you as you compose haiku with older adults.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

Nakajima Junko

Report a problem

New Year’s Eve — such is the fate of a world without certainties.Ihara Saikaku

“New Year’s Eve—such is the fate of a world without set order.” In this haiku, Ihara Saikaku, a popular haikai poet of the Edo period, expressed the idea that even though the order we are supposed to uphold in this world has fallen away and each day is full of uncertainty, New Year’s Eve arrives right on time every year.

In our daily lives, there are many things that don’t go as we wish.

Even when the days keep going badly, for better or worse, New Year’s Eve will come.

Let’s face today with a positive spirit and get through it.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

moko

Report a problem

It looks delicious—snow drifting down, softly, softly.Kobayashi Issa

When you watch snow drifting down from the sky, it can spark all kinds of imaginings.

The fleeting, delicate nature of snow that soon melts away; or, if you’re a child, the hopeful wish for a big snowfall.

Kobayashi Issa’s haiku, “Umasaōna / yuki ga fūwari / fuwari kana,” also conjures up a vivid image of winter snow.

The haiku means that delicious-looking snow is floating down, softly and lightly.

By describing the snowfall as fūwari fūwari—softly, gently—it evokes an association with cotton candy.

Haiku allows older adults, too, to joyfully express what they feel, so I’d love for them to try composing some as well.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

Nakajima Junko

Report a problem

Off they go, the children dash—Gyokuro.Matsuo Bashō

From Matsuo Basho’s haiku “Come on, children—let’s run about—tama-zarame,” we can glimpse the lively energy of children.

The haiku means: “Come, children, the hail is falling.

Let’s run around full of spirit—vigor is what matters most.” The word tama-zarame, which appears in the haiku, is a winter season word likening the beauty of hail to jewels.

In the past in Japan, even when hail or snow fell in winter, you could see children playing energetically outside.

It’s a sight that has become rarer these days.

This haiku is one that may also prompt older people to recall memories of forgetting the cold and playing when they were children.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

Nakajima Junko

Report a problem

On the first Horse Day, sunlight falls on the seed sellersYosa Buson

Hatsuuma refers to the Day of the Horse that falls at the beginning of February, and because it marks the enshrinement of the Inari deity, it is known as a day when festivals are held at Inari shrines nationwide.

These festivals are meant to pray for abundant harvests and thriving business.

That’s why the seed sellers on this day may seem to be basking in bright sunshine.

Hatsuuma is also a seasonal word for spring, so it may convey the warm, lively atmosphere that awaits beyond the cold winter.

This is a well-known haiku that uses Hatsuuma, so please feel free to remember it.

expand_lessRaise the rankingexpand_morelower

sasashina

Report a problem