haikaiTALKS: a saturday gathering! 21st March 2026 Guest poet: Keiko Izawa

haikaiTALKS: Japanese aesthetics: toriawase|a saturday gathering under the banyan tree

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Special Guest Poet: Keiko Izawa

host: Srinivasa Sambangi

haikaiTALKS: a saturday gathering under the banyan tree

haikaiTALKS  21st March 2026

Japanese aesthetics – Toriawase

In Japanese haiku, toriawase is the haiku technique of pairing two entirely different elementsーusually a season word (kigo) and a non-seasonal element (haiku seed) within a single poem. Through this paring, the meanings anｄ images carried by each element begin to resonate, giving the whole haiku a sense of depth and spaciousness (ma).

The beauty of toriawase does not lie in merely placing two unrelated words together. Rather, it lies in bringing seemingly unconnected elements into contact so that an unexpected “chemical reaction” occurs, creating a new perspective that even the poet may not have anticipated.

Tips for Effective Toriawase in Haiku

・Value surprise

Combine elements that seem unrelated or contrasting rather than similar ones, to create fresh meaning and resonance.

・Keep an appropriate distance

When the elements are too close, the haiku tends to become explanatory; arbitrary, and lose its resonance. A subtle, perceivable gap allows resonance to arise; when the gap is too wide, the haiku risks feeling arbitrary.

・Write from a moment that truly moved you

Go beyond intellectual planning and capture the instant your heart responded. Pairing a seasonal image with a personal awareness can give the haiku authenticity and emotional resonance.

・Balance

The kigo and the haiku seed should be in gentle balance. If one is too heavy, or if both are heavy, the poem becomes overloaded, and the intended resonance between the two elements cannot emerge.

More information from Keiko:

Toriawase is not simply about combining images. It places two separate elements so that resonance can arise between them. What matters is not only visual or logical effect, but the emotional or intuitive response that emerges in the ma.

When a poem relies only on a single natural scene, it tends to lean toward ichibutsu-jitate (single-image) haiku, which may make it harder to draw out human sensibilities such as aware, mujō, or shibumi. For this reason, pairing a kigo with a human action can help open the ma where resonance may arise.

Further clarification on toriawase:

Both approaches—single-image shasei and toriawase—offer different kinds of resonance.

Toriawase between a season word (kigo) and another element of nature tends to move toward shasei or a near ichibutsu-jitate structure. The resonance that arises there often leans toward quiet, inward perception—an intuitive or sensory discovery. While it may evoke a sense of appreciation or attentiveness to nature, it differs in kind from resonance that directly engages human experience or emotion.

By contrast, when a kigo is set in toriawase with a human element—such as an event, memory, or relationship—the season intersects with human joys and sorrows (e.g., encounters, partings, nostalgia, or small failures), generating a more concrete and shareable resonance.

For this reason, in contemporary Japanese haiku, many poems tend to move away from purely shasei-based, near–ichibutsu-jitate structures, and instead use moments from everyday life as the haiku seed, set in toriawase with a kigo. This is not a matter of superiority, but a difference in the quality and direction of resonance.

** Sample poems:

mid-summer green ―

my child’s

first tooth coming in

       ～Nakamura Kusatao

taro leaf dew ...

the mountain range

restores it outline

       ～Iida Dakotsu

winter dry spell－

setting down my glasses

sunlight pools

       ～Kaneko Tohta

Oh, the joy

of crossing the summer river

   sandals in hand

       ～Buson

spring breezeー

I catch the tune

she leaves behind

       ～Kala Ramesh

steep street

a five-minute walk

to the moon

       ～Lev Hart

evening jasmine ー

regret over

saying too much

       ～Keiko

As usual, try to use kigo from the lists below. You can also use your local season words that are not listed here.

“A Dictionary of Haiku Classified by Season Words with Traditional and Modern Methods,” by Jane Reichhold:

https://thehaikufoundation.org/omeka/files/original/7fb6654a1dfd1afef973

69da920530f8.pdf

Indian subcontinent SAIJIKI:

https://www.trivenihaikai.in/indian-saijiki

The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words:

http://www.2hweb.net/haikai/renku/500ESWd.html

The World Kigo Database:

https://wkdkigodatabase03.blogspot.com/

The Yuki Teikei Haiku Season Word List:

https://yths.org/season-word-list/

Thanks, Keiko! Another beautiful post. Thanks a lot.

I really love this topic.

I hope our poets take the challenge and create a haiku on these lines! Keenly looking ahead to this month.

Greatly indebted to you.

Dear Members,

We need constant practice, and what better place than haikaiTALKS

with Keiko.

Please also provide your feedback on others' commentary and poems.

We are continuing haikaiTALKS in full swing!

Keep writing and commenting! _kala