[For seniors] Classic winter kigo. Compose a verse with your favorite seasonal word.

year’s endNEW!

Haiku and the seasonal word “Year’s End” [winter seasonal word]

What is your year’s end like? Or what was it like? Did you wrap up work around December 29 and leisurely prepare for the New Year, enjoying a calm close to the year? Or perhaps some of you spent the year-end still working through the holidays, hardly able to feel the New Year mood.

There’s a famous haiku by Masaoka Shiki: “Tarachine no areba zo kanashi toshi no kure.” It expresses the particular loneliness of year’s end that arises precisely because one has parents.

Whether busy, excited, or relaxed—why not try composing a haiku that reflects your own feelings?

shigure (late autumn/early winter drizzle)NEW!

[Haiku Stroll · Episode 41] Shigure (a winter season word) Learn haiku where the season word comes alive! #haiku #haikuappreciation #haikureading

Rain that falls at the beginning of winter is called “shigure.” Unlike rain that continues steadily, it falls lightly in short bursts and then stops, and with each passing shower, winter draws nearer.

Because it evokes the arrival of winter, it is also used in haiku as an expression of loneliness.

As another name for the tenth month of the lunar calendar, there is also the term “shigure-zuki.” Some older adults may sense the approach of winter from the light, sporadic showers of late autumn.

The word shigure is known nationwide, but in fact, shigure is said to fall only in certain regions of Japan.

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Nakajima Junko

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wintry windNEW!

Haiku and the seasonal word “Kogarashi” [winter seasonal word]

A seasonal word that refers to the cold wind blowing from late autumn into early winter, named for the strong gusts that scatter the leaves from the trees.

When the dry wind sweeps through, the leaves of the roadside trees take to the air, unfolding a scene that seems to herald winter’s arrival.

Imagining leaf-strewn paths, a high, clear sky, and people walking while feeling the chill deepens the sense of the season.

While the sound of the wind carries a certain loneliness, it also conveys the poised beauty of winter’s air.

By composing while attuned to the wind’s sound and the changing scenery, one can express the presence of winter with striking vividness.

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mutō

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withered fieldNEW!

Haiku and the seasonal word 'Kareno' [Winter seasonal word]

As winter deepens, plants begin to look withered, don’t they? That scene is expressed as kare-no, or “withered fields,” and when used as a seasonal word in haiku, it conveys the harshness of winter—cold, stillness, and loneliness.

If we think of a famous haiku using kare-no, perhaps Matsuo Bashō comes to mind? While it depicts the chill and cold of winter, it also brings to mind the tender buds on trees preparing for spring.

If we weave such seasonal transitions into haiku, they can become words you can feel.

Please try composing a haiku that uses kare-no to foreshadow the arrival of spring.

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Nakajima Junko

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snowNEW!

Haiku and the seasonal word “snow” [Winter seasonal word]

When you think of winter, many of you probably picture snowy landscapes.

People say the world is warming, but even so, winter still brings snow to mind.

Some older adults may also have many memories of snow from their childhood or working years.

Haiku that use snow as a seasonal word can help conjure those memories, and from there, conversations can flow.

Depending on the situation—whether the snow is piling up or falling—you can compose haiku to fit a variety of scenes.

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Nakajima Junko

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