Essences began as a column written by Carmen Sterba in the North American Post in Seattle, WA, a bilingual newspaper in Japanese and English. Its purpose is to go back to the roots of the “haiku movement” in North America: the major poets, the individual styles of haiku, the books, the journals and conferences as they evolved from the sixties and seventies onwards. This will be a short version, so feel free to add information and comments as we go along.
Essence #1
BY Carmen Sterba
Because Japan was closed to the West for about 250 years during the Tokugawa Era (1600-1868), the first translations of haiku in English did not appear until the late 1800s. Though Japanese-Americans wrote haiku before the 1950s, it was not until after WWII that the Beat poets became influenced by haiku when Gary Snyder returned to the U.S. after his study in Japan. In 1955, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and Snyder studied the four volumes of Haiku by British ex-patriate and scholar R. H. Blyth. His books are still used as a guide to understanding haiku. In 1963, Blyth chose American J.W. Hackett as the international haiku poet with the most potential. These are two of Hackett’s haiku:
A bitter morning:
sparrows sitting together
without any necks.
Searching the wind,
the hawk’s cry . . .
is the shape of his beak.
The Japan Airlines Haiku Contest picked “bitter morning” as it’s first winner in 1964. These two haiku still resonate and actually seem more modern than a lot of haiku written in the 21st century. The fact that these are not written in 17 syllables is explained by Hackett, “Don’t write everything in 5-7-5 form, since in English this often causes padding and contrivance.” The set count of 5-7-5 in Japanese corresponds to short sounds called “on” rather than syllables. It’s understandable that haiku in America has evolved in different ways; however, when it comes to good haiku, it is the essence that counts.
For the most part, Japanese haiku poets and Japanese Literature scholars are baffled by the strong connection between English haiku and Zen Buddhism. Zen has, however, contributed much to western culture, both through its understanding and its misunderstanding. How do you see this in your current attraction to, and understanding of, haiku?
Both haiku appeared in Zen Haiku and Other Zen Poems of J. W. Hackett, 1983.
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Thanks, Carmen !
Here in our woods it is still Muromachi Period style society !!
Here is one about suicide the Japanese style. Maybe you can use it for your material.
http://happyhaiku.blogspot.com/2006/01/shoes-in-wood.html
Gabi
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(Sorry this got posted in the wrong place in this blog.)
Thanks for passing on this article, Gabi. It’s just the kind of article I’m collecting to expand my resources for a workshop I do on aspects of Japanese culture and communication styles.
Edward Hoffman, in his special to The Japan Times,
Is correct in saying that the younger generation of Japanese are much more polite than their elders think they are. They are very caring towards each other and I think they are much more willing to talk to a stranger or foreigner than their parents generation
or grandparents generation.
I think Hoffman’s rather hard on Americans though.
He’s only lived in Japan for a short time. He’s still in the “I love everything stage.”
You are so blessed to live outside of Tokyo, Gabi!
quoting Carmen
“It is hard for Japanese to understand that westerners can be interested in Japanese culture or prefer to “practice” an eastern religion. We may see that as our right as citizens of a pluralistic society or a part of internationalization; whereas, the Japanese may see it as odd or incongruous.”
Today in the Japan Times is an interesting article about social values and doubts about the “Westernization” of Japan
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/eo20100516a1.html
How does our social background and education affect the understanding of Haiku ? Even in ELH, we have poets from many countries, with different mother tongues to start from.
And reading translations of Japanese haiku, how many problems arise when reading it with a “Western mindset” or a “Japanese mindset” ?
I have tried to cultivate both over the last 30 year since living in Japan, but for me “Western” is mostly German (and I often find myself puzzled at the “American mindset”).
I know, this might open a Pandorras box
)
Gabi
I practised Japanese Archery (kyuudoo), the way of the bow, for about 15 years at a Zen temple while living in Kamakura.
)
Now in the woods of Okayama, I practise “without bow and arrow”, as my teacher showed me when we had to part.
If you want to excel, you have to excel your own self …
the same holds for words used for poetry … it can be used as WAY .
I therefore pracise now Haiku Doo, The Way of Haiku, but this is my very own special concoction …
.
(Sorry I can not add a LINK to this here in this BLOG, but if you google with
greve haiku doo
you find my ramblings.)
.
Archery is an age old game that requires lots of practice and focus if you want to excel on it. .’-
Allan, I agree that “Blyth overstated the case at times, and in perhaps a one-dimensional sort of way, but also seemed to contradict himself at other points (perhaps not surprising given how voluminous his writings are).”
My impression is that Blyth had gotten a glimpse of Zen, then started to see it everywhere; a bit like a child who realizes that everyone has a belly-button, and starts seeing them everywhere.
In addition, his mentor was D.T. Suzuki, who is a bit controversial for “dumbing down” Zen in order to make it “accessible” to Westerners.
So the question of whether Zen is integral to haiku depends on one’s understanding of Zen.
The most accurate description I’ve heard is that Zen is a way of seeing reality exactly as it is, and living in accordance with it. Trying to describe Zen is a bit like trying to describe the contents of a mirror.
So far as haiku are a means of seeing ordinary reality in a clear, non-judging way, there is Zen in haiku. But there can be just as much Zen in washing dishes or taking out the garbage, if it’s done mindfully. As the old saying goes, “Nothing special.”
Carmen, That is probably true. Perhaps that’s why ELH is so necessary for those of us who have not been raised or had the opportunity to have such a close association with the Japanese as to understand Japanese haiku properly. There is also the difficulty of having a diverse population in the West that is fragmented. We often have difficulty understanding each other. But there is something that I have received from ELH that I find valuable. But I would never assume that it is what the Japanese find valuable in haiku.
Soon after Buddhism reached Japan’s shores (via India, China and Korea), there was some resistance. Then Shotoku Taishi (574-622) speeded up the spread of Buddhism after he became converted. He remains a figure of legendary importance in Japanese history.
Let me try to explain in a few words how Japanese see haiku. The talent of haiku poets in Japan is regarded as something elite. Some of the words used are often archaic and are not understood by the average Japanese.
Living in Japan, I realized that the average Japanese
believes that they love nature more than others, just as many Americans believe they love freedom more than others. I was often told that only Japan has four distinct seasons (and other countries have only 2 or 3 seasons, or if they have 4 seasons, they are not as distinct). Since Japanese is considered one of the most difficult languages in the world, and haiku is imagined to be inscrutable for foreigners, it is understandable that there is doubt and surprise that haiku can be written in English by anyone.
I’m more concerned with whether or not I can bring haiku into an “all US” kind of situation. It’s the situation I find myself in … dealing primarily with the poetry of haiku. I agree with Lynne that people need to relate to their own experiences in order to write poetry with a degree of honesty about it. My biggest problem at this point will be trying to disengage people’s attitude about “pun-ku” kind of haiku.
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