Haiku Poetry

Famous Haiku Poetry: The Greatest Japanese Poems

By Gary R. Hess

Over the years, there have been thousands, even millions of haiku poems written. Nonetheless, the best (and most famous) haiku ever written is still in the original style set forth by the Japanese.

Haiku is traditionally a form of Japanese poetry written in the pattern of 5,7,5
morae (partially similar to english syllables, see below for explanation). Haiku is a modern revision by Masaoka Shiki of the much older hokku, the opening verse of haikai no renga.

Forms of poetry similar to haiku include: senryu, haibun, kimo, scifaiku, waka (includes tanka).

With this being said, haiku is meant to bring about imagination, thought, and emotion. Since the poem is short, it comes with a bang! Or, at least the greatest haikus do.

These famous haikus listed below have lasted through the test of time. They are classic, had been read millions of times, and are still the greatest, and of course, translated into English.

Green frog,
Is your body also
freshly painted?
by Ryunosuke Akutagawa

No one travels
Along this way but I,
This autumn evening.
By Matsuo Basho

A sudden shower falls -
and naked I am riding
on a naked horse!
By Kobayashi Issa


These vintage writings will continue to last for generations more. You may need to read them a few times to get the full effect, but you will likely appreciate them the same as generations before and after
you.

Haiku Poetry: Definition, Writing Style, and Other Answers

Recently, there has been quite a bit of buzz about haiku poetry. It is a favorite amongst teens and young adults; however, it is often used as just a favorite word instead of a favorite writing style.

This page is strictly to answer common questions about the literature genre known as haiku.

Haiku definition

Haiku is, as defined by dictionary.com and others, a poem with three lines containing 5, 7, 5 morae (not syllables).How come none of the haiku I have read are in 5,7,5?Classical haiku poetry is not written in 5,7,5 because the poem was originally written in Japanese and then translated into English, therefor changing the morae within the poem.

Most non-English written Haiku aren't in 5,7,5 due to language constrictions. Normally, the authors try to keep the poems around six seconds long (or said without taking a breath).

What is the difference between hokku, haiku and haikai?
Hokku was originally a one line poem, sometimes used as an opening verse to haikai, a chain of verses made into a poem; however, many classical Japanese poets used hokku by itself, leaving it much like modern haiku. The only difference is that hokku was left as one line and haiku is written in three. Due to this, many hokku writers are now looked at as classical haiku poets.Ok, I understand that haiku must be a specific length. Is there anything else I need to know before getting started?Yes and no. Haiku is generally thought of as a way of life. The themes also vary from many aspects but all stay within the norms of nature.What are some of the more famous haiku poets out there?Some of the most famous haiku poets are Japanese, so the form will be slightly different due to translation issues; however, they are:

Matsuo Basho, Yosa Buson, Kobayashi Issa and Masaoka Shiki.

Haiku Poetry: Tradition, History, and Famous Poets

History and Explanation of Haiku

Haiku is a major type of Japanese poetry. Haiku was previously called 'hokku', but given its current name by Masaoka Shiki at the end of the 19th century. The name was suggested as an abbreviation of the phrase "haikai no ku" meaning a verse of haikai.

Traditionally haikai is written as one line vertical line, although handwritten form may be in any number of lines. In English, haiku is generally written in three lines to equate to the three parts of a haiku in Japanese that consists of five, seven and then five on (the Japanese count sounds, not syllables). For example, the word 'haiku' contains three "onji" (ha-i-ku), but two syllables in English. So producing a poem with seventeen syllables in English is considerably longer than the traditional haiku. Thus, the closest equivalent to "onji" is the phonetic mora.

In Japanese haiku, a kireji (cutting word) is used at the end of one of the three lines. In Japanese there are actual kireji words which act as punctuation, e.g. 'ya' in Bashō's "furuike ya" poem. Since there is no English equivalent to the kireji, other forms of punctuation are used, e.g. comma, colon, ellipses, etc. These "punctuations" are generally used at the end of the first or second line and very rarely found in the middle of the second line. The purpose is to create a relationship between the two parts.

A traditional haiku contains a kigo (season word) that symbolises the season in which the poem is set.

Most Japanese haiku writers see kireji and kigo as non-negotiable requirements. Although many believe kigo are considered essential to traditional haiku, new forms are being implemented without their use. These are called "free-form" haiku.

A similar form of Japanese poetry is the Senryū. The poems contain three lines with 17 or fewer "onji" and tend to be about human foibles. They are often cynical or contain dark humor. Senryū do not need to include kigo, unlike most haiku.

Famous Haiku Poets

Definition:

Haijin

A haiku poet.

The haijins listed below are some of the greatest poets this art form has ever seen. I hope you enjoy their writings and their life stories.

Akutagawa, Ryunosuke
Basho, Matsuo
Buson, Yosa
Chiyo-ni
Etsujin
Hashin
Issa, Kobayashi
Kato, Shuson
Kawahigashi, Hekigodo
Kójó
Murakami, Kijo
Natsume, Soseki
Raizan
Ryusui
Santoka, Taneda
Shiki, Masaoka
Tablada, José Juan
Takahama, Kyoshi
Takayanagi, Shigenobu

Definition of Mora

Definition:

Moran., pl. morae or moras. The minimal unit used in phonology that determines stress and timing. It is equal to the short syllable.

History and Meaning

The word mora comes from the Latin word for "linger, delay", which was also used to translate the Greek word chronos (time) in its metrical sense.

A syllable that contains one mora is said to be monomoraic; one with two mora is called bimoraic. Monomoraic syllables are said to be light syllables, while bimoraic syllables are said to be heavy syllables, and trimoraic syllables are said to be superheavy syllables. There is no language that uses syllables containing four or more morae.

In general, moras are formed as follows:

1. The syllable onset (the first consonant(s) of the syllable) does not
   represent any mora. For example, in the word "jump" 'j' does not count
   towards a mora—the entire word has two morae.
   
2. The syllable nucleus represents one mora in the case of a short
   vowel, and two moras in the case of a long vowel or diphthong.
   Consonants serving as syllable nuclei also represent one mora if short
   and two if long. (Slovak is an example of a language that has both long
   and short consonantal nuclei.) For example, in the word "cake" the a is
   long, so it is two morae—the entire word contains three morae.
   
3. In some languages (for example, Japanese), the coda represents one
   mora, and in others (for example, Irish) it does not. In English, it is
   clear that the codas of stressed syllables represent a mora (thus, the
   word cat is bimoraic), but it is not clear whether the codas of
   unstressed syllables do (the second syllable of the word rabbit might be
   monomoraic).
   In some languages, a syllable with a long vowel or diphthong in the
   nucleus and one or more consonants in the coda is said to be trimoraic.