Japanese Haiku: Its Essential Nature and History

by Kenneth Yasuda, Robert B. Hall (Foreword)

This is the most authoritative and concise book on Japanese haiku available: what it is, how it developed, and how it is practiced in both Japanese and English. While many haiku collections are available to Western readers, few books combine both translated haiku with haiku written originally in English, along with an analysis of individual poems and of the haiku form itself. Written by a leading scholar in the field--Kenneth Yasuda was the first American to receive a doctorate in Japanese literature from Tokyo University--"Japanese Haiku" has been widely acclaimed. This edition is completely repackaged for 2002, and is the perfect book for lovers of poetry who do not have a solid background in haiku.

Genres: Poetry, Japan, Reference, Nonfiction

317 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1957

Reviews

[Reuben · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has really helped me to dive into the form, and refine my verse. I had intuited that the form was helped by staying strongly on the show side of show don't tell, but seeing where the tell got in the way of the form is useful.

[༺Kiki༻ · Rating 3 out of 5]

These translations lacked something, perhaps they felt too modern. I enjoyed the chapters discussing haiku history and form more than the actual verses.

If you liked this book, you might also enjoy:

✱ The Essential Haiku: Versions of Basho, Buson, and Issa
✱ Moon Woke Me Up Nine Times: Selected Haiku of Basho
✱ Classic Haiku: A Master's Selection

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

The explanation of haiku is very good, but the selection of haikus was not. They were all nature themes. Plus, he translated the haikus so that they rhyme, which, for me, threw off the rythms. Therefore, only 3 stars.

[Antonio Gallo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Japanese haiku is a form of poetry that originated in Japan in the 17th century. Haiku is a short poem consisting of three lines. The first and third lines have five syllables, while the second line has seven syllables. Haiku typically focus on nature and the changing of the seasons, and often use simple language and vivid imagery to convey a sense of beauty and wonder.

Here's an example of a classic Japanese haiku, written by Matsuo Basho:

An old silent pond
A frog jumps into the pond—
Splash! Silence again.

This haiku beautifully captures the tranquility of a pond, interrupted by the sudden splash of a frog. It's a simple yet powerful image that evokes a sense of the natural world and its rhythms.

Haiku is known for its brevity and simplicity, but it can also be deceptively complex. The best haiku often contain multiple layers of meaning and can be interpreted in different ways. Haiku is also known for its use of seasonal words or "kigo" that indicate the time of year or the changing of the seasons.

Today, haiku has become a popular form of poetry around the world, with poets from different cultures and languages adapting the form to their own traditions and styles.
Haiku is a poetic form that has evolved over time and has been adapted by many cultures and languages around the world. While the traditional Japanese haiku is still highly regarded, there are now many variations on the form that differ in terms of structure, subject matter, and style.

In addition to the traditional structure of three lines with five, seven, and five syllables, modern haiku often use a looser syllable count or even no syllable count at all. Modern haiku also often use more contemporary subject matter, such as urban life, technology, and politics.

Despite these variations, haiku continues to be associated with nature and the changing of the seasons. Many haiku use seasonal words or phrases, known as "kigo," to indicate the time of year and to evoke a sense of the natural world. These seasonal references are often symbolic and can convey deeper meanings beyond the literal description of the natural world.

Haiku also often employs a technique known as "cutting," where the poem is divided into two distinct parts that are separated by a pause or shift in focus. This cutting technique can create a sense of contrast or surprise and can add depth and complexity to the poem.

Overall, haiku is a poetic form that continues to evolve and adapt to changing times and cultures while still maintaining its roots in the natural world and the changing of the seasons.

Here's an example of a modern haiku that doesn't follow the traditional 5-7-5 syllable structure:

city park—
a fawn nibbles
on a fast-food bag

This haiku by Michael Dylan Welch uses a looser syllable count and deviates from the traditional focus on nature by incorporating an urban environment. However, it still captures a sense of the natural world and the impact of human behavior on wildlife. The cutting technique is also used to create a contrast between the innocence of the fawn and the unnatural presence of the fast-food bag.

[Fran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Comprehensive and quite complex, but worth persisting with as it describes the history of the haiku from its ancient beginnings. Text is rather small, need a good light to read by, but well worth it. Probably one of the better books in the genre, just wish the text was bigger.

[David Conner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really helped me understand and appreciate the form.

[Lance Schonberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn’t a book of classical haiku, either in translation or originals in English, though it does contain some of that. But when you pick it up, you should think of this more as a scholarly work. This is a book that will give you a lot of detail, with plenty of examples, of understanding the structure as well as the potential use of language in haiku in English, with appropriate references pulled from Japanese texts where available or needed, and a historical build of how haiku came to be and what haiku is. Examples are sprinkled through the text in both areas.

And yes, there is a big section of haiku to enjoy as well.

The attention to detail is, frankly, amazing, and yet I feel like things only barely scratch the surface. The section on the evolution Japanese haiku skims through a thousand years of Japanese poetic history in a surprisingly small number of pages. So much of it is probably boiled down to give the reader the tiniest taste. The section(s) on the potential of haiku in English take up a much larger section of the book, getting into some serious depth of literary devices and tricks you can squeeze into seventeen syllables. If some of it seems a little forced, when it’s done well it goes unnoticed unless you’re looking for it. Although, the author provides examples with what may be too many devices used in a single haiku. Whether that adds to the experience or not is left up to the reader. For my taste, it’s variable.

As noted, there’s also a section of actual haiku, and these fall into two categories. First, haiku in translation. Some of these have that haiku-ness the book has gone to such trouble to build and define. And some of them rhyme.

For some reason, though there’s no structural rule against it, rhyming haiku never ring quite true to me. Add to that my general impression that to bring a rhyme into English from another language, you probably have to force a change to the poem in some way. Regardless, almost every one of these haiku falls flat for me. The ones in which the translation doesn’t rhyme work far better.

The English examples by the author mostly work better. Some of these have been used as examples through the first big section of the book, and all of the literary devices discussed in detail appear in these repeatedly if you’re looking. But on another level, each haiku is supposed to be just experienced. If you just read them without looking too hard at them, they come across better, but given the book you’ve just finished the primary text of, that’s more difficult than I might have liked, even though I mostly read it in bite-sized chunks to make it more easily digestible.

Overall rating: 4 stars, which might seem generous considering my overall commentary, but this is a tremendous resource in understanding the construction and history of haiku, all the little bits of language and history that goes into them.

[Scribe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this by my sister and her husband after my various attempts at haiku on Twitter. It's an old thesis turned into a book, which explains the fairly academic style. At points this can be fairly dry, and can assume you know a lot about the background of poetry and haiku (which I don't), but there are also some excellent parts to it, and overall I found this really interesting.

The first and last sections held my interest the most. The first is a discussion on what a haiku should be, and discusses ideas about zen experience in poetry form, the idea that a haiku represents a single breath, and the notion that the haiku should give you, as the reader, a complete sense of what, when, and where.

The middle section deals with the 5-7-5 rhythm and why it may actually be essential, and how the haiku developed. This was a bit of a slog, as reference to poetry timing terms is completely lost on me, and I always get mixed up between hokku, renga, and so on. Still, very interesting in terms of Japanese history and the emphasis placed on poetry in society. Tales of haiku competition being organised, with 3,000 poems being written against each other, were fairly other-worldly.

The last part then elaborates on the use of the seasonal element, and is well worth a read as it's worth getting a deeper insight into what this should entail, along with how it's been used over the last thousand years or so.

As haiku develop in pace with the world, but also as they get taken up with some misunderstanding and simplicity in the West, this is a pretty fascinating book, and offers some excellent advice and perspectives for those looking to understand what a haiku is, beyond its simple rhythm.

[Rick Jackofsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in-depth study of haiku by Japanese American poet and scholar Kenneth Yasuda. This book reads like a doctoral dissertation, because it is. "Japanese Haiku: Its Essential Nature, History, and Possibilities in English"is basically a reprint of Yasuda's thesis for his doctorate in Japanese literature form Tokyo University in 1955. Written more than 60 years ago, it's interesting to see how some of his ideas, like "the haiku moment" and "one breath poems," have stood the test of time; while others haven't fared as well. It always surprises me when someone who is fluent in Japanese interprets the 5-7-5, seventeen "on" haiku form as equivalent to seventeen English syllables, especially while stressing the importance of "one breath" brevity. While I understand the desire to preserve as many important elements of haiku as possible when adapting the art form to a new culture, and many people would agree with the idea of the 5-7-5 form as well as the importance of seasonal kigos, but what I can't wrap my head around is his insistence on forcing the western poetic tradition of rhyme on his translations of classic Japanese haiku. It's interesting to note that H.G. Henderson, in his book "Introduction to Haiku" published in the same year also rhymed his haiku, while R.H. Blyth another mid century interpreter of Japanese haiku did not use rhyme or the 5-7-5 form in his translations. To my ear; Blyth's translation sound much more natural and authentic than Yasuda's or Henderson's.

[Justin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was very informative, but it was a little overkill for me. I learned a lot about haiku and some other kinds of Japanese poetry that I had never heard of, but a lot of the stuff to fill in the spaces seemed like filler. There were tons of quotes through the book and it was difficult if it were the author writing or him quoting someone. I guess this book was originally a doctoral thesis that was put into a book. After learning more about haiku I really have begun starting to enjoy them. I liked the section in the end where the author added a lot of different haiku.

[Strong Extraordinary Dreams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very serious and thorough (it seemed) treatment of what haiku is.

I loved it, the intensity and the importance placed on the poetic aspects of haiku. I'm not particularly interested in haiku, but I loved this book.

[Chayi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional treatise on haiku!