Seasons and Categories

[ . BACK to TOP . ]

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Haiku Seasons, Categories and
their worldwide use


For a general definition of kigo, read the General Information.

Kigo and its use in Japanese haiku.

Nature provides us with variuos phenomenon during the seasons, but NOT with words about them.

We humans make up words, classify them, write poetry with them and collect them in almanachs.
The Japanese have been the first to put their seasonal words into collections, call the short poems HAIKU and archived them in books called SAIJIKI, that is why even today as haiku poets we stick to these human conventions and we use these books as reference for our own haiku.

Traditional Japanese haiku are about the many changes during the seasons (not simply about nature ! but about the seasonal changes of nature), the changes in the life of plants and animals, heaven and earth, but also the changes in the daily life of humans within the society, like festivals and food.

The Japanese saijiki started in a time when the Asian lunar calendar was used in Japan, so even now we have a sort of timeslip of one month between the ... natural phenomenon.. and the .. kigo about them ...
February for example is early spring in the Asian Lunar Calendar system but late winter in the reality of the weather conditions in most parts of Japan.
Consider Northern Hokkaido and Southern Okinawa ... and yet Japanese haiku poets use the same saijiki when they write about natural phenomenon.

A Japanese saijiki is a handbook of the culture of Japan, a travelouge through our many festivals, a description of our food and drink, a celebration of our nature.
Kigo are not ment to be a weather forecast or a biology textbook, but a reference to these words used in the Japanese poetic cultural context.

Kigo are not simply seasonal words representing animals, plants and natural phenomenon, they also include local festivals and other human activities, and thus carry a lot of cultural background information.

The first advise of a haiku teacher (sensei) in Japan is always:
Go get yourself a saijiki and read it many times.


Seasons

For the worldwide approach to kigo, we must differentiate between the "Haiku Season" and the natural phenomenon and human activites occuring at a certain season at a certain place.

To complicate our endeavor, we also have to deal with the Asian Lunar Calendar and the 24 seasonal points (periods), which were applied in Japan before the introduction of the Western Calendar, when kigo were already used in Japanese poetry. Better read this article before you conitnue.

I compiled the basics about this Asian lunar calendar system here:
The Lunar Calendar in Japan /
The 24 Seasons (juunishi sekki 二十四節季)

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The classical seasons of Japanese haiku are

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and the New Year.
Each season comes in four sections:

early, middle, late and all the three of them.
http://renku.home.att.net/500ESWd.html#Part

Months will not be used to define a SEASON, because of the differences in the Northern and Southern hemisphere, see below. SPRING is SPRING. (This should not be mistaken. Each month carries the seasonal reference of the area, where a haiku poet writes about it, see below for "Calendar reference kigo".

Even in Japan, rangeing from Northern Hokkaido to Sub-tropical Okinawa, the seasonal phenomenon do not always correspond with the haiku seasons, which apply mostly to Central Japan. The problem of the lunar calendar defining the traditional Japanese haiku seasons has also to be considered. See below.


For the worldwide context here are some guidelines.
Usually it is necessary to know the area, from where the haiku poet is writing, to appreciate the use of kigo he/she uses in the poetry.

Northern and Southern Hemisphere
If there is not specific mention, a calendar reference kigo refers to the Northern Hemisphere as its place of origin, since haiku and the saijiki concept originates in Japan.
For the Southern Hemisphere, add six months.
For a calendar reference kigo originating in the Southern Hemisphere, add six months to get to its Northern counterpart.
These adjustments will not be mentioned specifically for each kigo.
SEE: Adjustments for Australia

Calendar reference kigo
are for example the names of each month and then the many festivals of a specific date and the memorial days of people or things.
Japanese haiku poets up from the North of Hokkaido down to the South of Okinawa have no problem when using DECEMBER as a kigo within the convention of writing haiku, for example. Neither do the Japanese haiku poets who live in Brazil complain about the saijiki.


............... Examples for the use of Japanse Kigo

Example: First Snow, hatsuyuki　初雪
This will be a haiku with a kigo indicating the early winter, never mind the month when it happens in your area.


Example: Butterfly, choo 蝶
This is a kigo for spring (when the first butterflies are seen). To indicate a butterfly seen in a different season, it will be a "Summer Butterfly (natsu no choo)", "Autumn Butterfly (aki no choo)" etc, with the added season word.


Example: Christmas
a typical calendar time reference kigo
Kigo for Mid-Winter in the Northern Hemisphere. (Will be mentioned)
Kigo for Summer in the Southern Hemisphere. (Will not be mentioned.)
Kigo for "Wet Season" in the Tropics. (Will not be mentioned, see below.)

to be added.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Non-seasonal words used in haiku have been labeled in many ways：

keywords, non-seasonal topics, all-season topics,
miscellaneous : zakku 雑句; zappai　雑俳
haiku without a season word : muki, mu-ki, 無季, muki no ku 無季の句, muki haiku 無季俳句 ...
"free format haiku" as used by the Shiki Monthly Kukai

... wrongly called : all season kigo (!), quite a contradiction in terms, since KI means season
... "muki kigo": this expression does not exist in the Japanese language !


These words will be collected in the
Non-seasonal Haiku Topics .

The term "all-season kigo, all season kigo" is a misunderstanding and should not be used in this context.

Mukigo ... The Season of 'No-Season'
Problems of Terminology ... a discussion !!!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Here is a piece of advise from Gabi :

If you are inspired by the nature around you, that is your season !
And if you find a kigo to fit that season, all the better for your haiku!

A butterfly in winter is just that, fuyu no choo, a butterfly in winter! Even in Japan, that is what I see once in a while.

Keep observing what is going on around you and write your haiku about it! That is always the first step.

Read your saijiki (dictionary of kigo) in a leisurely moment to remember some of the words that are used as kigo, and what they mean in a certain culture. Maybe they come in handy at another time when you are about to write your haiku. That is the second step.

The more kigo you remember, the more you can later use them in your haiku, that is the Japanese approach to literature.
More is here:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/happyhaiku/message/2498


This is a good piece to read for starters.
THE IMPORTANCE OF SEASONS, by Charles Trumbull


Check the Japanese Beginner's Saijiki to get familiar with some of the Japanese kigo.
Japanese Haiku Topical Dictionary, University of Virginia Library

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

..................The Classification of Seasons
As of Summer 2005

This will be a problem we have to solve as we go along. We do not need to establish definite rules to be followed ...we work as we go and when the necessity arises.
The basic notion we have to keep in mind is that we are dealing with “Haiku Seasons” which even in Japan do not correspond to the calendrical ones.
(The tolerance of Japanese haijin about this discrepance should be our ideal in trying to achive consensus ...)

For the temperate climates, stick to the Japanese definitions. For the rest, see where it leads us, compare with the attempts of others and keep improving our definitions.


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Adjustments for some areas

For special areas and seasons around the world, we have to make adjustments. They will not be mentined for most kigo that originate in other regions, for example Christmas, but only for kigo originating in the region.

。。。。。。。　India

According to the classical text of the Ritusamharam we will introduce six haiku seasons in India, two more that the four seasons of the Japanese Saijiki.

Each Indian seaseon comprises only two months, whereas in the Japanese saijiki, each season (except the New Year), comprises three months and is divided in early, middle and late part of the season.


Here are the six seasons for INDIA

Summer – called Grishma –in the months of Jaishthya and Aashadh
approximately May and June

Rains – called Varsha - in the months of Shravan and Bhadrapad
approximately July and August

Autumn called Sharad - in the months of Aashwin and Kartik
approximately September and October

Frost – called Hemant – in the months of Margshishya and Pousha
approximately November and December

Winter called Shishir - in the months of Magh and Phalgun
approximately January and February

Spring known as Vasant - in the months of Chaitra and Vaishakh
approximately March and April


Read more details in the INDIA SAIJIKI.


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

。。。。。。。　Kenya and the Tropics

In Kenya and the Tropics, we have the following seasons for Haiku

.. .. .. hot season
.. .. .. long rains
.. .. .. cool season
.. .. .. short rains

Some of the rainy season kigo appear twice in the course of the year.

Read more details in the KENYA SAIJIKI.


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

。。。。。。。　Multiple-Season Listings

They will be necessary in very few special cases.

POEMS WITH TWO SEASON WORDS
by William J. Higginson

Wind chimes in Spring, a discussion
http://worldkigodatabase.blogspot.com/2006/11/wind-chimes-fuurin.html


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Online Saijiki for special areas

The World Kigo Database project encourages haiku poets around the world to submit their kigo and haiku about regional items.
Here are the saijiki we support so far

ALASKA Saijiki
AUSTRALIAN Seasons and Saijiki
CANADA Saijiki
Chesapeake Bay Saijiki, USA
GERMAN Saijiki
INDIA Saijiki
ISSA and the Seasons
KENYA Saijiki including the Tropics
North American Saijiki LIST
ROMANIA Saijiki
OKLAHOMA Saijiki (under construction)
SONORAN Saijiki
Trinidad and Tobago Saijiki


Saijiki for Japanese Buddhist and Shinto Ceremonies and Festivals
Saijiki for Memorial Days of Famous People
Tea Ceremony Saijiki


For more Japanese TOPICAL saijiki, see below.
........................................................................................

SEASONS … All about the Seasons of the world
.........................by Waverly Fitzgerald


WKD : Worldwide Calendar Systems


Snow, Moon and Blossoms, SETSUGEKKA 雪月花
Essay by Isamu Kurita Understanding the Japanese Mind


More to be added.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Non-Seasonal Topics

Words which are often used in haiku and renku, but are not specific for any season of their own. To express a season with them, use another kigo with it.
Sometimes Japanese haiku without a season word are called mu-ki muki, 無季, sometimes words without as seasonal aspect are called keywords in America.
The concept of keyword is not common in Japan.

Japanese Haiku without a season word might rather be classified as SENRYU　川柳.

These words are collected here in our Database:
Non-seasonal Haiku Topics .


For more about the concept of keywords, read the General Information.

************************************

Categories

The seven Japanese Categories are:


jikoo　時候　Season, climate, time　
tenmon 天文　Heaven, natural phenomena, astronomy
chiri 地理　Earth, geography
seikatsu 生活　Humanity, daily life, livelihood
gyooji 行事　Observances, seasonal events
doobutsu 動物　Animals, Zoology
shokubutsu 植物　Plants, Biology

For Observances and calendar-related season words we have to make adjustments for the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. Thus Christmas will be a WINTER kigo in the North and a SUMMER kigo in the South of the globe.

Since each kigo carries a certain mood or emotional state, the Japanese haiku poet makes sure to study his saijiki and the associations of each kigo.

The Season:
includes general climate, reminders of the previous season, solstice or equinox (i.e., the middle of the season), the months, time and length of day, temperature, approaching the end of the season, anticipating the beginning of the next season.
The name of a month implies a different climatic season in different parts of the world. This is expecially important for the tropical areas, where DECEMBER is a kigo for the hot and dry season in Kenya and the Southern Hemisphere, where DECEMBER is a summer kigo, for example.

The Heavens :
sky, heavenly bodies, winds, precipitation, storms, other sky phenomena, light and shade.

The Earth :
landscape, seascape, fields, forests, bodies of water.
©　etext. virginia. university

WKD : the END of each season, expressed in KIGO


Read also Bill Higginson
.....renku.home.att.net/500ESWd.html#Category



Humanity and Observances, two important categories for HAIKU
find the related KIGO of the WKD here !


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Saijiki
is a kind of encyclopedia or anthology about seasonal things in Japan, not necessarily only about kigo for haiku.

JAPANESE Saijiki, University of Virginia
JAPANESE 500 Season Words


Collecting Local Japanese Kigo (chibo kigo, chiboo kigo 地貌季語)
Kigo from urral and sometimes remote Japanese areas, even in local dialect, used by the regional haiku poets.


We have local saijiki of various regions of Japan (Furusato Saijiki 故郷歳時記 ふるさと大歳時記―角川版 ) and then topical saijiki about the stars, flowers, birds, fish, movies, sound, Saijiki for Buddhist Events , the Tea Ceremony 茶の湯歳時記 , words, English, children, food, colors 色の歳時記―目で遊ぶ日本の色 , dogs, health and many more.

『星の歳時記』『花の歳時記』『映画歳時記』『ふるさと歳時記』『福音歳時記』『仏教歳時記』『言葉の歳時記』『英語歳時記』『こども歳時記』『食べ物歳時記』『色の歳時記』『犬の歳時記』『健康歳時記』などなど

Here are some more Saijiki from AMAZON.COM, they have a
list of more than 1500 books:

男の俳句、女の俳句 For Men and Women
酒場歳時記 Places to Drink
フランス歳時記―生活風景12か月 French Saijiki
ヨーロッパ歳時記 Europe
旅の歳時記 (春) Travelling in the Seasons
料理歳時記 Food
食のことわざ歳時記―伝承の食生活の知恵120 Food and Proverbs

旬菜歳時記 Fresh Vegetables of the Season
うたの歳時記 (1) Songs (many volumes)
きもの歳時記 (242) Kimono

色好み江戸の歳時記 Colors of Edo
俳句の鳥・虫図鑑―季語になる折々の鳥と虫204種 Birds and insects
唐詩歳時記 Chinese Poetry

里山歳時記 田んぼのまわりで Local Mountains and Fields, Village Saijiki
北国俳句歳時記 Hokkaido
山の歳時記 (1) Mountains
鉄道歳時記 (1) Railway

お天気歳時記― Weather
ことばの歳時記 Words

勘九郎ひとりがたり―中村屋歳時記 Kabuki and Kankuro Nakamura
歌舞伎歳時記 Kabuki
..... WKD : Kabuki Saijiki
オペラ歳時記 Opera

江戸風俗 東都歳時記を読む Customs of Old Edo
江戸たべもの歳時記 Food of Old Edo

京都歳時記 Kyoto
おむすびの祈り―「いのち」と「癒し」の歳時記 Prayers and Healing
宗教歳時記 Religion and Saijiki

昭和歳時記 The Showa Period Saijiki
元禄歳時記 The Genroku Period Saijiki

There are many many many more here:
http://www.amazon.co.jp/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/489986/250-5295438-8170633
Input 歳時記。


The Museum of Haiku Literature (Haiku Bungakukan　俳句文学館) has the world's only library devoted exclusively to collecting and preserving haiku works for future generations.
Hyakunin-cho Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 169-8521, Japan
Museum of Haiku Literature


Gendai Haiku Kiiwaado Jiten
(Modern Haiku Keywords Dictionary)
『現代俳句キーワード辞典』立風書房
夏石番矢（なついし　ばんや) Natsuishi Banya, 1990


Eigo Saijiki (Seasonal Topics in English) 英語歳時記
ISBN 4-327-16008-3 , 1978.


Nichi-Ei Haiku Saijiki 日・英俳句歳時記
Katoo Kooko 加藤耕子, 1991


:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

External LINKs

*** Japanese Saijiki, University of Virginia
based on the "Nyūmon Saijiki" by Ohno Rinka 大野林火.

*** The Five Hundred Essential Japanese Season Words by Bill Higginson

*** The Traditional Seasons of Japanese Poetry
....Bill Higginson

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

A new approach

Muki Saijiki 無季歳時記 -- A contradiction in terms ?
Modern Haiku Association, Japan

Gilbert gives the English as
Muki-Kigo Saijiki ?? 無季季語歳時記 ??
Muki Saijiki ?? 無季歳時記 ??
The Modern Haiku Association Muki-Kigo Saijiki

The above kanji constructions (re-translations from the English) give no results when googeling. "Muki Kigo" is a contradiction in terms and NOT used in Japanese. Kaneko Tohta uses the expression "Mu Kigo 無季語".

The correct Japanse for this section of the saijiki is as follows:

現代俳句歳時記　無季
Gendai Haiku Saijiki / Muki
Modern Haiku Saijiki / Haiku without a season word

Mukigo 無季語　... The Season of 'No-Season'
Problems of Terminology ... a discussion !!!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

.........................The World Kigo Database
maintains an ongoing discussion about the subjects mentioned above.

Join here with your opinions.

Kigo Open Discussion Forum
THE KIGO HOTLINE"

Haiku Topics Open Discussion Forum


BACK TO
Alphabetical Index of the Worldkigo Database

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::