Hello! I'm here today to try to inform you all of what a haiku is, and what a haiku isn't. I will also briefly explain another form of Japanese verse, known as senryu.
Haiku has 3 fundamental elements. They are:
on, kigo, and keriji.
On are Japanese 'sound units'. It is somewhat incorrect to translate this to 'syllables', but it's the accepted convention. A haiku must contain 17 on. Usually these are broken up into lines of 5/7/5.
There are, however, different schools of thought on this. The tenro school are the purists, demanding 5/7/5. On the other hand the soun school advocate a technique called zenshi ichimi, the haiku equivalent to free verse.
Kigo is a word or phrase associated with a particular season, and often relates to nature. All kigo are drawn from an extensive - but defined - list, known as saijiki.
Keriji is the most important element of haiku. A haiku is a juxtaposition of two ideas. A keriji is the 'cut' between these two ideas. In English it is often represented by a punctuation mark. The keriji must come at the end of either the first line, or the second line. The purpose of the keriji is to cause the reader to contemplate the relationship between the first idea and the second idea.
A final characteristic of haiku is their content. Haiku are about the world, and the way the poet observes it. Each haiku usually (but not always) has one of four prevailing moods: sabi (isolation), wabi (poverty) aware (impermanence), and yugen (mystery). These 'moods' are somewhat abstract, and need not be specific themes. Subjects such as human nature or specific events are dealt with in senryu.
Senryu is another form of Japanese poetry. Senryu are much less structured than haiku. They are essentially the Japanese equivalent of free verse. There are only 2 characteristics of senryu: on, and content. Like haiku, senryu must contain 17 on, also split into a 5/7/5 pattern. Senryu do not need to contain kigo or keriji. The subject of senryu can be anything, from human foibles and vices, to specific events, or pretty much anything you can think of. Also, haiku are generally serious, and are supposed to be viewed as noble pieces of art. Senryu, on the other hand, can be satirical, silly, or darkly humourous if the poet so chooses.
Finally, the whole aim of haiku and senryu is the cause the reader to think after reading it. Thus, it is no good to totally explore an idea - you must leave something to the reader's imagination and interpretation. Matsuo Bashō (a.k.a the greatest master of haiku to have ever lived) once said "The haiku that reveals seventy or eighty percent of its subject is good. The haiku that reveals just fifty or sixty percent is brilliant."
I hope this has been informative, and I hope to see many great haiku and senryu in the future! PM me if you're still confused or would like more information on how to write haiku or senryu.
K
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