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Monthly Archives: January 2010
ALWAYS SEEKING SOMETHING…
People sometimes tell me that the fragmentation and constant change and bickering one sees in modern haiku (in contrast to hokku) are a sign of vitality and creativity. Not surprisingly, I do not at all see it that way. Instead … Continue reading
STORK STEPS AND EMPTY HUTS
As I have pointed out in earlier postings, some old hokku do not travel well. They are so oriented to a specific culture that when removed from that context, they lose their meaning. A good example is Shōha’s Haru tatsu … Continue reading
Shiki and Spring
There are two ways of looking at Masaoka Shiki, the fellow who nearly destroyed hokku through his revisionism. Historically speaking, Shiki is the originator of the “haiku” as the term is understood today. All modern writers of haiku, no matter … Continue reading
TWO ROADS DIVERGED….
Yesterday I discussed the well-intentioned but rather futile effort of James W. Hackett to halt and reverse the “aesthetic devolution” of the modern haiku. As readers here know, I do not teach or advocate haiku, so some explanation is necessary … Continue reading
HACKETT HEWS AT HAIKU
Someone kindly sent me the link to an article by James W. Hackett on the “aesthetic devolution” of modern haiku. No doubt the person who shared the link felt that Hackett and I perceive similar problems, though I teach hokku … Continue reading
THE 20TH-CENTURY HIJACKING OF HOKKU
Over the years I have written about how hokku was hijacked in the middle of the 20th century by the haiku movement in the West. One could write a sizable volume on the history of how that took place and … Continue reading
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Tagged Bashô, haikai, haiku, hokku, Modern Haiku, Onitsura, Taigi
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DEEP OR MEDIOCRE?
Depth in hokku depends on both writer and reader. We can see that on examining two verses of Bashō written in two different years, both winter hokku. Here is the first: Byōbu ni wa yama o egaite fuyugomori Screen … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Bashô, pine, significance, time, transience, winter seclusion, writer and reader
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