The Haiku Pages

Haiku is one of the most important forms of traditional Japanese poetry. Haiku is a 17-syllable verse form consisting of three metrical units of 5, 7, and 5 syllables. Strictly speaking, the history of haiku begins only in the last years of the 19th century. The famous verses of such Edo-period (1600-1868) masters as Basho, Yosa Buson, and Kobayashi Issa are properly referred to as hokku and must be placed in the perspective of the history of haikai even though they are now generally read as independent haiku.

The history of the modern haiku dates from Masaoka Shiki's reform, begun in 1892, which established haiku as a new independent poetic form. Shiki's reform did not change two traditional elements of haiku: the division of 17 syllables into three groups of 5, 7, and 5 syllables and the inclusion of a seasonal theme.

In Japanese, the rules for how to write Haiku are clear. In foreign languages, there exist no consensus on how to write haiku poems.

What to write about?

Haiku poems can describe almost anything, but you seldom find themes which are too complicated. Some of the best haiku poems describe daily situations in a way that gives the reader a brand new experience of a well-known situation.

In Japanese, the metrical convention is a must, but in English, which has variation in the length of syllables, this can sometimes be difficult. The technique of cutting divides the haiku into two parts. A certain imaginative distance exists between the two sections, but they remain somewhat independent of each other. Both sections must enrich the understanding of the other.To make this cutting in English, either the first or the second line ends normally with a colon, long dash or ellipsis.

Each Haiku has a seasonal theme and must contain a kigo, a season word, which indicates in which season the Haiku is set. For example, cherry blossoms indicate spring, snow indicates winter, and mosquitoes indicate summer, but the seasonal word isn't always that obvious.

Haiku poems are written under different rules and in many languages.

Browse a sample of very early haiku poems, written by the great master of the art, Matsuo Basho(1644-1694).

View a sample of my own offerings of haiku poetry, dealing with the theme of Changes.