Haiku of Japan 81 – 90 :: Collection #9

in haiku •  7 years ago 

It's time for another haku collection post. This time, numbers 81 through 90! Wow. Almost to 100!

In addition to regularers such as Basho, Issa, and Shiki, there are others here from lesser known haijin. Enjoy! I'll see you on the other side.


  1. Winter Game


    氷上を滑りし礫とどまれり




    hyōjō o suberishi tsubute todomareri
    —Okamoto Kazuhiko


    on ice
    sliding throwing stones
    come to a stop







  2. Hated Crow


    ひごろ憎き烏も雪の朝哉




    higoro nikuki karasu mo yuki no ashita kana
    —Basho


    detestable crow
    this snowy morning
    he's beautiful







  3. Passing Through


    解らない言葉の中を通る




    wakaranai kotoba no naka o toru
    —Santoka


    passing through
    words
    I don't understand







  4. Dried Salmon


    雪の朝独リ干鮭を噛み得タリ




    yuki no ashita hitori karazake o kami e tari
    —Basho


    this snowy morn
    by myself
    eating dried salmon







  5. Little Demon Hunters


    我国は子供も鬼を追ひにけり




    waga kuni wa kodomo mo oni wo oi ni keri
    —Issa


    in my country
    the children also
    chase demons







  6. Still Alive


    秋風や生きて相見る汝と我




    aki kaze ya ikite aimiru nare to ware
    —Shiki


    autumn wind...
    still alive, we meet again
    you and I







  7. After Demon Purification


    鬼の出た跡はき出してあぐら哉




    oni no deta ato hakidashite agura kana
    —Issa


    after the demons leave
    I sweep up
    and sit, relaxed







  8. Burning House


    いつせいに柱の燃ゆる都かな




    issei ni hashira no moyuru miyako kana
    —Mitsuhashi Toshio


    all at once
    flaming wooden pillars
    in the capital







  9. Cold Night


    被き伏す蒲団や寒き夜やすごき




    kazuki fusu futon ya samuki yo ya sugoki
    —Basho


    lying covered
    under futon—yet
    the night—so cold







  10. Midnight Noises


    夜中の襖遠くしめられたる




    yonaka no fusuma toku shimeraretaru
    —Hosai


    midnight
    a distant door
    slides shut








And there we go. Hope you enjoyed. Remember, you can click on the title of each haiku to go to the original post on that haiku where I give some commentary on the poem and perhaps some insight.

Also note, all of these were translated by me, except if otherwise noted. Feel free to use any of these translations anywhere you want, but if you do, please credit me (or the proper translator). I ask that not so much because of my ego, but as a haiku reader myself I always want to know who did the translation so I can find more from them if I like it, so I'm always happy when this information is provided.

Needless to say, if you enjoyed any of these, follow me for more. I try to post one a day. Sometimes I miss a day if work or family gets in the way, but I do try to keep up.





If you liked these, there are more! Here are the other collections in the Haiku of Japan series.

  1. Collection 1, haiku 1–10
  2. Collection 2, haiku 11–20
  3. Collection 3, haiku 21–30
  4. Collection 4, haiku 31–40
  5. Collection 5, haiku 41–50
  6. Collection 6, haiku 51–60
  7. Collection 7, haiku 61–70
  8. Collection 8, haiku 71–80
If you enjoyed this post, please like and resteem. Also be sure to follow me to see more from Japan everyday.

I post one photo everyday, as well as a haiku and as time allows, videos, more Japanese history, and so on. Let me know if there is anything about Japan you would like to know more about or would like to see.

Who is David?
Hi thereDavid LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time.
Authors get paid when people like you upvote their post.
If you enjoyed what you read here, create your account today and start earning FREE STEEM!
Sort Order:  

Not only are these poems little treasures, the pictures are lovely too!! Thanks for sharing this little piece of Japan with us. :)

I really enjoy what you do with haiku. You have picked some great ones and some great pictures to go along with them.

The Japanese word-smiths of old truly are the masters of compacting great value into the least of words.

I really enjoyed reading these Haiku. As snowpea said they are little treasures.

I particularly particularly liked:

detestable crow
this snowy morning
he's beautiful

As it reminded me of days visiting my friend as a child who lived on a farm in Wales. The 'murder' of crows waking us up at 5am in the morning and befriending a young crow by feeding it stolen strips of ham from the fridge. My friend used to have that same crow visit him every day until his teenage years when we guessed it maybe died. I hadn't thought about our detestable friend in years until today. Thanks for sharing these great Haiku @dbooster

The prints are so lovely.