{"id":477,"date":"2013-07-10T13:31:28","date_gmt":"2013-07-10T18:31:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/kucera\/?page_id=477"},"modified":"2013-07-11T09:26:41","modified_gmt":"2013-07-11T14:26:41","slug":"marla-nelson","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/kucera\/exhibitions-2\/yoshida-evolution-exhibition\/gallery\/reflections-3\/marla-nelson\/","title":{"rendered":"Marla Nelson"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Transforming Nature of Haikai<\/em><\/h4>\n

Haikai<\/em> is a form of popular linked verse, referring to both a poetic genre and an attitude of discourse toward language, literature, and tradition.\u00a0 Matsuo Bash?\u2019s term \u201chaikai <\/em>spirit\u201d (haii<\/em>) implies the interaction of diverse languages and subcultures (specifically: the new popular culture of the Edo period and classical poetic tradition).\u00a0 \u201cHaikai <\/em>spirit\u201d also signifies taking pleasure in re-contextualization.\u00a0 It refers to the de-familiarization, separating oneself from familiar habits and perspectives, and the following re-familiarization, re-establishing poetic topics in contemporary language and culture (Shirare 2002).\u00a0 Haikai <\/em>is most often seen in hokku<\/em> poetry, haibun <\/em>prose, and haiga <\/em>(haikai <\/em>painting that incorporates an image with poem).\u00a0 The haikai <\/em>attitude was developed in the early modern (Edo period) of Japan.\u00a0 The Shogunate had become established in Edo and a new commoner class in power (including samurai) desired to become more cultured like the aristocratic court, developing \u201cChinese\u201d or \u201cclassical Japanese\u201d tastes (Shirare 2002).\u00a0 Haikai <\/em>demonstrates an interaction between the vernacular and classical Japanese languages.\u00a0 It developed the relationship during the Edo period between the new popular, urban commoner and samurai-based culture and classical tradition of the aristocrats.<\/p>\n

In the mid-17th century new forms of printing developed leading to mass production with woodblocks as Japan\u2019s economy was opened to trade with the West.\u00a0 The preliminary subjects were Buddhist and Confucian religious texts, then literary classics, and finally contemporary vernacular literature.\u00a0 Mass printing allowed for the popularization of haikai <\/em>verse.\u00a0 Matsuo Bash? (1644-1649) is known as one of the greatest haiku <\/em>writers. Bash? is accredited with developing a pure style of haiku<\/em>, associating the Zen philosophy with the genre itself and converting it into a serious form of poetry in the 17th century.\u00a0 Other major contributors to the genre include Bus?n (1716-1783) and Issa (1763-1827).<\/p>\n

Hokku<\/em>, first named haikai-hokku <\/em>and later abridged to haiku<\/em>, is a seventeen-syllable linked verse form of poetry (Frederic 2002).\u00a0 The terms haikai <\/em>and haiku <\/em>are generally associated with all 3-line poems of 17 syllables.\u00a0 The poems are composed of lines with 5\/7\/5 syllable patterns and were originally written as the first part of a linked-verse waka <\/em>or venga <\/em>poem, created by two people as a literary game.\u00a0 The first poet would write 3 lines and the other responded with 2 lines (Japanese Haiku 1955).<\/p>\n

Traditional haiku<\/em> include specific components that develop images for the reader. A kigo<\/em>, or seasonal word, indicates a specific season and its associations. Kireji <\/em>(cutting word) divides the hokku <\/em>into 2 parts causing a syntactic break. The break forces a metaphor or an internal connection between the dissonant. Subject matter can be either \u2018single object\u2019 focusing on 1 image or \u2018combination\u2019, juxtaposing 2 different elements.\u00a0 One part of the hokku <\/em>will often be a seasonal topic while the other part features an image from contemporary popular culture.\u00a0 Either the popular image is used to create new life in a classical topic or the classical topic is used to give poetic shape to a contemporary image (Shirare 2002).\u00a0 Haiku<\/em> poems are descriptive, without a clear statement or idea in which the poet attempts to capture a moment of insight into workings of the natural world.\u00a0 Subtle connotations require the reader to find their own pleasure in the language, reflecting on the profound significance of the words chosen in the composition.<\/p>\n

Following the Japan\u2019s defeat in WWII, in which Tokyo was almost completely flattened, there appeared to be a crisis in the confidence of Japanese poets and critics claimed traditional poetry to be dead (Buckley 2002).\u00a0 New forms of haiku <\/em>developed, continuing the pre-war modernist tradition of breaking old vocabulary rules.\u00a0 New subjects included political figures and concepts with ideological overtones.\u00a0 Thousands of Americans lived in Japan during the Occupation, becoming involved in Japanese cultural forms.\u00a0 Americans brought their knowledge and experiences back to North America, and today numerous books exist on Japanese cultural forms, written by Americans and Europeans (Higginson 2001).\u00a0 Haiku <\/em>is now popular within American elementary schools as a convenient, short poetic form to teach arcane rules of English syllabication.<\/p>\n

During the late 20th century Japan has seen a rise in international marriages resulting in what Jane Singer (2000) calls \u201cdoubles\u201d: a washing together of cultures to produce qualities that are neither Japanese nor Western alone, but something completely original. With the spread of haiku <\/em>beyond Japan, the question of Japanese homogeneity arises.\u00a0 Foreign influences have been exerted on the country of Japan throughout history and the transformations of its culture.\u00a0 Many foreign poets have attempted to write haiku<\/em>, composing in English and French.\u00a0 Major problems arise in attempting to translate and understand Japanese haiku<\/em>.\u00a0 It is virtually impossible to translate haiku <\/em>literally and maintain its form as a poem or keep it in the 17-syllable form.\u00a0 The kireji <\/em>(divider) is marked by a dash in English translations. Additionally, haiku <\/em>uses many connotations recognizable to literate Japanese but not those with of a second language.\u00a0 The language is used without connecting words, tenses, pronouns, or indicators of singular or plural, and it is highly polysyllabic, which creates a texture not found in the Anglo-Saxon languages (Japanese Haiku 1955).<\/p>\n

Many consider the form of haiku <\/em>in English is an artificial creation.\u00a0 In Japanese the verse flows down the paper with no break between the \u201clines\u201d in the 5\/7\/5 form, moving from the upper right-hand corner to the lower left-hand corner of the page, vertically.\u00a0 In contrast, the English language requires the verse to be split in 3 lines in the middle of the page, losing the flow of original Japanese forms. Not only is the Japanese format more appealing to the reader, the poetry itself develops intense imagery as its art form. Even in the Japanese form of writing, both the Chinese ideographs and hiragana <\/em>and katakana <\/em>syllable forms contain beauty (Guest 1972). English poetry appeals more to the ear, creating distinct rhythms and rhymes.<\/p>\n

Beyond the difficulties of translation, many people around the world read and write haiku <\/em>on a daily basis. The famous Matsuo Bash? stated: \u201cLike the endless changes of the seasons, all things must change.\u00a0 The same is true of haiku<\/em>\u201d (Shirare 2002).\u00a0 Bash? recognized the poetry of successive generations would change over time. Classic poetry will transcend the old and new, maintaining its profound meaning for the reader, while new forms will test the definition of haiku<\/em>.\u00a0 The nature of haiku <\/em>is to combine the traditional with the contemporary, just as Japanese culture must attempt to preserve its history while exchanging contemporary ideas with other sources.<\/p>\n

Literature Cited<\/h4>\n

Buckley, Sandra, ed. Encyclopedia of Contemporary Japanese Culture. Routledge: London, 2002.<\/p>\n

Frederic, Lonis, ed. Japan Encyclopedia. Beknap Press of Harvard University Press: Cambridge, MA, 2002.<\/p>\n

Guest, Harry and Lynn, eds. Post War Japanese Poetry. Penguin Books: Middlesex, England, 1972.<\/p>\n

Higginson, William J. \u201cLess is more.\u201d Writer 114.9 (2001): 20-23.<\/p>\n

Japanese Haiku\/ translated from the masters of the seventeen-syllable poetic form: Basho, Buson, Issa, Suiki, Sokan, Kikaku, Chiyo-ni, Joso, Yaha, Boncho, and others. Peter Pauper Press: Mount Vernon, NY, 1955.<\/p>\n

Shirare, Harno, ed. Early Modern Japanese Literature: An anthology, 1600-1900. Columbia University Press: NY, 2002.<\/p>\n

Singer, Jane. \u201cJapan\u2019s Singular \u2018Doubles\u2019.” Japan Quarterly 47.2 (2000)\u00a0: 76-82.<\/p>\n

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Back<\/span><\/a> \/ \/ Gallery<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n

Disclaimer<\/em><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Transforming Nature of Haikai Haikai is a form of popular linked verse, referring to both a poetic genre and an attitude of discourse toward language, literature, and tradition.\u00a0 Matsuo Bash?\u2019s term \u201chaikai spirit\u201d (haii) implies the interaction of diverse languages and subcultures (specifically: the new popular culture of the Edo period and classical poetic … Continue reading “Marla Nelson”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":261,"featured_media":0,"parent":376,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"page-full_width.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-477","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/kucera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/kucera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/kucera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/kucera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/261"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/kucera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=477"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/kucera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":648,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/kucera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/477\/revisions\/648"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/kucera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/kucera\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}