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Tokyo Modern (gendai) Haiku Poet “Four Generations” Symposium

 

Poet Biographies & Haiku

 

 


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川名つぎお Kawana Tsugio (b. 1935 –, Tokyo).

 

Currently, Secretary of the Modern Haiku Association (Gendaihaikukyôkai), and General Manager of the Yearbook Department. He is a professional screenwriter and playwright. He is the winner of the Okinawa Memorial Day Haiku Prize, 2004. In 1957, he entered Kokugakuin University, and founded the Film Club. That same year he produced the short film, Chîsana gen'ei [The Little Mirage: An Urban Boy’s Dream, 20 min.], the first independent movie produced by a student in Japan (excepting those of the Fine Arts program at Nihon University).

In 1958, he focused on the problem of education in rural areas, producing the short film, Yama ni ikiru ko ra [The Children Live in a Mountain; 27 min.]. This was his first professional work. In 1965, he founded the Partisan Style Poetry Book Club [Paruchizan shiki shishu no kai], and gathered donations for the publication of his own book of poetry. As a result, Hatachi no gûwa [The Fables of Twenty] was published.

In 1968, he became deeply involved in significant social movements of the era — anti-war, anti-nuclear, anti-establishment, etc. He published his book of poetry, Seishun no kigen [The Origin of Adolescence], then made a film featuring night-school students in poverty, Dakkan soshite kaihô [Get Back and Liberate It; 87 min.]. This film created newfound enthusiasm among student-movement activists to produce their own works, especially via Zengakuren [the All-Japan Federation of Student Self-Governing Associations]. Moreover, he edited a poetic anthology of a group of young activist-authors, Eikyû kakumei no koiuta [Love Song of Permanent Revolution], published in 1969. His major haiku collections are Tei [Degree] (Modern Haiku Association Press, 1992), Jin [Questions] (Modern Haiku Association Press, 2005), and Ani [However] (Modern Haiku Association Press, 2014).

 

 

Kawana Tsugio – Haiku

 

ぼくの忌やいつまでも照明弾の路地

boku no ki ya itsumade mo shômeidan no roji

 

anniversary of my death – forever a narrow alley of flare bombs

 

 

ヒロシマの氏神は何をしていたのか

Hiroshima no ujigami wa nani o shiteita no ka

 

What was the Hiroshima god doing?

 

(Note. The kami (deity) of Hiroshima is ujigami)

 

 

からだの風景を鷹が舞っている

karada no fûkei o taka ga matteiru

 

within the scene of a body

a hawk

dancing in air

 

 

沖縄はずっと立ち泳ぎのままだ

Okinawa wa zutto tachioyogi no mama da

 

Okinawa

always remains

               — treading water

 

 

荒地あり月曜日が届けられる

arechi ari getsuyôbi ga todokerareru

 

a wasteland here –

Monday is delivered

 

 

今朝の秋きのうのおれがまだ着かぬ

kesa no aki kinô no ore ga mada tsukanu

 

autumn has come –

the me of yesterday

not yet arrived

 

(Note. The traditional kigo kesa no aki, “first day of autumn,” occurs on August 7, a day between the two atomic bomb attacks. Thus “me of August 6” is the day of the Hiroshima bombing.)

 

 

なりゆきがいくつか駅に置いてあり

nariyuki ga ikutsuka eki ni oite ari

 

in the course of events

items left at a train station

arranged

 

 

焦土以来ずっと走っている夢

shôdo irai zutto hashitte iru yume

 

since the burned ground forever run in dreams

 

(Note. “burned ground”: war devestation)

 

 

靴音が昭和瓦礫を出ていない

kutsu oto ga shôwa gareki o dete inai

 

footfalls sound

from Shôwa wreckage

without exit

 

(Note. Shôwa era: 1926–86)

 

 

飛ぶ星の数ほど母を売りにけり

tobu hoshi no kazu hodo haha o uri ni keri

 

as abundant as shooting stars

I sold my mother

 

 


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池田澄子Ikeda Sumiko (b. 1936 –, Kamakura, Kaganaga Prefecture).

 

Grew up in Nîgata Prefecture. Began composing haiku in her 40s. Studied haiku with Horî Kei and Mitsuhashi Toshio. Won the 36th Modern Haiku Association Award in 1989, and So Sakon Haiku Award in 2006. Became a Kadokawa Haiku Award judge. Her major haiku collections are, Sky Garden [Sora no niwa] (1998); Before I Knew I Was Born as a Human [Itsushika hito ni umarete] (1993); Gendai Haiku Collection Vol. 29: Ikeda Sumiko [Gendai haiku bunko 29: Ikeda Sumiko] (1995); The Sailing Ship [Yukufune] (2000); Story on a Soul [Tamashî no hanashi] (2005); Dear Sir in Reply [Haihuku] (2011).  

 

 

Ikeda Sumiko – Haiku

 

ピーマン切って中を明るくしてあげた

pîman kitte naka o akaruku shite ageta

 

cutting a green pepper

to light its inside

 

 

じゃんけんで負けて蛍に生まれたの

janken de makete hotaru ni umareta no

 

loosing “rock-paper-scissors”

born as a firefly . . .

 

 

いつしか人に生まれてきたわ アナタも?

itsushika hito ni umarete kita wa   anata mo?

 

before I knew

born as a human  

   you too?

 

 

的はあなた矢に花咲いてしまいけり

mato wa anata ya ni hana saite shimai keri

 

my target: you

on my arrow blooms

a flower

 

 

月の夜の柱よ咲きたいならどうぞ

tsuki no yo no hashira yo sakitai nara dôzo

 

As a moonlit pillar desires to bloom? If you so, as you like.

 

 

月おぼろ実はのあとが聞きとれぬ

tsuki oboro jitsuwa no ato ga kikitorenu

 

hazy moon – I can't hear after, “Actually I ... ”

 

 

初恋のあとの長生き春満月

hatsukoi no ato no nagaiki haru mangetsu

 

first love, then after

longevity –

full spring moon

 

 

原爆落とされし日の屋上の望遠鏡

genbaku otosareshi hi no okujô no bôenkyô

 

A-bomb dropped

a rooftop telescope

on the day

 

 

かなかなや死は外海へゆくごとく

kanakana ya shi wa soto-umi e yuku gotoku

 

autumn cicada –

death as if going

to the open sea

 

 

日は西へ飛花は次々わたくしへ

hi wa nishi e hika wa tsugitsugi watakushi e

 

the sun sets west

cherry blossoms fall

toward me, again, again

 

 


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前田弘 Maeda Hiroshi (b. 1939 –, Osaka).

 

Moved to Hokkaido in 1943, and grew up there. In high school, he founded the haiku journal-group, Kaze [Wind], which later became Haguruma [Gears]. Studied haiku with Suzuki Ishio, and moved to Tokyo in 1963. He joined the Modern Haiku Association in 1982, becoming Executive Director [kanji], Chief of the Yearbook Department, and Chief of the Advertising Department of the MHA, in 2001. Became the official leader of the Haguruma journal-group in 2006. Later, became the chief editor of the Gendai Haiku Journal of the MHA. Won the 2010 “Second Prize,” 65th Modern Haiku Association Award. In the following year, won the “First Prize” of the 66th Modern Association Award.

 

 

Maeda Hiroshi – Haiku

 

雪降れば胎児消ゆるか海の道

yuki fureba taiji kiyuru ka umi no michi

 

when it snows

a fetus vanishes ?

path of the sea

 

 

蛸の脚八本どれも暇そうで

tako no ashi happon doremo hima sô de

 

eight octopus tentacles all look slack

 

 

いちまいの枯葉見たくて玻璃みがく

ichimaino kareha mitakute hari migaku

 

longing to see

a withered leaf – through crystal quartz

polished

 

 

クラス会明日は熊を撃ちに行く

kurasukai ashita wa kuma wo uchi ni iku

 

a classroom party –

tomorrow I’ll go shoot a bear

 

 

葉脈に母が集まる月夜かな

yômyaku ni haha ga atsumaru tsukiyo kana

 

around leaf veins

mothers gather –

moonlit night

 

 

海のほか海しか見えず実玫瑰

umi no hoka umi shika miezu mihamanasu

 

except the sea

only the sea in view —

fruits of a seaside rose

 

 

やどかりや汽車待つ間のうす笑い

yadokari ya kisha matsu aida no usuwarai

 

hermit crab –

waiting for a train

with dingy smile

 

 

指で消すいもうと海のさくら散る

yubi de kesu imôto umi no sakura chiru

 

by fingers erasing

my sister – the sea

cherry blossoms fall

 

 

屈葬の青木にもどる春の蝉

kussô no aoki ni modoru haru no semi

 

fetal burial –

return again to tree’s green

spring cicada

 

 

半分は夕日の手紙冬桜

hanbun wa yûhi no tegami fuyuzakura

 

half of it's

the setting sun’s letter:

winter cherry-blossom

 

 

兜太ほどなじめぬ溲瓶鳥渡る

tôta hodo najimenu shibin tori wataru

 

unlike kaneko tohta

unfamiliar with a piss pot –

birds migrate

 

 

柩なら自分で選ぶ冬桜

hitsugi nara jibun de erabu fuyuzakura

 

a coffin?

i'll bring it myself –

winter cherry blossoms

 

 

 

 


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大井恒行 Ôi Tsuneyuki (b. 1948 –, Yamaguchi Prefecture).

 

 Attended Ritsumeikan University night school, in Kyoto. Although he wasn't a member of any sectarian group, he was committed to the Ampo protests of the 1970s. In his Junior year, he dropped out of school and went to Tokyo to become a writer. Today he is a member of the Modern Haiku Association and the Japan Writers’ Association. He is a judge of the Modern Haiku Association Awards for New Poets. He is also President of the National Bookstore Workers, and the Workers Union Connection Council.

 

 

 

Ôi Tsuneyuki – Haiku

 

嗚呼!嗚呼!と井戸に吊るされ揺れる満月

â! â! to ido ni sturusare yureru mangetsu

 

ah! ah!

hanged in a well

a full moon sways

 

 

から泣きの空から泣きの草が生え

karanaki no sora kara naki no kusa ga hae

 

from tearless sky from tears

weep grasses grow

 

 

木霊降るいちずに夕陽枷となり

kodama furu ichizu ni yûhi kase to nari

 

kodamas fall –

the setting sun fetters

single-mindedly

 

(Note. kodama, a tree spirit in Japanese folklore, reflecting human or anthropomorphic voice within the forest wilds; cf., Dryad, or Echo, in Greek mythology.)

 

 

頭髪(かみのけ)のなかまで赤き砂降れり

kaminoke no naka made akaki sunafureri

 

even into hair on the head

red sand falls ...

 

 

日はひとたびの夢間めぐれる獄舎(ひとや)かな

hi wa hitotabi no yumema megureru gokusha kana

 

a day's a journey once among dreams in a prison cell

 

 

遺髪ひとつはかりかねてる秤がある

ihatsu hitotsu hakarikaneteru hakari ga aru

 

a bunch of hair of the dead

hesitating to weigh it

in balance

 

 

されど雨されど暗緑 竹に降る

saredo ame saredo anryoku take ni furu

 

however rain however dark green –

falls on bamboo

 

 

風鈴も重たき風の鳴り出さず

furin mo omotaki kaze no naridasazu

 

a wind bell heavy too –

the wind doesn’t start to ring

 

 

 

 


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森須蘭 Morisu Ran (b. 1961 –, Tokyo).

 

 Graduated from Ferris Women’s Junior College (now Ferris Women’s University). She began writing haiku during her days at Ferris, and joined the MHA in 1993. Within the MHA, she worked as a committee member of the Youth Department, the Study Department, the Junior Study Department, and the Information Technology Department. Today, she works as a committee member of the Yearbook Department, and is the Executive Director of the Tokyo Chapter of the MHA. She is also a judge of the “ITO-EN Ôi Ocha New Haiku Contest.” She has led her journal-group Dionysian [Saien] since 2000. Her major haiku collections include, Only to See You [Kimi ni au tame] (2000), and The Sky Ship [Sorafune] (2010). She has also published educational books, such as Memorizing 100 Haiku to become a Master (2009).

 

 

Morisu Ran – Haiku

 

ラムネ飲み海を解放してあげる

ramune nomi umi wo kaihô shite ageru

 

drinking lemonade   liberating the sea

 

 

仰向いて銀河繋いでいる裸体

aomuite ginga tsunaideiru ratai

 

lying on my back

connecting galaxies

naked

 

 

君に会うただそれだけのため桜

kimi ni au tada soredake no tame sakura

 

only to see you

only this – cherry blossoms

 

 

蝸牛一生水平線でいる

katatsumuri isshô suiheisen de iru

 

a snail

until the end of its life

its horizon

 

 

誰待つとはなく満月を着用す

dare matsu to wa naku mangetsu wo chakuyô su

 

not waiting for anyone

wearing a full moon

 

 

新緑に音を残してきたらしい

shinryoku ni oto wo okoshite kita rashii

 

in fresh green

sound left behind

perhaps ...

 

 

直感の折れていますが曼珠沙華

chokkan no orate imasu ka manjushage

 

intuition's broken and folded

   yet

      spider lily

 

 

真夜中の蹠は枯野の一部分

mayonaka no kakato wa kareno no ichibubun

 

midnight's feel's a part of a withered field

 

 

眠たくて蒼に届かぬ春の川

nemutakute ao ni todokanu haru no kawa

 

drowsiness

out of reach of blue

river in the spring

 

 


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高遠朱音 Takatô Akane (b. 1985 –, Tokyo; birth name Kaneko Risa).

 

Won the “ITO-EN Ôi Ocha New Haiku Contest” in 1999. Joined the MHA in 2000, as its youngest-ever member. In 2007, graduated from Risshô University and began work in web design. At the same time began work as a committee member of the Junior Study Department of the MHA. Her major haiku collection is Night Flyer (2009).

 

 

 

 

Takatô Akane – Haiku

 

夜間飛行下界すべてが水族館

yakan hikô gekai subete ga suizokukan

 

a night flyer

all the world below

an aquarium

 

 

日記買う安眠のないコッペリア

nikki kau anmin no nai kopperi

 

buys a diary

Coppélia lacking sleep

 

(Note. Coppélia, a comic-ballet, concerns a Dr. Coppelius, who has invented a life-size dancing doll.)

 

 

空蟬に真昼の海が残っている

utsusemi ni mahiru no umi ga nokotte iru

 

inside an empty shell

of cicada – the sea in the afternoon

remains

 

 

不器用な長女の嘘ですカーネーション

bukiyô na chô jo no uso desu kânêshon

 

the awkward lie of an eldest daughter    carnation flower

 

 

水の無い水槽が好き 白夜

mizu no nai suishô ga suki   byakuya

 

cherishing a waterless aquarium    the midnight sun

 

 

シャツ脱いで私の続きは初夏の海

shatsu nuide watashi no tsuzuki wa shoka no umi

 

taking off my shirt

the rest of the story of myself

early summer sea

 

 

水底の眠り遠くに蛍狩

minasoko no nemuri tôku ni hotarugari

 

sleep on the sea bottom – far away    hunting fireflies

 

 

蜻蛉孵化眉間のしわの深くなり

kagerô fuka miken no shiwa no fukaku nari

 

a day-fly hatches

a line between my wrinkles

deepens

 

 

蒼野揺らす太古のため息

aono yurasu taiko no tameiki

 

shaking a green field

a prehistoric sigh

 

 

足音に足音の影や晩夏

ashioto ni ashioto no kage ya banka

 

in footsteps sound footstep's shadow    the end of summer

 

 

 


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