Today I got, for half-price, a set of books filled with haiku categorized by “kigo”. These are words that are exceptionally seasonal in their meaning. An example of this would be “neko no koi,” or “cats’ love,” as a signifier of spring. Haiku are supposed to contain at least one kigo. Anyway, these volumes are sublime, and I will be (slowly) pouring over them and re-learning a lot of Japanese. One point of dismay, however: while I did end up with 新編俳句歳時記 新年 [春] (spring), 新編俳句歳時記 新年 [夏] (summer), 新編俳句歳時記 新年 [秋] (autumn) and 新編俳句歳時記 新年 [冬] (winter), I didn’t notice until I began to read the intro to one of them that it is in fact a five-volume set — a fact I really should have known, since there are 5 seasons to the traditional haiku writer. I am missing 新編俳句歳時記 新年 [新年] (New Year), and now I will not be able to rest until I have it. Takashi (the Smoop’s father) has agreed to help me, and will scour the L.A. used book stores, since I had no luck online. If anyone happens to find a copy of it, I would be forever in their debt. Perhaps I will go back to the Adam’s Ave Bookstore and see if I missed it somehow…
Just Kristin
… a gentil harlot and a kynde.
That’s neat…I didn’t know that about haiku. Good luck finding the 5th.