Haiku by Students at AIU (Part 5)
2010/11/27
In the posting this time, I take up AIU Festival 2010 held on October 10-11 at Akita International University（国際教養大学）and the haiku presentation by students at the AIU class of Japanese literature.
AIU Festival 2010 (Part 1)
The theme is shown in the following photos:
Here is a photo of students who enjoyed their performance on the stage.
Our network participated in the festival with the title:俳句とHAIKU （INTERNATIONAL HAIKU）.
We exhibited haiku poems and haiga paintings contributed to our website by AIU professors, students, and other haiku poets worldwide. We also gave live art of haiga painting and poetry recitation.
During the festival, we enjoyed haiku, haiga painting, and recitations with students, teachers and visitors.
Professor Kirby Record, a haiku poet, helped us with our activities at AIU through his advice and suggestions.
Toko SASAKI （佐々木登子）, a chief member of the Festival committee, helped us too.
Masuda Aika （桝田愛佳）, a haiga painter, gave her live art for participants.
Susan Smela, an AIU student from USA, enjoyed haiga painting, in the hope that she will have learned how to paint haiga by the time she goes back home at the end of December
Haiku Presentaion (Part 1)
Professor Alexander Dolin teaches Japanese Literature and Civilization Studies at AIU. He also writes haiku.
Recently Professor Alexander Dolin took up haiku in his class of Japanese Literature, where I participated in the haiku presentation by students as a referee on November 15.
His students kindly contributed their haiku to our netwotk, which I post in the website, dividing them into three parts.
Haiku by Rie Suzuki（鈴木梨恵）
ふと見れば花梨のちょうちん灯りたり
Fu to mireba karin no chouchin tomoritari
When I chanced to look up
I found lanterns
On a karin tree
蕪炊く土鍋に両手をかざす夜
Kabura taku donabe ni ryoute wo kazasu yoru
Warming my hands—
Above a casserole
While boiling turnip
かがみて拾いし紅葉に誰を思い出すらむ
Kagamite hiroishi momiji ni tare wo omoi dasu ran
Bending down and picking up a momiji leaf
Who would be the person
Whom the leaf reminds of?
ただいまと君が帰れば部屋温まりぬ
Tadaima to kimi ga kaereba heya nukumarinu
You come home and say
“I’m home!”
Suddenly I feel warmer in our apartment
軒下に鈴連なりて秋深し
Nokishita ni suzu tsuranari te aki fukashi
Under the eaves
Persimmons are hung
Like little bells
Haiku by Misha Davydov
tobacco burning
from the balcony
perhaps fireflies
タバコの火バルコニーからホタルかな
tabako no hi barukonii kara totaru kana
under the red moon
in rice
the mantis
カマキリやお米の中で赤い月
kamakiri ya tasui no naka de akai tsuki
the bear’s
alarm clock
early spring
クログマの目覚まし時計早い春
kuroguma no mezamashidokei hayai haru
tidying nature
the part-time job
of the ant
ワイルドを清掃するは蟻バイト
wairudo wo sewiso suru wa ari baito
beneath the snow
a lonely blade
of grass
雪の下独り法師の緑の葉
yuki no shita hitoribocchi no midori no ha
Haiku by Daichi KUDO（工藤大智）
秋田杉散り行く広葉何覚ゆ
Akitasugi chiriyuku kouyou nani oboyu
Akita cedar
And scattered broadleaves.
What you bear in minds are…
雄物川静まる山に渡り鳥
Omonogawa shizumaru yama ni wataridori
Omono-river
Having migratory birds
The red calm mountain
落ち行く葉最期は一人で飛翔する
Ochiyuku ha saigo wa hitoride hishousuru
A falling leaf
Flying alone
At the end
雨蛙田んぼの畦の気まま旅
Amagaeru tanbo no aze no kimamatabi
A green fog
Enjoying the carefree travel
In the ridge of rice fields
いつ落ちるいがに恐れる栗の下
Itsu ochiru iga ni osoreru kuri no sita
Under the chestnut tree,
I am afraid of
Falling burs
Last of all, I refer to the differences between Japanese haiku and English haiku, which is one of the questions often asked of our network.
Haiku
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Haiku (disambiguation).
Haiku (俳句, haikai verse?) listen(help·info), plural haiku, is a form of Japanese poetry, consisting of 17 moras (or on), in three phrases of 5, 7, and 5 moras respectively.[1] Although haiku are often stated to have 17 syllables,[2] this is inaccurate as syllables and moras are not the same. Haiku typically contain a kigo (seasonal reference), and a kireji (cutting word).[3] In Japanese, haiku are traditionally printed in a single vertical line and tend to take aspects of the natural world as their subject matter, while haiku in English often appear in three lines to parallel the three phrases of Japanese haiku and may deal with any subject matter.[4] Previously called hokku, haiku was given its current name by the Japanese writer Masaoka Shiki at the end of the 19th century.
References
- ^ Lanoue, David G. Issa, Cup-of-tea Poems: Selected Haiku of Kobayashi Issa, Asian Humanities Press, 1991, ISBN 0-89581-874-4 p.8
- ^ e.g. in Haiku for People Toyomasu, Kei Grieg. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
- ^ Higginson, William J. The Haiku Handbook, Kodansha International, 1985, ISBN 4-7700-1430-9, p.102
- ^ van den Heuvel, Cor. The Haiku Anthology, 2nd edition, Simon & Schuster, 1986, ISBN 0-671-62837-2 p.11
The next posting of ‘Haiku by Students at AIU (Part 6) ‘ appears on December 4.
― Hidenori Hiruta
Int’l Haiku Spring Festival 2010 has just started on May 12 on the website of the Akita International Haiku Network in Akita, Northern Honshu, Japan.
At the same time 2010 Bath Japanese Festival , our sister festival, has begun and gives Festival Launch Party in Bath, UK, this evening.
Masuda Aika（桝田愛佳）, a haiga painter, and her mother Masuda Junko (桝田純子), a haiku poet, take part in the party as their special guests from Akita (秋田), Japan.
They exhibit haiga (俳画) and haiku (俳句), showing how to paint haiga for the participants in Bath on May 13.
They also enjoy staying with Alan Summer’s family in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire for four days, from May 11 till 14.
Here in Akita, we would like to share the delights and high spirits of our festival with each other, reading aloud haiku by Roberta Beary, first of all.
Roberta Beary, a haiku poet, in Washington, USA, contributed her haiku book, ‘nothing left to say’ to us in celebration of the first anniversary of the opening of the Akita International Haiku Network.
Roberta is a haiku friend of Alan’s and mine.
She says in her e-mail as follows:
Hi Hidenori
Thank you for including haiku from my book, ‘nothing left to say’ at the Int’l Haiku Spring Festival in partnership with the 2010 Bath Japanese Festival. I got to meet Alan Summers last September when I traveled to London. He is an amazing person!!
Here is the short introduction: Roberta Beary (www.robertabeary.com) was born and raised in New York City. In 1990 she moved to Japan for five years of haiku study. Her individual poems, an unconventional hybrid of haiku and senryu, have been honored throughout North America, Europe and Asia for their innovative style. Her book of haiku and senryu, The Unworn Necklace (Snapshot Press, 2007), selected as a William Carlos Williams Book Award finalist (Poetry Society of America), was named a Haiku Society of America Merit Book Award prize winner. She also co-edited two Haiku Society of America anthologies both of which were named Merit Book Award winners. Her most recent work, a chapbook titled ‘nothing left to say’(edited by Michael Dylan Welch) is the 20th title in the Hexagram Series of master haiku poets.
Here is a photo of me taken in December 2005 at the Kumamoto Hotel in Japan. I was in Kumamoto to receive the Grand Prize in the Kusumakura International Haiku Contest. The prize included a trip to Japan! My winning haiku: thunder/the roses shift/into shadow
Here is the photo of me which appears on my book of haiku, The Unworn Necklace, winner of the Poetry Society of America Finalist Award. A hardcover edition will be published this year by Snapshot Press, UK.
Here is a picture of my husband, the writer Frank Stella, and me taken at The White House Christmas Tour 2009. President Obama was out of town that day!
Now I present the former 17 haiku from her book.
I tell you about her haiku in Japanese, which helps our Japanese readers appreciate them. My interpretation isn’t given as a form of Japanese haiku.
nothing left to say
an empty nest
fills with snow
言うことは何も残されていない
一つの空の巣
雪で一杯である
break up―
my daughter’s voice cracks
across two continents
崩壊―
娘の声がかすれる
二つの大陸を横切って
blackout―
my son speaks a secret
i always knew
暗転―
息子が秘密を明かす
ずっと知っていた
blue moon
dad’s phone message
unslurred
青みがかった月
パパのフォーンメッセージ
明瞭な発音だった
third blizzard―
the untuned piano’s
middle c
三回目のブリザード―
未調律のピアノの
中間のｃ
snowed in
the dog clicks
from room to room
雪が中に舞い込んだ
犬が意気投合する
部屋から部屋へ
just after midnight
he corrects
her auld lang syne
ちょうど真夜中過ぎ
彼が正す
彼女のオールドラングサインを
talking divorce
he pours his coffee
then mine
離婚について話し合う
彼がコーヒーを注ぐ
それから私に
last train
a can rolls the length
of the quiet car
終列車
缶が一つ端から端まで転がる
静かな車両の
so much silence
on a path
lit by fireflies
底知れない静寂
小径の上
蛍が明かりを灯す
rivermoon
we run
out of words
川に月が
私たちは走り出す
言葉より先に
quiet rain
…the deeper quiet
of uncut roses
静かな雨
．．．もっと深い静けさが
伸び盛りのバラたちに
piano practice
in the room above me
my father shouting
ピアノの稽古
上の部屋で
父が大声で言っている
talk of war
the spin cycle’s
steady hum
戦争の話
飛行機のきりもみ降下の円形の
変わらないブーンという音
culling figs
mother and son
speaking again
いちじくを摘みながら
母と息子が
また話している
snowbound
reading out loud
to an empty room
雪で閉じこめられた
声を大きく朗読をする
空っぽの部屋に
not hearing it
till the cat stirs
birdsong
まだ耳にしていない
猫がかき立てるまで
鳥の歌を
The latter 18 haiku of ‘nothing to say’ by Roberta Beary appear in the future posting on the website, when we hold our festival again.
Last of all, let me decorate our on line festival with the photo flowers presented by Patricia Lidia, a haiku poet, in Romania.
The next posting ‘Haiku by Helen McCarthy for Int’l Haiku Spring Festival 2010 (2)’ appears tomorrow on May 13.
― Hidenori Hiruta
Haiga by Masuda Aika ( Part 5 )
2010/03/20
Miss Masuda Aika (桝田愛佳）began painting haiga in her elementary school days.
In summer, 2008, her mother, Ms. Masuda Junko (桝田純子), and David Ferron, an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) in Akita City, Akita, Japan, took up haiga by Masuda Aika as their haiga project.
We posted their haiga project on the website, dividing it into three stages in November, 2009.
We are very pleased that you appreciated haiga by an elementary schoolgirl in Akita.
Miss Masuda Aika（桝田愛佳）, is now a freshman at Seirei Senior High School in Akita, and contributed her haiga to our website again recently.
Her mother, Ms. Masuda Junko (桝田純子) wrote haiku and translated them into English.
We hope that you will enjoy their haiga and haiku on our website again.
In her second year : Sotoasahikawa Junior High School
No snow
even in February
so bright afternoon
by Junko
Green leaves shining ―
she who falls in love
shining too
by Junko
First hit by my brother ―
even flowers swinging
with joy
by Junko
From a heaven room
watching fireflies glow
with my best friend
by Junko
Rokugo’s springwater
shining
reflecting the sky
by Junko
In Rokugo, town of water, we can see clouds reflected in the pond of the garden.
Jack-o-lantern
smiling at me
from outside the window
by Aika
Red dragonflies
basking in the sunshine
friendly with shades
by Junko
Happy New Year
by Aika
Favorite pastime
sewing one by one
waiting for spring
by Aika
My dream comes true ―
cherry blossoms blooming
in my mind
by Junko
Ms. Doi Ikuko （土井育子）, the best friend of Aika’s mother’s, presented her Tanka （短歌） to Aika.
Oh, my sweet baby!
Grow up healthy
with the Japanese spirit;
Sakura,
sakura,
it’s the century flower.
すこやかに 大和魂 育たんや さくら さくらは 世紀の花よ
Sukoyaka ni yamato damashii sodatan ya sakura sakura wa seiki no hana yo
The names of all her family members appear in her tanka, says Ikuko.
Her husband’ s name is 世紀（Seiki） (Century), her son’s name is 健太郎（Kentaro） (Healthy boy), her daughter’s name is さくら （Sakura） (Cherry flower), and her name, 育子（Ikuko）, means ‘Sodatsu ‘( Grow up).
Around there
I felt
as if I heard your voice;
turning around
I found the blue ocean only
By Junko
In her third year : Sotoasahikawa Junior High School
Spring in full swing
so am I
in the 9th grade at last
by Aika
Soap bubbles
rise in the sky of Tokyo ―
school trip
by Aika
Under the sky
the first rose has opened
summer begins
by Aika
First swimming
with the rainbow seen
beyond the pool shower
by Aika
Mt. Chokai’s flowers
fascinating
late summer
by Junko
The last haiga was presented to Yousei Hime, whose blog is SHITEKI NA USAGI ( http://tasmith1122.wordpress.com/).
In the main hall
praying for good luck
winter light outside
by Junko
The next posting, Haiku by Lars Palm in Sweden, appears on March 27.
― Hidenori Hiruta
Haiga by Masuda Aika ( Part 4 )
2010/03/13
Miss Masuda Aika (桝田愛佳）began painting haiga in her elementary school days.
In summer, 2008, her mother, Ms. Masuda Junko (桝田純子), and David Ferron, an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) in Akita City, Akita, Japan, took up haiga by Masuda Aika as their haiga project.
We posted their haiga project on the website, dividing it into three stages in November, 2009.
We are very pleased that you appreciated haiga by an elementary schoolgirl in Akita.
Miss Masuda Aika（桝田愛佳）, is now a freshman at Seirei Senior High School in Akita, and contributed her haiga to our website again recently.
Her mother, Ms. Masuda Junko (桝田純子) wrote haiku and translated them into English.
We hope that you will enjoy their haiga and haiku on our website again.
Winter : in the Sixth Grade
Dear Santa Claus,
this is my wish:
You could realize everyone’s dreams
by Aika
Happy New Year!
with my idol
in my arms
by Aika
On graduation
walking with light steps
full of hope
by Aika
Young leaves open ―
Singing lessons begin
for graduation
by Junko
In her first year : Sotoasahikawa Junior High School
Freshman ceremony
brightly shining
the unifrom’s white lines
by Suiho (Haiga teacher)
Early in the morning
parents picked warabi
boiled green
warabi = bracken
by Junko
“I’m home”
my son played with the sun
as he liked
by Junko
Big fireworks
disappeaed instant
into the heavens
by Junko
The fall wind
breezes in celebration
my birthday
by Junko
In the blue sky
red leaves are flying
colorful
by Atsushi (Aika’s father)
Happy New Year
2007
by Aika
Happy New Year
by Aika
“Demons out! Good luck in!”
by Aika
The next posting, Haiga by Masuda Aika (Part 5 ), appears on March 20.
― Hidenori Hiruta
Haiku about the New Year (2010)
2010/01/02
Happy New Year
2010 !
the Year of the Tiger
謹賀新年 kinga shinnen
二千十年 nisen ju nen
平成二十二年 heisei niju ninen
庚寅 Kanoe Tora
Miss Masuda Aika（桝田愛佳）, a freshman at Seirei Senior High School in Akita, celebrated the New Year by contributing her haiga to the Akita Sakigake Newspaper （秋田魁新報） on January 1. We readers enjoyed it in the newspaper, sharing the delights of the coming of the New Year with each other.
Ms. Masuda Junko（桝田純子）, Aika’s mother, also contributed her haiku about the New Year to the newspaper.
初春や山輝いて力湧く
hatsuharu ya yama kagayai te chikara waku
Mt. Taihei shines,
giving me power ―
New Year’s Day
This is a picture of Mt. Taihei （太平山）, which made me write the following haiku.
新玉の光に映える太平山
aratama no hikari ni haeru Taiheizan
Mt. Taihei
reflects the light
New Year’s Day
Next I post two of my haiku about Namahage （なまはげ）, or ‘Ogre’ in the Oga Peninsula, Akita.
The first haiku also appeared in the Akita Sakigake Newspaper on January 1.
なまはげも男鹿半島で五七五
Namahage mo Ogahantou de go shichi go
Namahage Ogre
writes haiku too ―
the Peninsula of Oga
The second haiku is this:
なまはげは入道崎の光かな
Namahage wa Nyudouzaki no hikari kana
Namahage Ogre
keeps the lighthouse ―
Cape of Oga
Last of all I post haiku and some photos of swans I happened to find a little before the New Year’s Day.
There were swans taking a break during their flight near the bank of the Omono River （雄物川）in Akita.
Fortunately, I saw swans grooming there.
白鳥の繕ひ新た葦の岸
hakucho no tsukuroi arata ashi no kishi
Swans
groom by the reed bank
for the New Year
We wish you a wonderful 2010 !
― Hidenori Hiruta
桝田愛佳（Masuda Aika）began painting haiga in her elementary school days.
In summer, 2008, her mother, 桝田純子(Masuda Junko), and David Ferron, an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) in Akita City, Akita, Japan, took up haiga by Masuda Aika as their haiga project.
We post their haiga project on the website, dividing it into three stages.
This is the last stage of the haiga project.
We hope that you will appreciate the last part of haiga, with the three basic haiga in the first part.
Ms. Masuda’s and David’s Haiga Project
わたしと俳画 Haiga and me
秋田市立外旭川小学校
Akita Municipal Sotoasahikawa Elementary School
六年一組 Sixth grade, First class
桝田愛佳 Masuda Aika
始めたきっかけ Why did I start?
母が知り合いの方に「うちの，愛佳は絵が好きなんですよ。」と，言ったら，その方が「私の母が，俳画を教えています。愛佳さんもやってみませんか？」と，おっしゃったそうです。
I heard that when my mom said to an acquaintance of hers, “My Aika likes paintings,” she replied, “My mother teaches haiga. Would like to try it?”
わたしはそれを聞いて、面白そうだなと、思っておけいこにいきました。
When I heard this I thought it sounded interesting, so I took some lessons.
北潟先生のこと Ms. Kitagata
北潟先生は、八十歳をすぎていても、お元気で、とても優しくおしえてくれる物知りな先生です。
Even though Ms. Kitagata is over eighty years old she is a very gentle teacher who knows a lot.
本名は「北潟幸枝」ですが、俳画で使う時は、「北潟枝穂」です。
Her real name is Kitagata Sachie, but when she makes haiga it is Kitagata Shiho.
愛佳 あいか
弟と おとうとと
ボール遊びの ボールあそびの
秋休み あきやすみ
With my younger brother
Playing ball
During fall break
愛佳 あいか
今日のこと きょうのこと
聴いて始まる きいてはじまる
わが団らん わがだんらん
Today
The time I enjoy starts
When I talk with my family
純子句 じゅんこく
おだんごで おだんごで
みんなでパーティ みんなでパーティ
月の夜 つきのよる
With dumplings
Everyone partied
During the moonlit night
自然との しぜんとの
思い出いっぱい おもいでいっぱい
まんたらめ まんたらめ
Plenty of memories
With nature
Mantarame
愛佳 あいか
初春元旦 はつはるがんたん
初雪の思い出のこるまんたらめ はっゆきのおもいでののこるまんたらめ
First day of the year
Mantarame, where memories of the first snow remain
愛佳 あいか
Cake
美沙季 みさき
愛佳より あいかより
Misaki
From Aika
幸福を こうふくを
祈る本堂 いのるほんどう
冬日さす ふゆびさす
Praying for happiness
In the main hall
Light shines through the window
純子句 じゅんこく
愛佳 あいか
地ふぶきの じふぶきの
果てにほおばる はてにほおばる
桜もち さくらもち
純子句 じゅんこく
The massive snowstorm’s
Mouth-watering, satisfying
Sakura rice cakes
始業式 しぎょうしき
たしかに春の たしかにはるの
かぜがふく かぜがふく
純子 じゅんこ
愛佳 あいか
As an opening ceremony
Without fail the spring
Wind blows
何べんも なんべんも
そりすべりして そりすべりして
春の雪 はるのゆき
純子 じゅんこ
愛佳 あいか
However many times,
Sliding on a sled
In the spring snow
愛佳 あいか
おもたせは おもたせは
秋の走りの あきのはしりの
味ゆたか あじゆたか
幸句 こうく
The souvenir is
The beginning of fall
So delicious
弟からのメッセージ A message from my younger brother
「おねえちゃんがやっているのをみてたのしそうだからやってみたい。」と言って今年七月に始めました。
He said, “I saw my older sister doing it, so I want to try.” He started from July of this year.
かっぱはそのときの作品です。 A kappa is his piece of artwork from that time.
大暑 たいしょ Dog days of summer
健太郎 Kentaro
愛佳 あいか
螢かと思ってみた ほたるがとおもってみた
空の星 そらのほし
I thought they were fireflies
The stars in the sky
二年間を振り返って Looking back at these two years
俳画をやってみて楽しくて、楽しくてアッと言う間に、二年間がすぎていきました。変わったところは、少しだけ堂々とはなせるようになりました。これからも俳画をつづけたいです。
I really, really enjoyed making haiga and before I knew it, two years passed. What changed is that I am now able to speak a little bit more elegantly. From here on, I want to continue making haiga.
A message from the translator (AKA the guy that messed everything up):
I would be happy to remain unacknowledged, however Ms. Masuda asked me to contribute a brief profile of myself with a piece addressing my feelings towards my contribution to the work. So here I go.
I am an American and originally hail from Kansas. Yes, Kansas. If you don’t know where that is, I suggest you watch “The Wizard of Oz” or try and buy something made of wheat from America. I currently work for the Japanese government as an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) in Akita City, Akita, Japan. That basically means I get paid to get kanchos from small children, among other things (I think maybe only two people got that last joke, but I swear those two people laughed really hard).
It is in this hectic, yet occasionally enjoyable school setting that I met Ms. Masuda. She mentioned her interest in haiga and I admitted my ignorance of the art form. After showing me her daughter’s and son’s artwork, we got on the topic of haiga in English and she wondered how they would sound in another language. From here, the details get sketchy: either she asked me to try my hand at translating them, or I offered myself. I honestly can’t remember exactly how the transaction went down, but next thing I knew, here I was in front of my computer looking at a blue and yellow frog (her son’s painting [which actually has a funny story itself, but I’ll let Ms. Masuda tell that herself, because she tells it with the passion only a mother can have]).
As for the translating itself, it actually turned out to be much more of a challenge than what I first thought. Coming into it with some knowledge of Japanese (it was my major in college) and having translated for fun during my free time certainly did help, but by far the hardest part for me was trying to convey the author’s Japanese feelings in English words.
When choosing what words I should use, I tried to keep in mind that the original author started writing haiga when she was nine and made the power point presentation (what I translated from) when she was twelve. So, I tried my best to use words that I thought a girl of similar age, speaking English would use. But at the same time this is a girl writing poetry, so that said, I tried to find a balance between the poetic and the everyday.
A related problem of equal importance was word order. As I was in the process of translating, I felt a lot of the haiga may sound more natural, and maybe even more “poetic” to a native speaker, if their word order was switched. But then I questioned: would this jeopardize the original meaning? Should I sacrifice the structure for the meaning? Was it my place to make this judgment call?
Ultimately, I decided yes, it was. So from the start, I had to choose which I valued more the structure of the haiga or its meaning, and in the end, I tried my best to find a happy balance. Overall, I tried my best to keep the Japanese word order, but when I felt it sounded significantly better in a different order, I changed it for that particular instance and continued on. Since the original Japanese lacks any punctuation whatsoever, I also tried to keep punctuation to a minimum and inserted it in only when I felt it was necessary. However, I did take some liberties with particles and used them to help smooth the beat for the reader. While the original Japanese versions are often times missing particles, I felt that when turned into English they sounded disjointed and incomplete without them.
Finally, I would like to thank Ms. Masuda for putting up with all of my questions and for being patient while I tapped away on my keyboard. Maybe what I wrote above just overanalyzed the entire translating process, but at the very least I hope it shows that I do care about what I did. And I hope it shows as you read it as well. Enjoy.-David Ferron
(The End)
― Posted by Hidenori Hiruta
桝田愛佳（Masuda Aika）began painting haiga in her elementary school days.
In summer, 2008, her mother, 桝田純子(Masuda Junko), and David Ferron, an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) in Akita City, Akita, Japan, took up haiga by Masuda Aika as their haiga project.
We post their haiga project on the website, dividing it into three stages.
This is the second stage of the haiga project.
We hope that you will appreciate the second part of haiga, with the three basic haiga in the first part.
Ms. Masuda’s and David’s Haiga Project
わたしと俳画 Haiga and me
秋田市立外旭川小学校
Akita Municipal Sotoasahikawa Elementary School
六年一組 Sixth grade, First class
桝田愛佳 Masuda Aika
始めたきっかけ Why did I start?
母が知り合いの方に「うちの，愛佳は絵が好きなんですよ。」と，言ったら，その方が「私の母が，俳画を教えています。愛佳さんもやってみませんか？」と，おっしゃったそうです。
I heard that when my mom said to an acquaintance of hers, “My Aika likes paintings,” she replied, “My mother teaches haiga. Would like to try it?”
わたしはそれを聞いて、面白そうだなと、思っておけいこにいきました。
When I heard this I thought it sounded interesting, so I took some lessons.
北潟先生のこと Ms. Kitagata
北潟先生は、八十歳をすぎていても、お元気で、とても優しくおしえてくれる物知りな先生です。
Even though Ms. Kitagata is over eighty years old she is a very gentle teacher who knows a lot.
本名は「北潟幸枝」ですが、俳画で使う時は、「北潟枝穂」です。
Her real name is Kitagata Sachie, but when she makes haiga it is Kitagata Shiho.
ふるさとが ふるさとが
見え元日の みえがんじつの
炭俵 すみだわら
裕句 ひろしく
愛佳 あいか
In my hometown
During the upcoming New Year
With my charcoal sack
千代紙の ちよがみの
ひなのほほえむ ひなのほほえむ
三日かな みっかかな
Ornate, colored-papered
Grins
Dolls for March third, Girls’ Day
愛佳 あいか
愛佳 あいか
一つとや ひとつとや
二つとやあと ふたつとやあと
遊ぶ夜 あそぶよる
One, oh, yeah
Two, oh, yeah
A playful night
愛佳 あいか
水嵩の みずかさの
増してくる如く ましてくるしく
芹洗ふ せりあらう
The volume of water
Rises up
Washing the Japanese parsley
佳郎句 よしろく
新しい雅号 A new pen name
最初にいただいた雅号は「愛苑」だったけれど、同じ雅号の人がいたので「佳苑」という雅号をいただきました。先生に「佳苑」というはんこを作ってもらいました。
The first pen name I was given was Aien, however there was someone else with the same pen name, so I was given the name Kaen. I also received a personal seal with the name Kaen that my teacher made.
緑さし みどりさし
猫の歩みも ねこのあゆみも
映りけり うつりけり
秀旦句 Does anyone know how to pronounce this?
愛佳 あいか
Day by day, greener and greener
A cat’s steps too
Are reflected
父の日に ちちのひに
絵げいこに来れる えげいこにこれる
幸よ しあわせよ
On Father’s Day
I can practice haiga
So happy (Thank you, dad)
先生と吹く せんせいとふく
草笛の くさぶえの
まちまちに まちまちに
友子句 ともこく
愛佳 あいか
Blowing with my teacher
The blades of grass
Out of synch
母と俳句 Mom and Haiku
母は、時々川柳（せんりゅう）や俳句をつくっています。母が好きなばらを描いて母の俳句をのせたら、泣いて喜んでいました。母は、すっかりその気になって毎月おけいこの時は、はりきって、俳句をつくっています。
My mom sometimes makes haiku and senryu (humorous Japanese poems). When I painted a rose, which my mother likes, and added one of my mom’s haikus, she was so happy she cried. My mom was overwhelmingly pleased and now every month during my lessons cheerfully makes haikus.
嵐にも あらしにも
りんりんと咲く りんりんとさく
花畑 はなばたけ
Despite the storm
The flower garden
Is vigorously blooming
純子句 じゅんこく
愛苑 あいえん
苗代の なわしろの
月夜は つきよは
はんの木に はんのきに
けむる けむる
The bed of rice’s
Moonlit night
Is shrouded by
The Japanese alder
素逝句 そせいく
(To Be Continued)
― Posted by Hidenori Hiruta
桝田愛佳（Masuda Aika）began painting haiga in her elementary school days.
In summer, 2008, her mother, 桝田純子(Masuda Junko), and David Ferron, an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) in Akita City, Akita, Japan, took up haiga by Masuda Aika as their haiga project.
We post their haiga project on the website, dividing it into three stages.
We hope that you will appreciate haiga by an elementary schoolgirl in Akita.
Ms. Masuda’s and David’s Haiga Project
わたしと俳画 Haiga and me
秋田市立外旭川小学校
Akita Municipal Sotoasahikawa Elementary School
六年一組 Sixth grade, First class
桝田愛佳 Masuda Aika
始めたきっかけ Why did I start?
母が知り合いの方に「うちの，愛佳は絵が好きなんですよ。」と，言ったら，その方が「私の母が，俳画を教えています。愛佳さんもやってみませんか？」と，おっしゃったそうです。
I heard that when my mom said to an acquaintance of hers, “My Aika likes paintings,” she replied, “My mother teaches haiga. Would like to try it?”
わたしはそれを聞いて、面白そうだなと、思っておけいこにいきました。
When I heard this I thought it sounded interesting, so I took some lessons.
北潟先生のこと Ms. Kitagata
北潟先生は、八十歳をすぎていても、お元気で、とても優しくおしえてくれる物知りな先生です。
Even though Ms. Kitagata is over eighty years old she is a very gentle teacher who knows a lot.
本名は「北潟幸枝」ですが、俳画で使う時は、「北潟枝穂」です。
Her real name is Kitagata Sachie, but when she makes haiga it is Kitagata Shiho.
せつせつと せつせつと
眼まで濡らして めまでぬらして
髪洗ふ かみあらう
節子句 せつこく
愛佳 あいか
Frenziedly
Eyes get wet
When hair’s washed
マスカット マスカット
おいしく食べし おいしくたべし
夜食後 やしょくあと
愛佳 あいか
Muscat grapes
Deliciously eaten
After dinner
愛佳 あいか
山の雲 やまのくも
いけしまま いけしまま
松立てにけり まつたてにけり
章句 あきらく
Pine trees stood
In the mountain clouds
Like arranged flowers
愛佳 あいか
十五夜の じゅうごやの
雲のあそびて くものあそびて
かぎりなし かぎりなし
夜半句 やはんく
For fifteen nights
The clouds played
Endlessly
愛佳 あいか
冬に入る ふゆにはいる
山国の紺 やまごくのこん
女学生 じょがくせい
Headed into winter
The mountain country’s dark blue
Schoolgirl
牡丹雪 ぼたんゆき
地に近づきて ちにちかづきて
迅く落つ はやくおつ
六林男句 むりおく
愛佳 あいか
十才 じゅうさい
Large snowflakes
Come towards the ground
And swiftly fall
金銀の きんぎんの
紙ほどの幸 かみほどのさち
クリスマス クリスマス
欣一句 きんいちく
愛佳 あいか
Gold and silver
Little joy-filled paper
At Christmas
(To be continued)
― Posted by Hidenori Hiruta
