T
H E F I S H I
N G C A T P
R E S S
seashores
an international journal to share the
spirit of haiku
The
objective of seashores is to share haiku from all over the world
and explore how the way and the spirit of haiku, with its power to connect us
to nature and our world can play a role in poetry and our lives in general.
ISSUE 13
November 2024
SPECIAL ANNOUCEMENT
Please note that seashores will not look
for or accept haiku or articles submissions for issue 13 (November 2024) as
this next publication will be fully dedicated to the Japanese saijiki,
with the adaptation and translation of the Kodansha edition. This decision does not come some
superstitious fear that there should not be an issue 13 of this journal but
from frequent requests by contributors who expressed their wish to see a
“compilation” of the season words featuring in the usual section: The
sources of haiku.
See more information below on this special issue.
The saijiki,
this Japanese Poetic Almanac, is a unique creation in the history of world
literature. Embodying and expressing an entire consciousness of the natural environment,
divided
into five seasons (the New Year being a separate season), this glossary of
references was compiled over the centuries by generations and
generations of Japanese haiku poets thanks to their careful and poetic
observation of the natural world. Season
words and references (kigo) are grouped in a
number of categories, that may change depending on the edition or editor, but usually
cover those classifications: the days of the Season, including humanity and
observances; the Heavens (sky and its moods); the Earth (fields, islands,
mountains and rivers; Animal life; and Plant life. And each entry includes an
explanatory paragraph or two and usually a few examples – some classic or
modern haiku selected by the editors – to illustrate how the kigo was or can be used, as this practical guide
is still widely available and used today by haiku poets
in Japan both for inspiration and as a guide to practice.
This translated adaptation of the saijiki will be a great resource for
anyone with an interest in Japanese haiku, poetry and culture. But this
publication will also be a source of inspiration for those interested in
discovering the close relation this nation has had with nature, which in turn
may help us understand how important – let’s just think of the global decline
in biodiversity – it is to have a sensitive and poetic relation to the living world,
something we all used to have in times gone by.
This book is a special publication of seashores, an
international journal to share the spirit of haiku and features:
Contents
-
An explanatory introduction on the origins, content
and structure of the saijiki;
-
35 major seasonal themes;
-
120+ season words;
-
300+ haiku; and
-
Still more on the rainy season, the
scented plum tree v cherry blossom, and other matters.
Cost: €15 (plus postage)
And
more news on line soon