triveni spotlight: 13th October 2023
- Vidya Shankar
- Oct 13, 2023
- 1 min read
triveni spotlight A FEATURE EVERY ALTERNATE DAY! hosts: Kala Ramesh and Vidya Shankar GUEST EDITOR: Keiko Izawa 13th October 2023
sanma yaku nioi no soko e hi wa ochinu
grilling pacific saury
sun falls into the depths
of its scent
Shūson Kato (1905 - 1993)
from Haiku Saijiki by Kanta Ishi 2021
pacific saury: autumn kigo
During this month, I’d like to introduce contemporary Japanese haiku, including kigo, which are referred to as “yūki haiku(有季俳句)”. In yūki haiku, toriawase (matching kigo and the remaining phrases) is the key point, not to mention its creativity and originality. In my view, Japanese haiku are generally simple compared to English (language) haiku, but the subtle sensibility is embedded within as the synergies with the power of kigo. I hope you enjoy karumi (lightness) blended with seasonality in these haiku.
Keiko Izawa
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Thank you for being our next guest editor Keiko Izawa You are bringing something fresh and this is going to be a treat for all our members. _()_
Gorgeous image!
Beautiful image, Keiko
Such sensory pleasure in this haiku. Thank you, @Keiko Izawa for choosing this one.
So beautifully worded and I love the image. Thank you, Keiko for the explanation. My senses are in overdrive with this one.
“Pacific saury(sanma)” is one of the representative autumn foods of Japan. The scent of grilled sanma used to drift from every house each fall, but unfortunately, because of its declining catches over the past years we now have less chance to encounter the aroma than before. Even so, every year a Sanma Festival is held in Meguro, Tokyo, where samma is grilled outdoors and offered to local residents for free.
Did your two senses: sight and smell react to this haiku? I think the image of the falling sun is exquisitely blended into the scent of grilled sanma, leaving some wabi.